Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., but we might as well start calling it Christmas Eve. Retailers, corporate lobbies and city streets have already decked their halls with Christmas decorations; movie theaters and small screens are premiering Yuletide flicks and holiday music is slowly taking over the airwaves. We're surrounded by so much (packaged) joy and cheer, it can be easy to forget that the holiday season isn't merry for everyone. British singer Mabel can relate and delivers a new anthem for those dealing with seasonal blues.
Co-written with a few of her talented friends (MNEK, Kamille and Tré Jean-Marie), "Loneliest Time of Year" is a lovely mid-tempo ballad enhanced by festive effects like sleigh bells. But behind the frosty production and icy beats, Mabel is completely vulnerable as she soulfully sings, "Sorry I'm not so merry / But I feel like this yearly / Christmas time isn't my vibe / Brings no joy into my life." She's not just caught up in her own feelings, her emotions extend to others as well, singing, "Can you even imagine / All the people that haven't / Got no presents, no mistletoe / Some are living without a home."
Even though the 23-year-old has seen her music career flourish this year – dropping her debut album High Expectations in August, which features her global smash “Don’t Call Me Up” – we think it's pretty awesome that she's using her voice to address such a sensitive topic. In a recent Instagram post, she reminds us that it's, "Important to remember that what can be the most wonderful time of year for some can be the loneliest time of year for someone else, so be kind and take care of each other this Christmas."
Check your favorite digital retailer to download a copy of "Loneliest Time of Year," and visit Mabel's website for tickets to her upcoming Europe/UK tour.
