Singer, songwriter, and producer Alex Isley is ringing in the 2025 holiday season with her stunning rendition of the classic, “The Christmas Song.” The track is available now via Free Lunch Records / Warner Records.
This soulful holiday release continues a hot streak for the acclaimed R&B heiress, who just two weeks ago shared her electrifying Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk EP.
For her version of the beloved Nat “King” Cole song, Alex Isley takes an enchantingly less-is-more approach. The production allows her rich vocal timbre and evocative inflections to shine alongside a quietly dazzling piano performance.
Her layered voice provides a palpable sense of warmth, hitting listeners “like a toasty fire on a brisk night.” The rendition is subtly jazz-streaked and utterly timeless, showcasing her classical R&B roots. Alex makes the message truly her own, singing, “Although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas, to you.”
The new holiday release is the next step in Alex Isley’s steady rise as a soft-spoken musical powerhouse.
Most recently, she released the Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk EP—a nine-song set that captured all the soul, style, and spirit of her long-awaited return to the series. The video showcased Alex backed by a full band, bringing full-bodied power to songs across her catalog, including her hit “Good & Plenty,” which featured a surprise appearance from Masego, alongside fan-favorites from her recent WHEN EP.
Isley’s critically-acclaimed EP WHEN confirmed her standing as a force in modern R&B, featuring emotionally rich singles like “Hands,” “Ms. Goody Two Shoes,” and the Kaytranada-produced “Mic On.”
The EP also spawned the breathtaking, stripped-down Raphael Saadiq version of “Thank You for a Lovely Time”—a sonic experience blending her bold voice with the neo-soul icon’s signature guitar.