Carrie Underwood Announces Holiday Album, ‘My Gift’

Carrie Underwood has officially announced her upcoming holiday album, revealing that My Gift will be released on Sept. 25. The singer made the announcement with a video taking fans behind the scenes of the making of the album, which is Underwood’s first official holiday project. According to a press release, the album will contain “a combination of beloved traditional favorites celebrating her faith and the spiritual nature of the holiday, as well as original material.”

“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. “So much love has gone into this and I cannot wait to share it with you!” Underwood worked on My Gift with Greg Wells, who produced and arranged the album, and David Campbell, who led the orchestra accompanying Underwood on the project.

“This year, it was just kind of on my heart to do this Christmas album,” she said in the preview video. “I just felt like this was such a fitting time, kind of feel like it’s a more perfect time than ever to record an album like this.” Underwood explained that after the conclusion of her Cry Pretty Tour 360 in 2019, she knew a Christmas album was her next step.

As for what to name the project, the mom of two admitted that it was a “hard” decision but that she was ultimately inspired by the classic song “Little Drummer Boy.” “The sentiment behind it is just so honest,” she explained. “There’s a little boy, and of course I think of my 5-year-old [son], Isaiah. They’re bringing gifts to baby Jesus, he doesn’t have anything, he’s poor. So he says, ‘I know, I’m going to play my drum for him, that’s what I have.’ To me, that’s a gift that was given to him by God. His love of music. I imagine he was a good little drummer. I love music, I love singing, 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.”

“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album and it’s been a long time coming,” Underwood added in a statement. “I knew this would be my next music project after wrapping my tour last year, and I think it’s turned out to be the perfect time for an album like this, in this period of such personal and spiritual reflection. For me, it’s more important than ever to focus on the true meaning of Christmas in a project like this. Even though it has been a tough year for all of us, sometimes I feel like the greatest realizations can be inspired by the most difficult times, and make us more grateful for the things we do have and for what truly matters.” Pre-order My Gift here.