People may not realise it, but Christmas albums and Christmas music is big, big money.
Mariah Carey, for example, made $42,954 in A SINGLE DAY from 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' from Spotify streams alone. Chris Rea, meanwhile, has been dining out on 'Driving Home For Christmas' for years now, and that's not even mentioning Shane MacGowan and 'Fairytale Of New York'.
Anyway, all this aside, there's probably a perfectly good reason other than money as to why Shaggy is releasing a Christmas album. The album, titled 'Christmas In The Islands', will feature guest acts like Joss Stone, Ne-Yo and the first single out is titled 'Ragamuffin' Christmas'.
As Shaggy tells it in the press release, "since I was a child, I can remember seeing tourists flock to Jamaica during Christmastime for some sun, fun, rum, and great parties! 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."
Shaggy says he hopes the album will "transport listeners and share how we celebrate Christmas in the Islands!" Oh, that's where the title comes from. Got it now.
Well, here's the first track. Enjoy?
