Christmas is coming early this year!
Carrie Underwood revealed that she will release her first Christmas album in September. The singer, 37, shared the news on Instagram along with a preview of the album cover.
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“I realize we’re in the middle of a summer heatwave, but I couldn’t wait to tell you….at long last, my very first Christmas album #MyGift is coming September 25!” she wrote in the caption. “So much love has gone into this and I cannot wait to share it with you!”
Underwood has recorded several Christmas songs in the past, including “What Child Is This” and “The First Noel,” but this will be her first full-length Christmas album.
The country star opened up about her inspiration to work on a holiday record in a video trailer for “My Gift.”
“This year, it was just kind of on my heart to do this Christmas album,” she said. “I just felt like this was such a fitting time. I kind of feel like it’s a more perfect time than ever to record an album like this. I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album, and it’s something that really has to be well thought out. So right after the Cry Pretty Tour 360 was over, this was the next step I knew I wanted to take.”
“My Gift” will include a mix of holiday classics and original material. Underwood hasn’t released the track list yet, but she did hint at one song that may be included.
“I started thinking about individual songs, and one of my favorites is 'Little Drummer Boy,'” she said. “It’s one of my favorites because the sentiment behind it is just so honest. There’s a little boy, and of course, I think of my 5-year-old, Isaiah.”
She also revealed why the album is called “My Gift.”
“I love music, I love singing," she said. "That is my personal gift that I have that I get to do, that I’m so blessed to do, and I want to use that gift, and I want to give it back to Jesus,” she said. “That’s kind of why I landed on ‘My Gift’ as an album title.”
While Christmas may seem far away right now, Underwood said the turbulent times we are living in make this the perfect time to release a Christmas album and to reflect on the holiday’s messages of thankfulness and togetherness.
“Now more than ever, we all need to focus on what Christmas is about, rely more on our family,” she said. “Even though it has been a tough year, sometimes I feel like the greatest realizations can come in the worst times, or in the most stressful times, and it makes you more thankful for the things you do have.”