The season for Christmas and New Year’s Eve has officially arrived, and that means all the holiday songs will be playing. Before 2024 officially ends, many Latine and Spanish artists have recorded new songs and revisited timeless hits to help ring in the holidays. There’s new additions to the December holidays canon in Spanish and Portuguese from Thalia, Banda MS, Maria Becerra, Xuxa, ex-CNCO singer Erick Brian, Carlos Rivera, and more.
It’s not a true Nochebuena or Latine Christmas until Puerto Rican legend José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” starts playing. When the song turned 50 in 2020, Remezcla highlighted covers of Feliciano’s classic in a list featuring Thalia, Fuerza Regida, and Gwen Stefani with Mon Laferte. Fuerza Regida’s version of “Feliz Navidad” is taken from the Mexican-American group’s Navidad Con La Regida album, which truly put a corridos tumbados spin on Christmas. Another Latine holiday classic is “El Burrito de Belén” by Venezuelan musician Hugo Blanco. And let’s not forget that the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, who always reigns supreme with “All I Want for Christmas is You,” is also of Venezuelan descent.
This past year, there are more varieties of Christmas songs to enjoy in Spanish. Last month, Cher enlisted Spanish-Mexican pop star Belinda to feature on a Spanglish version of her holiday hit “DJ Play a Christmas Song.” Two different generations of stars from Medellín, Colombia, collided when Juanes collaborated with Ryan Castro on the song “El Chucu Chucu.” The two artists honored the sound of Colombia during Christmas time with their feel-good banger.
To complement the list of holiday songs released in 2024, here are 10 more by Latine and Spanish artists that you can enjoy listening to with your loved ones.
Thalia is coming for the Mexican Queen of Christmas crown. Last month, the Latine pop icon released her first holiday album Navidad Melancólica. The festive LP includes her 2020 cover of José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” and “Al Mundo Paz,” her Spanish version of “Joy to the World.” Among the new original songs on the album, the most striking one is the alluring “Barrio Bravo en Navidad.” Thalia mixes elements of Mexican cumbia with Christmas cheer. “With this album, I seek to accompany those who wish to turn vulnerable moments into joyful and lasting memories,” she shared in a statement.
Erick Brian - “Feliz Año Nuevo Triste”
Erick Brian has come through with a rare anthem in Spanish for New Year’s Eve. The Cuban pop star is known for being a member of the Latine boy band CNCO. After nearly a decade together, the group parted ways in November 2023. Now, Erick is ready to shine solo with his debut single, “Feliz Año Nuevo Triste,” released earlier this month. In the sultry synth-pop track, he sings about reminiscing about an ex on New Year’s Eve. Erick has the perfect song for people trying to shake off heartbreak while heading into 2025. After signing with Warner Music Latina, his first solo album is scheduled to be released sometime next year.
Michael Bublé, Carlos Rivera - “Maybe This Christmas”
Since celebrating the 20th anniversary of winning La Academia in July, Carlos Rivera’s music career has continued to reach new heights. Following the Mexican pop star’s first Latin Grammy nomination, he now joins forces with Michael Bublé. The Canadian crooner invited Rivera to record a new version of his single “Maybe This Christmas.” Rivera digs deep to sing to match Bublé’s soulful performance in Spanish and English. “This is a dream come true for me. Christmas has arrived with this great gift,” Rivera shared in a statement about their collaboration. Bublé’s wife Luisana Lopilato, who played Mía Colucci in Argentina’s Rebelde Way, has also been complimentary of her husband’s dreamy duet with Rivera.
Banda MS - “Feliz Navidad”
Throughout their career, Banda MS has recorded Christmas classics. For the first time, the música mexicana group has compiled all those songs in their holiday album Navidad Con La MS. Banda MS’ festive LP includes “Santa Claus Llegó a La Ciudad,” the Spanish version of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” and “Noche de Paz,” the Spanish version of “Silent Night.” The guys also put a refreshing banda spin on José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.” In a statement, Banda MS shared: “From the bottom of our hearts, we hope that these days, this time, and every day are full of love, peace, happiness, and family unity.”
Zhamira Zambrano & Jay Wheeler - “Santa”
A Latine power couple has teamed up to give their fans the gift of a new Christmas song in Spanish. Venezuelan-American singer Zhamira Zambrano recorded a festive duet with her husband, Puerto Rican star Jay Wheeler. In the heartfelt song, both their voices soar as they sing about asking Santa Claus to bring them love this Christmas season. What makes their collaboration even more special is that it’s their first song together since Zambrano gave birth to their daughter Aiunii back in September. In an interview with Remezcla last April, Wheeler described his relationship with Zembrano as a “beautiful thing.”
Bobby Helms, Maria Becerra - “Jingle Bell Rock”
One of the oldest Christmas classics is getting revisited with a Latine superstar. Nearly 70 years after the release of “Jingle Bell Rock,” Maria Becerra was invited by Bobby Helms’ estate to record a new version of the song. The Argentine singer breathes new life into the breezy Christmas bop. She sings in English with Helms’s voice, and also translates his infectious message into Spanish. “How beautiful to be able to share a song with the great Bobby Helms and how grateful I feel to his family for allowing me to sing this song with him,” Becerra wrote in a post on Instagram.
Xuxa - “Natal da Xuxa”
Xuxa’s iconic children’s program is ingrained in the childhood memories of people across Latin America. In the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s, the Brazilian TV host and singer recorded many Christmas classics in Portuguese. As a gift to her devoted fans, Xuxa has compiled all those songs on her new holiday album released this year, Raridades de Natal. The LP includes “Noite Feliz,” her Portuguese cover of “Silent Night,” and the full versions of the songs “Pão e Vinho” and “Pedido de Natal” for the first time ever. Xuxa’s oldest Christmas song on the album is “Natal da Xuxa,” in which she mixes Christmas cheer with her charm that captured a generation.
Leroy Sanchez - “To Say Feliz Navidad”
Leroy Sanchez is celebrating nearly a decade of his music career with a gift for his fans. The Spanish singer-songwriter, who first gained a following thanks to his covers on YouTube, is blending both of his worlds in the bilingual holiday song “To Say Feliz Navidad.” Sanchez blends pop with elements of reggaeton in his sentimental song. He seamlessly switches between singing in English and Spanish about wanting to come home to his lover for Christmas. In 2020, Sanchez released his holiday album The Greatest Gift. The LP includes his cover of Mariah Carey’s yuletide anthem, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Brenda Lee - “Noche Buena y Navidad”
A Spanish-language version of Brenda Lee’s classic “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was created with the help of Latine musicians. Mexican producer Aureo Baqueiro was tasked with translating the song’s iconic lyrics and using AI technology approved by Lee to have her sing in Spanish. Chilean artist Leyla Hoyle emulated Lee’s way of singing and guided an AI vocal model that was derived from recordings of Lee’s voice. The stunning result sounds like the 80-year-old icon is 13 again and singing “Noche Buena Y Navidad.” In a statement, Lee said, “Throughout my career, I performed and recorded many songs in different languages, but I never recorded ‘Rockin” in Spanish, which I would have loved to do. To have this out now is pretty incredible and I’m happy to introduce the song to fans in a new way.”
