Former Journey Frontman Steve Perry Announces Holiday Record ‘The Season’

Former Journey frontman Steve Perry is releasing the holiday record The Season, which will arrive in stores on November 5th.

“I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs,” he says in a statement. “I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much.”

The Season features eight holiday standards, including “Winter Wonderland,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” You can hear leadoff single “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” right here.

Recording the album was a deeply nostalgic experience for Perry. “When I was recording vocals for ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’, as I was singing ‘Please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree’ … I was emotionally thrown into standing in my grandmother’s house staring through the door that I always hung [with] mistletoe,” he said in a statement, “and then I saw her beautiful Christmas tree in front of her living room window. I had to stop singing because it felt like I was really there. I was a bit stunned. Back home for Christmas is where everyone wants to be!”

Perry took a long break from the music industry after leaving Journey in 1998, but he reemerged in 2018 with the solo LP Traces. He followed it up last year with Traces (Alternate Versions and Sketches), a stripped-down version of the album. What he hasn’t done is play any concerts. “It’s always been on my mind,” he told Rolling Stone in 2020. “My heart bleeds daily to be in front of people and to sing for them.”

“I’ve got some physical injuries from touring,” he continued. “It’s a tough thing, touring. People don’t realize. It’s like sports. I’m watching baseball these days and there’s injuries. People’s backs and necks start to go out. It’s a young man’s game, but I do miss it.”

The Season Tracklist

1. “The Christmas Song”
2. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
3. “Auld Lang Syne”
4. “Winter Wonderland”
5. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
6. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
7. “Silver Bells”
8. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”