Nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Jennifer Hudson’s The Gift of Love won widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 2024 and debuted in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart. Today, Interscope Records released an extended holiday edition of the album, which includes two new bonus tracks “Mary, Did You Know?” – a modern Christmas classic penned by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene that contemplates the relationship between Mary and her newborn son Jesus – and “Let There Be Joy,” an original song heard in Hallmark’s 2024 Joy to Your World campaign. Download / stream The Gift of Love Extended Holiday Edition HERE. See below for track listing.
With her effortless range and melodic tone, the genre-defying vocalist brings to life seasonal favorites like “Winter Wonderland,” “O Holy Night,” and “Auld Lang Syne” alongside original songs such as “Santa for Someone,” “Find The Love” and “Carol of the Bells” (ft. The Joy).
“Christmas carols from one of the greatest voices in music? asked Rolling Stone. “Sign us up!” Predicting The Gift of Love would rise to the rank of “annual staple,” AllMusic.com noted, “‘Santa for Somebody’ is an uptempo soul throwback about the pressures of gift-giving, while…‘Almost Christmas’ is mostly gleeful narration from Common with Hudson enhancing the sentiments with graceful and romantic punctuation.”
Ryan Tedder served as Executive Producer of the album and produced several tracks. Hudson additionally teamed with producers David Foster, Greg Phillinganes, Kirk Franklin, James Poyser, Fede Vindver, Peer Åström; and co-writers including Michael Pollack and J Kash.
Entertainment’s youngest female EGOT-winner and a self-described “holiday fanatic” spoke with Billboard about how she went about recording her first-ever Christmas album in this feature. The nod for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album marks the ninth GRAMMY nomination of Hudson’s career and follows wins for Best R&B Album (Jennifer Hudson) and Best Musical Theater Album (The Color Purple).
At the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony earlier this month, Hudson joined Stevie Wonder, Maxwell, Questlove, Beck, Leon Thomas and Flea for an all-star medley of Sly and the Family Stone’s greatest hits. View HERE.
Now in its fourth season, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” will be celebrating the holidays throughout December. “Saturday Night Live” recently turned its attention to the show’s legendary “Spirit Tunnel” pre-show segments in this spot with Nikki Glaser for an anti-anxiety med dubbed “Hudsacillin.”
Hudson is represented by Original Project, CAA, Wolf Kasteler, JSSK and Ziffren Brittenham.
The Gift of Love (Extended Holiday Edition) Track Listing
- Hallelujah
- Winter Wonderland
- Carol of the Bells (ft. The Joy)
- Find The Love
- O Holy Night
- Make It To Christmas
- Santa to Someone
- My Favorite Things
- Little Drummer Boy
- Go Tell It On The Mountain
- Mary, Did You Know?
- Almost Christmas (ft. Common)
- Jingle Bells (Prelude)
- Jingle Bells
- The Christmas Song
- Auld Lang Syne
- Let There Be Joy
