It will be a very Shaggy Christmas in Jamaica this holiday season.
We can expect to hear some brand new Christmas tracks this year as a result of Shaggy’s Christmas Reggae album, titled Christmas In The Islands. The Grammy Award-winning artiste is ensuring he brings the best voices to the project with the inclusion of talents such as Beenie Man, Ding Dong, Bounty Killer, Junior Reid, Shenseea, Romain Virgo, Richie Stephens, Conkarah, Sanchez, OMI, Joss Stone, and Ne-Yo. It was only a few weeks ago that fans witnessed the arrival of Ne-Yo on the island, and Shaggy’s recent announcement has confirmed a part of the reason for his visit.
During a recent press release, Shaggy said, “We enlisted some of Jamaica’s leading, iconic artists to participate, and with guests like Ne-Yo and Joss Stone, who frequent Jamaica during the holiday season, we hope to transport listeners and share how we celebrate Christmas in the Islands!”
The 15 track project is Shaggy’s second full-length release for this year, following Hot Shot 2020, which is a reproduced and redone version of his platinum-selling album Hot Shot (2000). Christmas In The Islands will be available to the public on November 20, which should be just enough time for fans to grab it for an early Christmas gift, as well as enough time to learn the new material.
The project will still provide variations of older classics, such as a rebooted take on “Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “12 Days of Christmas.”
“Since I was a child, I can remember seeing tourists flock to Jamaica during Christmastime for some sun, fun, rum, and great parties!” Shaggy recounted in the press release. “Our island is all about family, friends, food, great beaches, warm, welcoming people, and a strong culture, which is the perfect recipe for a joyous Christmas, so we decided to embody all of that into one album.”
The masterminds behind the feature-laden album are Tony Kelly, iLLWayno, Shane Hoosong, Jerry Fuentes, Martin “Cherry Cherry Boom Boom” Kierszenbaum & Richie D.
1. No Icy Christmas feat. Sanchez
2. We Got Us feat. Shenseea & OMI
3. Take You to the Cool feat. Richie Stephens & Conkarah
4. Christmas In the Islands feat. Rayvon
5. Holiday in Jamaica feat. Ne-Yo & Ding Dong
6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
7. Open Presents feat. Romain Virgo
8. Raggamuffin Christmas feat. Junior Reid & Bounty Killer
9. Christmas Time feat. Jamila Falak
10. 12 Days of Christmas feat. Beenie Man & Craigy T
11. Warm & Easy
12. Sunny Celebration feat. Joss Stone
13. Catch Myself Some Rays feat. CARYS
14. Love When It’s Christmas
15. I’ll Be Home for Christmas