Darlene Love Shares First New Christmas Single In Nearly 30 Years
Darlene Love has unleashed a new holiday single — her first in almost 30 years following “I Listen To The Bells” with Luther Vandross in 1995.
Love, 81, worked with Chris Ruggiero, a 23-year-old pop throwback singer, for a new rendition of “Grown-Up Christmas List” off his album, Christmas With Chris Ruggiero. She recalled discovering him on Facebook after seeing a video of him gushing over her during an interview. The Holiday Rush star told Rolling Stone, “Very few people his age talk about our music. I found it just mind-blowing.”
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The two recorded their duet in-person, per Love’s request, at the Power Station in New York City. “You feed off one another,” she explained. “I wanted to know what he was going to do in places, and he wanted to know what I wanted to do in places. It was magical.”
This was the same studio where she recorded “All Alone on Christmas” for the Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City soundtrack. The record is considered to be her second most well-known holiday song following her 1963 classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
The “Queen of Christmas” in her own right later spoke on the coveted title, considering she threatened to sue Mariah Carey over it.
“I’ve never even thought about being the Queen of Christmas. I wasn’t angry or mad [when she attempted to trademark it],“ she revealed. “I just think everyone needs to be a part of Christmas. And what does it even mean? She had one Christmas song. She’s never done a Christmas tour. I’ve been doing this for years. But if she wants to be the queen, go ahead. I’ve got the king. His name is Jesus.”
Love’s month-long holiday tour begins on Nov. 26 and has planned to perform her new collaboration with Ruggiero live on Dec. 17 in Tarrytown, New York. Listen to the single above.
