Jay Sean Sings “The Christmas Song”
Tis the season for all those cold-weather tunes that give you the warm-fuzzies every year. With winter 2012 upon us, we’ve asked a series cool artists to give those old favorites a new turn. This week, U.K. singer Jay Sean gets the chestnuts roasting on an open fire for his crooning-plus-beatboxing rendition of “The Christmas Song, and he shares his thoughts on what makes the holiday season special to him.
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“Put the suit on pretend to be Father Christmas,” Jay Sean laughs, remembering how he used to be the one in the family to play Santa when he was a kid. But he says mainly his childhood holidays were, “about the fun, and that’s what we always had in my family. Laughter, fun, singing, eating. And that’s why I always look forward to Christmas.”
And why did the Sean, who notched a Hot 100 No. 1 in 2009 with “Down” and who hit the chart again this summer with “I’m All Yours” (featuring Pitbull), choose to sing this yuletide tune for his Merry Melodies session? “What I love about it is that lyrically it represents everything that is so essential to the Christmas spirit. That’s what it is for me, it paints pictures: chestnuts roasting on an open fire and kids singing songs and reindeers.”
Of course, the beatboxing is Sean’s own addition. “The beatboxing is a part of my showcase, it’s a part of my skill set,” he says. “Acoustic is a massive part of my show,” he adds, “which is why I always look forward to these Billboard performances.”