INTERVIEW: Anthony Nunziata wishes you a Merry Christmas with new holiday album
Photo: Anthony Nunziata’s new album is called Christmas & You. Photo courtesy of Kelley Moore / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
Singer Antony Nunziata is soaking up the holiday season in many different ways. He’s currently wrapping up a nationwide tour, with stops in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Las Vegas still to come, and the songs he’s bringing to each city come off his new album, Christmas & You. Rather than offer renditions of holiday classics, Nunziata and his team decided to record 13 original songs for the audience’s audio pleasure.
Included on the album are tunes with Christmas cheer and winter memories — songs like “My Every Wish,” “Snow Day Serenade,” “Dreaming of Christmas” and “Joy Is Coming in the Morning.” The selections were all recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, where Nunziata is based.
Recently Nunziata took some time during his touring schedule to answer questions from Hollywood Soapbox via email. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
When deciding to record this new holiday album, you had a choice of performing cover songs or singing original tunes. Why go the original route?
I wanted to contribute something new to the holiday canon. The classics are untouchable, but writing original songs has allowed me to tell my own stories and create music that feels personal, current and honest — and hopefully timeless.
What do you believe are the features that make a perfect holiday song?
A great holiday song should feel timeless all the while telling a clear story and hit you emotionally. It needs warmth, a little nostalgia and a melody you want to come back to year after year.
Would you say all the songs are joyous, or are there songs that speak to the somberness and sadness some experience this time of year?
It’s a mix, just like the holidays themselves. There’s joy, love and celebration, but there are also quieter moments that acknowledge reflection and missing the people we love.
How was the song “New York on New Year’s Eve” created?
I wrote this song during the height of the pandemic when I was still living in NYC. I was in a Zoom writing session, and one of my collaborators saw a sliver of sky behind me and saw the needle where the New Year’s ball drops. We wanted to write a joyful song about New York on New Year’s Eve, a song that celebrates the joyfulness we all had hoped to one day get back to.
The album’s songs jump around in genre, from soul to country. Do you like that eclectic mix?
I do. That’s how I hear music and how I write. As long as the heart of the song is honest, I’m comfortable letting the style follow the story!
Are you generally a fan of the holidays?
Very much so! I love the togetherness, the reflection and the way music becomes such a big part of how we connect during that time of year — and a feeling I hope people carry throughout the year.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Anthony Nunziata’s new album is called Christmas & You. He has two remaining dates on his holiday tour: Sunday, Dec. 20, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Monday, Dec. 22, in Las Vegas. Click here for more information and tickets.
