Lalah Hathaway Sings “This Christmas” with Father
“This Christmas” is the 30th most-performed holiday song of all time.
Thanks to modern technology, Lalah Hathaway performs the popular Christmas song with an animated version of her father, Donny Hathaway.
Vibrant new vocals with Lalah on keyboard are combined with vintage vocals from an unreleased demo Donny made of the song in 1970. In a newly released video, Lalah sings with her father as they harmonize flawlessly.
World Premiere Performance of Lalah Hathaway’s “This Christmas”
When Donny released the original version of “This Christmas” in 1970, he hoped it would be embraced as the first Black Christmas carol, one authored and performed by African Americans. It took time, but the song eventually achieved a level of success that greatly exceeded Hathaway’s dreams.
“This has been the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done. Truly, a dream come true,” Lalah said of the new release. ”I can only hope to bring as much joy to people as my dad has for the next 50 years and beyond!”
“This Christmas” was written during Chicago’s Great Blizzard of 1967 by Nadine McKinnor, a postal worker. McKinnor, a songwriter, was singing to herself and her co-workers to pass the time. Fast forward three years: McKinnor’s boyfriend was doing interior design at Hathaway’s offices and overheard them discussing a need for new material. He recommended McKinnor sing her song for Hathaway. She did, and Hathaway immediately heard the potential in “This Christmas.”
Although “This Christmas” remained obscure outside of Black communities, the song gained momentum over the years. In 2020 the song celebrated its 50th year. It has now been covered by a number of artists, including Seal, Chris Brown, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, Usher, Destiny’s Child, Lady Antebellum, Train, Pentatonix, and Mary J. Blige.
This year, thanks to Lalah, this Christmas will be very special!
