When December 1st rolls around, the sights of Christmas stretch as far and wide as the eye can see.
This December 1st, Sarah Martin is making sure the sounds of Christmas are just as prominent, as she released her first Christmas album, Holiday with You, to open the month.
For Martin, Holiday with You allows her the chance to put her love for the holiday season on display, with hopes of spreading joy through the album’s three songs.
“Christmas has always been my favorite holiday; there’s always been a sense of joy and magic about the month of December. It’s always been the time of year for making special memories,” says Martin. “Getting together with friends for a Christmas party, decorating the tree with my mom, dad, sister, and brother while listening to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, making Christmas cookies, watching holiday movies, looking at Christmas lights and displays; I just love the whole experience because it’s a time for family and creating special memories. I love being able to put out this CD because it’s just another way for me to spread joy to others during this holiday season.”
Martin offered a first glimpse into the album with release of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” last December; a song that has always had a special meaning to her.
“’Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ has always been my favorite Christmas song. There’s a line in the song that gets me every time; ‘Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow.’ I can’t not tear up when I get to that part because it really does just put a sense of urgency on creating memories with family, because you never know what will happen come next Christmas,” says Martin. “It also causes you to reflect on loved ones you’ve lost and the memories you created with them. Really, it’s kind of weird I love the song so much since Christmas is such a happy holiday for me, but it’s almost like listening to the song helps me to be grateful for all the Christmas memories I’ve had even after loved ones have passed on, because the memories I’ve made with them will last me a lifetime, even though I may not have all my loved ones my whole lifetime.”
Next, the album transitions to “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” a duet with Andrew Chastain, who went to great lengths to be a part of the project.
“I met Andrew Chastain when we had back to back singing shifts at The Row in Nashville one night. He grabbed one of my CDs, and I bought his CD the next day on iTunes. Andrew has such great, quality male vocals, an authentic country sound, and is an even nicer guy,” says Martin. “I was actually having some trouble finding a counterpart, and was recording in a couple days. Andrew’s CD happened to come on my Bluetooth when I was riding in my car, so even though I hadn’t spoken to him in a while, I figured I’d give it a shot and ask him. Not knowing he lived in North Carolina, he still volunteered to drive to Nashville and help me out. My fiancé and I offered to take him to dinner and put him up in our apartment for the night, but he made the drive here, recorded the song, and drove back; he’s just a hard worker and a good guy. I’m happy to have been able to work with him.”
Martin caps off Holiday with You with the title track; an original song that encompasses December’s various celebrations.
“I decided I really wanted to release an original on this CD, and I wrote the whole song in about ten minutes,” says Martin. “I feel like ‘Holiday with You’ is relevant for today because it really is just a song about enjoying each other during the holiday season, no matter how different we may be. Everyone celebrates this season differently, and everyone has different traditions and cultures they celebrate throughout the year, and just because the celebrations are different doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy each other and wish that everyone has happiness.”
As Martin is set to enter 2020 on a high note, she is looking to make it a year full of learning and bettering herself as a musician.
“I don’t plan to release anything in 2020, but rather focus on getting better at my craft. I’d like to get better at guitar and work on my building my song portfolio, maybe learn another instrument, and learn a little recording,” says Martin. “I feel like I’ve been so focused on the superficial aspects of my music career like releasing music, promotion, social media and getting my numbers higher that I haven’t been able to focus on building my skills, so I want to make sure that in 2020, I get back to the basics.”
Additional comment from Sarah Martin: “I’m excited to be doing a Christmas concert back home at The Spire Center in Plymouth, MA on December 15th. I love the venue, and I’m so excited to be able to sing songs for people who have been supporting me since the beginning. Tickets are on sale at SpireCenter.org. Be sure to check out my Christmas songs on SheWolf Radio. Also, please download/stream my CD Holiday with You on all streaming services, and follow me on Facebook at SarahMartinMusic. Last but not least, I want to thank my producer, Justine Blazer, and all of the musicians who were a part of this project: Merna Lewis, Andrew Chastain, Joey Grimaldi, Tommy Hannum, and Isaac Velasquez, for making my vision come to life, and to all my supporters; because without you, I couldn’t continue to live out my dreams.”
*Download Holiday with You on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon*
*Images courtesy of Sarah Martin and shot by Andrew Sarta*
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