Exclusive: Gabby Barrett Talks Christmas Songs, Family Traditions

The holiday season will look – and sound – a bit different for Gabby Barrett this year. This is the first holiday season for Barrett’s infant daughter Ivy and the first time her family can listen to her new Christmas album while they decorate their tree.

Barrett’s Carols and Candlelight is out now. The 11-song album is a mix of contemporary and classic holiday songs, and the mom of three turned to her fans for setlist inspiration.

“More than half of it was actually fan-picked,” she said. “Before I even decided to do the project, I had asked fans on the internet, ‘If I do a project like this, what do you want to hear from it?’ I just hand-picked a lot of the same ones that were being requested. I went in and recorded those, and then I added a couple of my favorites that I grew up listening to. It’s definitely a special one.”

The album’s tracklist includes traditional carols “The First Noel,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (feat. The Piano Guys),” and “Silent Night.” Mark Lowry’s “Mary, Did You Know?” Dolly Parton’s “A Christmas To Remember” and George Michael’s “Last Christmas” round out the contemporary side. For King & Country join Barrett on “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and her husband, Cade Foehner, is featured on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Gabby Barrett Asked Fans To Help Choose Tracklist

“Anytime I had asked the fans, because I always like to ask the fans and get their input on things because the fans put us where we are, so it’s really important for me to release things that they are enjoying, ‘Who should I collab with, or who would you guys want to hear a duet with?’ Cade was in the top three picks,” she said.

Barrett and Foehner met while they were contestants on American Idol in 2018. Barrett finished third on the show, and the couple married the following year. They are parents to two daughters and a son.

“It is a lot of together,” Barrett said of the time she spends with her husband. “Thankfully, we like each other a lot, and so that works out. He plays lead guitar, and I obviously sing. We tour together just as a family, and we’re very compatible on a musical front. We clicked really from the very, very beginning.”

Gabby Barrett and Her Husband “Clicked” From the Very Beginning

The singer’s fans chose the more traditional holiday hymns, she said, while she sprinkled in her fun, nostalgic tunes. “Last Christmas” is one of her favorites.

“My dad would always play that in our house, and when we would put the ornaments on the Christmas tree on November 1, we would always listen to certain songs,” she said. “‘Last Christmas’ is one of those, and that’s one we would always jam out on.”

Barrett put her unique country spin on the Wham! classic.

“I wanted to do it a little bit more country, a little bit more my vibe sounding to it,” she said, crediting producer Ross Copperman. “I like variety. I’ve always been that way. I don’t think that it needs to always be or sound one way. Hopefully, when people are clicking through the album, they go through a rollercoaster of all the sounds, and it’s just a good listen. That was the intention behind it.”

Photo by: Robby Klein

GABBY BARRETT’S CAROLS AND CANDLELIGHT TRACKLIST

1. “Mary, Did You Know?” (Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene)*
2. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram)*
3. “A Christmas To Remember” (Dolly Parton)*
4. “The First Noel” (Traditional)*
5. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside (feat. Cade Foehner)” (Frank Loesser)*
6. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (feat. The Piano Guys)” (Traditional)*
7. “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (for KING & COUNTRY feat. Gabby Barrett) (Traditional)+
8. “O Holy Night” (Traditional)*
9. “Last Christmas” (George Michael)*
10. “Grown-Up Christmas List” (David Foster, Linda Thompson-Jenner)*
11. “Silent Night” (Traditional)*

• Produced by Ross Copperman
• Executive Producer: Matt Hales; Produced by Tedd T. and for KING & COUNTRY;