I am remiss in not keeping up with Elizabeth Chan, whose first single and album I plucked from obscurity to billboarding it across this very website more than a decade ago. She's the self-appointed Queen of Christmas, a title she earned by dedicating her entire music career to holiday-themed music, with occasional detours into Halloween and Thanksgiving. Apparently she's dropped a new holiday album filled with original tunes every year since and bestowed upon herself the title Queen of Christmas, a title she successfully defended in court against Mariah Carey earlier this year. So here we are in 2022 with this new album, nine more new originals in a modern contemporary hit radio vein. Opening song "Avalanche" actually isn't very holiday oriented, covering as it does a lovers' spat, but that gives way soon enough to "Hide All the Toys," what she calls a "grinchy" take on the holiday, but which apparently isn't a new tune, having been written in 2012. "New Boss For Christmas" is a workplace wish, "Merry Merry" has her putting on her party hat, "Christmas Around the World" and "The Santa Clause" has her daughter Noelle join in on the fun, "This is My Year" is self-explanatory and has a bit of her first single "A Christmas Song" in its melody, "The Giver" is a midtempo ode to charity, and "Greatest of These Days" wraps up the album party-style. If the only thing you know about her is the Mariah smackdown, check her out, particularly if modern pop-rock is your style.
12 Months of Christmas, Elizabeth Chan (self-issued)
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Hi! I had never heard of her, but what she does is surprisingly impressive. Whilst going through soundbites, I read up on her. I think it only right to, with apologies, correct you about the queen of Christmas thing. She did absolutely not give that name to herself, New Yorker magazine did. She likes to use it though, and likes others to use it as well. That is the reason for the court case - not to defend her title, but to prevent the utterly nasty Carey-crew to trademark it. They were trying to trademark queen of Christmas, QOC, princess of Christmas, etc., not only to use it as a title, but also for literally hundreds of others uses, like on perfumes, dog leashes and coconut milk. This would also mean that people like Elizabeth Chan, but also Darlene Love and many others, couldn't use that name anymore, not even for fun, and in Chan's case, that would mean she would have to rename a whole album and song. Chan tried to prevent the trademarking, NOT to give herself the title. She believes it should be in the public domain (rightfully, in my opinion). So it's not about ego etc., it's the opposite.
The Santa Clause song is actually about the case and it's also the reason her daughter joins in, because her nickname is Princess of Christmas and that was also to be trademarked.
I don't think she's ever made a Hallowe'en song. She's joked about it on her Instagram, promoting her album. If I'm wrong, I'll happily hear about it because I also have an Autumm/Hallowe'en playlist. ;-)