Billy Porter, who last month released “Children,” his anthemic debut single for Island Records UK/ Republic Records in the US, drops his new single “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” on November 19th. The track, long one of Billy’s favorite Christmas songs, and produced once again by Justin Tranter (Britney Spears, Camilla Cabello, Justin Bieber etc.), is a festive gift for Billy’s fans and a positive message as we approach the holidays.
Porter puts an upbeat twist on the bittersweet Christmas standard, joining an impressive list of folks who have covered the classic: Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Phoebe Bridgers, Coldplay, Sam Smith, Christina Aguilera, to name just a few.
“I grew up in the church, I’m a choir kid, so I have a deep love of Christmas music,” said Porter. “I know the holidays can be tough for a lot of people, but I always want to land on joy so I put this jaunty spin on the classic hoping it will infuse a little mirth into everyone’s season.”
Porter is a holiday-season staple. He’s performed at the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting twice (with Cyndi Lauper in 2014 and with Idina Menzel in 2019), at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade twice, and has hosted and performed on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve twice. His previous holiday song releases include his arresting turn on “O Holy Night” from the Rosie O’Donnell Christmas album and 2019’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” duet with Idina Menzel.
Billy will end the holiday season this year with a performance at the National Christmas Tree Lighting airing on CBS December 5th.
The official video for “Children” is set to drop shortly along with remixes by Melé and Magician later this month.
Speaking about his return to music Billy says: “Music is my first love. When I first put out commercial music in 1997, the industry was not ready for all this Black Boy Joy! But luckily the world has caught up. I could not be more thrilled to entrust this next chapter of my music career to the Island/Republic team. Make way children! Daddy’s back.”
ABOUT BILLY PORTER:
Billy Porter is a GRAMMY®, EMMY®, and Tony® Award-winning actor, singer, director, composer, playwright, and author. Porter began his music career in 1997 with the release of his self-titled (aka Untitled) debut album which spawned the Top 10 “Bubbling Under” single, “Show Me,” and the monster ballad, “Love Is On The Way,” which also appeared at the pivotal moment in the film, “First Wives Club.” He went on to release “At the Corner of Broadway + Soul” (2005), “Billy’s Back on Broadway” (2014), and “The Soul of Richard Rodgers” (2017) featuring Pentatonix, India.Arie, Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo, among others. Porter scored his first #1 with “Love Yourself” in 2019 on the US Dance Club Songs Chart.
He followed that up with his 2020 reimagining of the legendary Buffalo Springfield anthem, “For What It’s Worth,” and a fierce collab with The Shapeshifters on “Finally Ready.” 2021 saw Porter covering Juliet Roberts club classic “Caught in The Middle” for Red Hot + Free, which supports underserved communities afflicted with HIV/AIDS. He was also enlisted by multi-platinum international superstar Jessie J for “I Want Love.” And he delivered a fierce turn on Earth, Wind, and Fire’s iconic “Shining Star” as Fab G, the Fairy Godmuva, in the new remake of “Cinderella.” Porter is a veteran of the theater (Miss Saigon, Angels in America, Grease). He won a Tony® in the category of “Best Leading Actor in a Musical” for Kinky Boots in 2013, and a GRAMMY® for the latter’s Official Soundtrack in the category of “Best Musical Theater Album” in 2014. Porter took home the EMMY® Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” in 2019 for his work as Pray Tell on Pose, making history in being the first openly gay man to do so. Time Magazine named him one of the “100 Most Influential People” of 2020. Billy released his highly anticipated memoir, “Unprotected,” in October 2021. His directorial film debut, “What If,” is set to drop in 2022. Billy kicks off his next chapter in music, his first love, with a new album coming soon.
