Christmas has come a little early this year thanks to Vivek Shraya, who's sharing her first-ever Christmas song with "My Little Chosen Family Christmas," which celebrates making the holiday magical on your own terms.
Written alongside co-producer James Bunton, the song originated during the early months of 2020 lockdowns and was originally a more melancholy ditty. In a statement, Shraya said the song was inspired by lockdown isolation.
She continued:
No one really knew what was going on and how long we would be isolated from each other and I remember feeling heartbroken considering the possibility of not spending the holidays with my chosen family. That's when I wrote the melody and lines, "What if Christmas comes and we can't be together" and "Christmas isn't Christmas alone."
Shraya revisited the demo this year and twisted it into something brighter and more festive. "When I brought it into the studio, James Bunton (my frequent collaborator and co-writer on this track) suggested that we flip the intention a bit — write the song from the perspective of what Christmas with my chosen family is actually like!" she said. "This changed the whole vibe of the song from something lonely to something more buoyant and cheeky. I love Christmas almost as much as Mariah Carey and it was especially fun to namecheck her in the lyrics."
She continued: "I'm proud of this song as an offering to the expansive world of holiday music that shows the possibilities of a different kind of Christmas, a queer Christmas. It's maybe my favourite of all of my musical releases this year and here's hoping it becomes a little chosen Christmas classic!"
Her new single isn't Shraya's first foray into holiday music — in 2014, she released All of the Lights: A Diwali/Xmas EP, but "My Little Chosen Family Christmas" is her first original Christmas song.
Check it out below.
Written alongside co-producer James Bunton, the song originated during the early months of 2020 lockdowns and was originally a more melancholy ditty. In a statement, Shraya said the song was inspired by lockdown isolation.
She continued:
No one really knew what was going on and how long we would be isolated from each other and I remember feeling heartbroken considering the possibility of not spending the holidays with my chosen family. That's when I wrote the melody and lines, "What if Christmas comes and we can't be together" and "Christmas isn't Christmas alone."
Shraya revisited the demo this year and twisted it into something brighter and more festive. "When I brought it into the studio, James Bunton (my frequent collaborator and co-writer on this track) suggested that we flip the intention a bit — write the song from the perspective of what Christmas with my chosen family is actually like!" she said. "This changed the whole vibe of the song from something lonely to something more buoyant and cheeky. I love Christmas almost as much as Mariah Carey and it was especially fun to namecheck her in the lyrics."
She continued: "I'm proud of this song as an offering to the expansive world of holiday music that shows the possibilities of a different kind of Christmas, a queer Christmas. It's maybe my favourite of all of my musical releases this year and here's hoping it becomes a little chosen Christmas classic!"
Her new single isn't Shraya's first foray into holiday music — in 2014, she released All of the Lights: A Diwali/Xmas EP, but "My Little Chosen Family Christmas" is her first original Christmas song.
Check it out below.
