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Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz Release "Christmas Valentine"

Christmas magic in New York City.

Ingrid Michaelson

Press Photo

Indie-pop artist Ingrid Michaelson teamed up with Jason Mraz to release "Christmas Valentine," a new song celebrating the magic of love and Christmastime in NYC.

Commenting on the collaboration, Ingrid says, "Jason and I toured together years ago, and I got to know his kind spirit. He really embodies what the season is all about. We were both on the road and had to record our parts separately, but when we finally got in the same room for the photoshoot, that incredible spirit was shining all around him!"

Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz - Christmas Valentine (Amazon Original) Official Videoyoutu.be

Mraz adds, "Aww, Ingrid is the sweetest. I'm very flattered she thought of me, and I'm thrilled to be associated. I love holiday music, and I believe what Ingrid has created has the goods to become a new holiday classic."

Released as an Amazon Original, "Christmas Valentine" has retro '60s flavors and the incredible power of two iconic vocalists. "Just say you'll be my Christmas Valentine / I wanna make every day a holiday with you."

Follow Ingrid Michaelson Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

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Hear Ingrid Michaelson's New Stranger-Things Inspired Single, "Missing You"

Ingrid Michaelson has released the first track off of her 'Stranger Things'-inspired album, along with a Pac Man-themed lyric video.

Does Netflix's Stranger Things make you feel like you're wrapped in a blanket of sweet memories of the 1980s suburban youth you never had?

You're not alone—Ingrid Michaelson feels the same way, and she's written a whole album about it.

Today, Michaelson released the first track off of her Stranger Things-inspired LP, Stranger Songs. "Missing You" borrows muffled synth-driven arpeggiations from the show's theme music, and layers her crystal-clear vocal tones high above them.

Lyrically, the song—which is a reference to the character Nancy and her fraught love triangle with moody dreamboat Jonathan and popular, pure-hearted Steve—offers the kind of complex portrayal of romantic tension that Michaelson has always been an expert at painting in her music. "When he's kissing me I'm missing you," she sings. "I'm in his bed feeling like a stranger."

With its 80s-style beat and grainy bassline, "Missing You" is a euphoric and sugar-sweet song that could easily soundtrack a triumphant bike ride in a Stranger Things final scene, just after Eleven has returned to sweep Mike off his feet and save all of Hawkins.

Michaelson's music has received widespread critical success; two of her singles have gone platinum, and all seven of her albums were released on her own record label, Cabin 24. But after the release of her last album, she found herself seeking inspiration—and discovered it unexpectedly in Netflix's smash-hit show about parallel dimensions and glowing Christmas lights.

All in all, her music is a natural match for Stranger Things' softly lit nostalgia. "I've already made seven records, I have a lot to say. But I've said it so much from the brain and mind and soul of Ingrid Michaelson—I wanted to create something through a different lens," the musician stated. "There's something about Stranger Things that's really comforting, it brings me back to my childhood. It's the best kind of escapism and I find myself seeking that now more than ever. I took inspiration from the show and the characters and all these ideas started to come to me. Every song on the record includes a reference from the show, some more specific than others, but all of the themes are universal—these are feelings everyone has."

Regarding her love of the show, she told Entertainment Weekly, "I've always longed to re-live childhood memories. There's no word in the English language to describe what it is that I'm feeling. But it goes deeper than nostalgia — this desire to quite literally be able to go back in time and re-live those moments again because the memories are so wonderful and wrap you up with a warm feeling."

Stranger Things isn't the only beloved work of escapism that Michaelson will be lending her ear and lyrical sensibilities to in the near future. She has also written the score for a musical adaption of The Notebook, and the first performances will debut in Poughkeepsie, New York this July at Vassar College (the same place Lin-Manuel Miranda debuted his Hamilton Mixtape way back in 2013).

Ingrid Michaelson Reveals She's Working On 'The Notebook' Musical | TODAYwww.youtube.com

Both The Notebook and Stranger Things are portals into magical, dreamlike worlds of passion, nostalgia, and parallel dimensions. With her penchant for spinning reality into perfect rhymes and whimsical melodies, Michaelson seems like one of the best people around to turn both of them into song.

Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York. Follow her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.

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Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz – ‘Christmas Valentine’ - Popdust ›

PREMIERE | Inara George releases Dearest Everybody

"I'm proud of this record for a few reasons, and I'd love for people to hear it."

Inara George - Young Adult (Official Video)

youtu.be

"I'm proud of this record for a few reasons, and I'd love for people to hear it."

Inara comments on her newest LP that dropped today here on Popdust. Titled Dearest Everybody, this is the first solo album release from George since 2008's Accidental Experimental. Needless to say, we're excited. The singer-songwriter has previously released music as one half of The Bird and The Bee, known for their cover of "How Deep Is Your Love?" by the Bee Gees. She is also part of the trio the Living Sisters and has been releasing music with them in the interim as well. In the threshold of this new musical era for George, she's released several singles from the album produced by Mike Andrews along with stunning visuals.

Young Adult was the first single Inara released from the album. The song is bittersweet but optimistic. Being introduced by Inara by this track it instantly appealed to me because her sweet but rich tone reminded me of some of my favorite female singer-songwriters like Sarah Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Her vivid lyrics prove that Inara is not only a songwriter but a storyteller. The visual slyly comments on the differences between childhood and adulthood represented by color and lack thereof. Throughout the song, it feels like Inara learns to see life through the optimistic, technicolor eyes of a child but with the wisdom of an adult. It perfectly captures that feeling of in between we all experience in our twenty-somethings but is told from a reflective perspective.

Watch "Young Adult" here.

Her most recent single from the album "Release Me."I wrote this song as a gift to my mother on her 70th birthday," Inara told us. She says, "I assumed that the song was too personal to put on my record. It's a sort of love song to my father from my mother. But when I played it for my producer, Mike Andrews, he said we definitely had to record it. I'm very happy we did. I'm not sure I've ever shared such a personal song with the world. There's something very liberating about it." The song is beautiful down to the angelic background vocals that brilliantly support Inara's powerful but serene vocal line. The song feels like a love child between an old fifties ballad and the wedding song of the season. The visual is equally gorgeous. Simple in nature, it allows you to see what a special performer George is.

Watch "Release Me" here.

Such songwriting chops are only something that could emerge from a nourished habit of storytelling. Inara says she started writing songs with her friend when she was 10 or 11 years old, but didn't fully do it until she was 18. Having listened to her parents favorites growing up such as: Ry Cooder, Ricki Lee Jones, and Tom Waits, the first artist Inara remembers being drawn to on her own was Prince. This definitely impacted her music. She mentions, "I suppose Prince influenced me quite a bit. But then I could also say Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Ricki Lee Jones," adding that it really depends on the time period of her songwriting career.

Something notable about George's new album is the vibrancy and playfulness of every aspect from the visuals to the album art. Inara says, "I think visuals really tell the story of who you are, just as much as the music. And every record really has its own voice and style. That's one of the really fun parts of putting out a record, figuring out how everything should look. The cover, the video, the photographs, what I wear on stage, etc." That said, it's clear that Inara will be putting on a really fun show. George is set to hit the road to promote Dearest Everybody starting tonight in Los Angeles.

Check out Inara's full tour schedule here.

January 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever
January 24 - New York, NY @ Nublu
January 25 - Washington, DC @ DC9
January 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Boot & Saddle
February 16 - Seattle, WA @ Columbia City Theater
February 18 - Portland, OR @ Mission Theater
February 20 - San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord (Noise Pop Festival)

Inara is excited to share this album with her fans old and new. She says up next she'll, "play some shows and try and get the word out. I'm proud of this record for a few reasons, and I'd love for people to hear it."

Listen to Dearest Everybody here.

Love Inara George? Follow her on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter.

Anie Delgado is a contributor to Popdust and is an actress and musician based in NYC. Follow her on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and check out her music on Spotify. Press inquiries here.

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