It’s about to be a very Mary Christmas, y’all! Amazon has announced that it has teamed up with Mary J. Blige for a roundup of exclusive holiday songs in tandem with its “Delivering Smiles” campaign.
The queen of hip-hop soul is the latest stellar addition to a gang of other talented artists who are dedicated to spreading more holiday cheer and charity to over 1,000 deserving organizations worldwide this season. Some of the designated charities include personal projects and picks from the artists themselves, such as: Mary J. Blige Center for Women and Girls, Alexandria House, Inner-City Arts, LIFT, Westchester Jewish Community Services, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
“Charitable organizations around the world serve a vital role in their communities, and they’re facing new challenges—often with fewer resources—as we all continue to fight through a global pandemic,” said Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer. “Amazon is proud to support over one thousand organizations by donating millions of the items they need to help their communities and, hopefully, deliver much-needed smiles along the way.”
Blige will be doing her own soulful rendition of Wham’s “Last Christmas” and spoke to Variety to express her thoughts and excitement. “I’ve always loved how ‘Last Christmas’ walks the line between being upbeat and heartbroken—all while still remaining one of the catchiest holiday songs,” she tells Variety. “It’s one of the most unique holiday songs, and I’m excited for my fans to hear my take on it this holiday season on Amazon Music.”(BTW, this isn’t the first time Mary’s indulged in a Wham!-related remake. Y’all remember this bop with George Michael?) Ryan Reddington, VP of Music Industry at Amazon Music also added, “Our customers are requesting holiday music more and more each year. In the days leading up to Christmas last year, Amazon Music listeners requested holiday music more than 11 million times per day, and nearly 8,000 times per minute worldwide, and we can’t wait to see that trend continue.”
He continued, “It’s important for us to bring our customers more reasons to smile, and to create ways for them to connect with their favorite artists while at home with family.”
I can’t speak for y’all, but this feels like the good time me and my thigh-high boots have been waiting for—and I, for one, can’t wait to hear it. Gon’ head then, Mary!