A TV holiday special is coming from Carrie Underwood! The country music superstar will perform songs from her Christmas album, My Gift, as part of a show airing on HBO Max, backed by a live orchestra and choir. The show is being produced by Playtone, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s film and television production company.
“The journey of writing and recording this album started last year when I finished my tour and we could have never anticipated the circumstances we would be in this year,” Carrie said in a statement. “Creating this album has been good for my heart, and I’m thrilled to get to share it with the world and to bring it to life with Playtone and HBO Max.”
“Carrie Underwood is a multi-faceted talent and we are thrilled to be partnering with her and our friends at Playtone to bring a dose of holiday cheer,” added Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max.
My Gift includes collaborations with both John Legend and Carrie’s own five-year-old son, Isaiah.
“It was wonderful to have Isaiah be a part of what I love,” Carrie shared in a virtual press conference at the 2020 ACM Awards, speaking of enlisting her oldest child to sing with her on “Little Drummer Boy.” “Having that moment, I was like, ‘I don’t know how he’s going to do. I don’t know.’ He was super excited to be there, if nothing else, he’ll have a fun day, seeing what Mommy does. It was such a great moment for me as a mom to share something that I really love to do, and he ended up being really great in the studio. I was so proud.”
Surprisingly, this is the first Christmas project for the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, although she has wanted to do one for long time.
“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album and it’s been a long time coming,” Carrie said when announcing the project. “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,” she continued. “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.”
An air date for Carrie’s Christmas special has yet to be announced. My Gift will be released on Friday, September 25. It is available for purchase at Carrie’s website.
