Planetshakers Band Releases First Full-Length Christmas Album, It’s Christmas
Written by Sunny Unachi on 2nd December 2019
Internationally recognized praise band Planetshakers releases It’s Christmas Nov. 29 from Venture3Media (V3M). Available to preorder now at Apple Music, iTunes and Google Play and to stream on Spotify and more outlets globally when it releases, the album marks the first-ever full-length Christmas album from the band.
Combining Planetshakers’ unique musical interpretation of classic favorites alongside its original Christmas songs, the new album features worship leaders Joth Hunt, Sam Evans, Aimee Evans, BJ Pridham, Joshua Brown, Rudy Nikkerud, Chelsi Nikkerud and more.
Hunt also produced and wrote, co-wrote and/or arranged all of the songs on the album, including the highlighted David Foster and Carole Bayer Sayer-penned cover, “The Prayer (Italian Lyric Version).”
Other featured songs on the album include the lead track “Angels We Have Heard On High,” which has additional lyrics by Hunt embedded in a unique voice-layered pop mix, the title track and original song “It’s Christmas,” co-written by worship leader and pastor Sam Evans, and the brand new “All Glory.”
“I wanted to write a song from the perspective of the three wise men,” says Hunt regarding “All Glory.” “If you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that they followed a star and found Jesus in a manger. They came and worshiped him and brought him the best gifts that this world could offer. In this song, I have tried to capture the classic feel of Christmas, but also have a foundational element of worship. That’s what the wise men came to do; worship Jesus.”
It’s Christmas further includes Planetshakers’ joyful, pop and R&B-infused Christmas Vol 1 and 2 EP recordings of classics like “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark,” “Joy To The World,” “Silent Night” and “The First Noel,” as well as the declarative original “Light Of The World.”
“There are so many amazing Christmas carols out there, with such great lyrics and memorable melodies,” continues Hunt. “With this album, we have taken these traditional lyrics and melodies and given them a new sound by adding modern music and production. I have had so much fun producing this project and being creative. We have also written three original songs for the album… For us, this recording encapsulates what Christmas is all about; celebrating Jesus!”
The full It’s Christmas track listing follows:
- Angels We Have Heard On High
- Joy To The World
- It’s Christmas
- The First Noel
- Silent Night
- All Glory
- Hark
- O Holy Night
- The Prayer (Italian Lyric Version)
- Light Of The World
- O Come All Ye Faithful
Planetshakers also released its acclaimed, 15-track album Rain earlier this month (Sept. 6) amidst acclaim. Lauded as a musical “triumph” by Worship Leader magazine, the album’s lead track, “Only Way,” is a Billboard Christian Airplay Chart top 50 hit and has already seen over 1.8 million YouTube plays as Planetshakers’ YouTube channel subscribers went from 683,000 to over 919,000 since January 11.
During this same time period, the band’s Instagram followers grew from 481,000 to over 557,000 (not including individual band member followers) and Spotify monthly listeners went from 599,000 to over 769,000. Twitter and Facebook numbers are also up as the band continues to connect with audiences around the world.
Taking the new music and favorites like “The Anthem,” “Endless Praise” and “Turn It Up” to audiences around the globe, all the latest Planetshakers tour, music and conference news can be found at Planetshakers.com, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Twitter (172,700 followers) and Facebook (over 1.5 million followers).
About Planetshakers:
Since its inaugural gathering in 1997, Planetshakers has gone on to become a global movement through its annual conferences, international church campuses and numerous live recordings, including multiple Dove Award-nominated projects. The Australia-based collective, led by Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans, has hosted gatherings in cities around the world while also launching Planetshakers Church in 2004. With over 17,000 members in Melbourne, Planetshakers Church is one of the fastest growing churches in that nation’s history, stretching across five campuses in Melbourne with additional locations in Singapore; Cape Town, South Africa; Geneva, Switzerland and Austin, TX.
Celebrating over 20 years of ministry, Planetshakers honors the countless ways God has used its ministry and music to raise up a generation of Christ followers with a clear vision of taking the Gospel to the nations… “empowering generations to win generations.”
