It is finally December 1st and that means one thing; the time of Advent is upon us! What is originally a time of waiting and preparation for Christmas has now become a time of celebration; from opening chocolate calendars, putting up a multitude of decorations and also binge watching every Hallmark festive film in existence.
However, this year has seen some slight changes as the spirit of the holidays have crept in early to inject some joy in an very difficult year and it has done so in one particular way. In the words of Buddy the Elf, “the best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear” and what better way to do that than with some classic Christmas songs. To celebrate, we have picked out a selection of songs old and new which sees your favourite Idols teaming up and injecting some much needed spirit into the holiday season.
01. Wendy, Nile Lee & Jay Jung Jae Moon – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
What a perfect way to start the Christmas countdown than with a little glitz and glamour; and Red Velvet’s Wendy brings that essence and more with “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”. As part of the SM Station project, she teamed up with Nile Lee and pianist Moon Jungjae for a jazz remake of the classic Christmas carol.
02. Drama & Yoseob – “First Snow First Kiss”
Dating back to when Highlight was known as BEAST, Yoseob released a special duet with his close friend Daniel Chae, who debuted as Drama of Dalmatian. Complete with an intimate music video and romantic lyrics, “First Snow First Kiss” is a Christmas duet that still holds up over ten years after its release.
03. Jiyoung & Sungje – “Merry Love”
With another winter duet from the past, KARA’s Jiyoung & Supernova’s Sungje teamed up for a collaboration sweeter than candy canes. “Merry Love” is classic K-Pop; mixed together with a festive instrumental and a wide selection of cosy music video outfits fit for dashing through the snow.
04. K.Will, Soyou & Jeongmin – “White Love”
Starship Entertainment artists have made it tradition to release a festive song that includes a wide majority of their groups. Mixing up the format back in 2012, the label opted for three of their talented idols to represent the label; SISTAR’s Soyou, Boyfriend’s Jeongmin & solo artist K.Will. The result was the delightful “White Love”; a track that would fit in perfectly with any Christmas Broadway show and make fans smile.
05. LOONA – “The Carol 2.0”
Technically this would be cheating in our list of collaborations, but since this song was released when the members were promoting as their pre-debut units, it could count. With Vivi from LOONA 1/3, Choerry from Odd Eye Circle and Yves from yyxy, “The Carol 2.0” is a remake of their holiday single released back in 2016.
06. IU & Thunder – “Merry Christmas In Advance”
This duet was released alongside IU’s monumental album, “Real” back in 2010 as a B-Side but “Merry Christmas In Advance” is still cherished by her fans to this very day. Composed by Shinsadong Tiger and featuring rap from MBLAQ’s Thunder, the track is described as a song to bring everyone love during the Holidays.
07. Orange Caramel & NU’EST – “Dashing Through The Snow In High Heels”
Do not let the giraffe in the thumbnail fool you, this is indeed a Christmas song! With a featured verse from the then-rookie group, NU’EST; “Dashing Through The Snow In High Heels” is quintessential Orange Caramel, adding a kooky but adorable twist to the festive season.
08. JYP Family – “This Christmas”
Starship was not the only label who was churning out Christmas songs. Every year, entertainment companies would come together and unite their artists for a carol or two. Even as the founder of JYP Entertainment, Park Jinyoung got into the festive spirit and joined the likes of Miss A, Wonder Girls, 2PM & 2AM for their family song, “This Christmas”.
09. SM Town – “This Is Your Day”
SM Entertainment artists always make it a habit to perform together for any major season but last year saw the artists give back for their winter project. Under SM Station, the company partnered with UNICEF for a special pop-ballad. With BoA, Taemin (SHINee), Sunny (Girls Generation), J-Min, Siwon (Super Junior), Wendy (Red Velvet), Suho (EXO) & Doyoung (NCT) lending their vocals for the cause, the proceeds of “This Is Your Day” went to SMile for U, which supports music education programs for children in Vietnam.
10. Starship Planet – “Pink Romance”
Idols have always done what they can to give back to their fans and also to the community at Christmas time and that thought also gave birth to a series from Starship Entertainment. K.Will, Soyou & Jeongmin’s “Winter Love” was just one of many special singles which first began in 2011. Bringing together every idol under their label at that time, “Pink Romance” gave birth to Starship Planet; a project which was a way of thanking their fans with new music and also helping those in need by volunteering & contributing to social projects during the holiday season.
Is there a winter collaboration we missed? Let us know in the comments and make sure to keep following UnitedKpop on all social media as we will be sharing more Christmas classics from your favourite idols and more festive treats as we countdown to the big day.
