Christmas & Chill – Ariana Grande
Who needs to Netflix & Chill when you can Christmas & Chill? Have fun explaining that one to Grandma when this EP comes up on your playlist…
Ariana Grande was no stranger to Christmas music when she released this Christmas EP in 2015. She released Christmas Kisses in 2013 and her single “Santa Tell Me” in 2014 (which appeared on the Japanese reissue of Christmas Kisses).
Christmas & Chill was exactly what the suggestive name advertised. It’s a sexy R&B Christmas collection where the songstress puts a twist on what we usually expect from holiday songs. The album features six original songs, including an intro where Ariana introduces listeners to the EP, “Wit It This Christmas”, “True Love”, and “Winter Things”. Despite not releasing a single from the EP or doing any promotion, it still managed to hit #3 on the Billboard Holiday Album charts, because that’s Ariana Grande’s impact!
Instead of the usual jingle bells and orchestras, Christmas & Chill had a more chill, R&B vibe, with some trap beats and even some more folksy acoustic sounds on “Winter Things”.
Critics loved the EP for being a little more sultry than your typical Christmas songs — unless you count “Santa Baby” — with some critics even going so far as hailing it as a new holiday classic! Only time will tell if it will remain a holiday classic on the same scale as someone like Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé, but if anyone could manage to reach their level, it would be Ariana Grande.