Elton John has joined forces with CMAT to deliver a refreshed take on his 1973 holiday classic Step Into Christmas.
The Rocket Man icon enlisted Irish vocalist CMAT, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, to help reimagine the festive track.
“I’ve been a fan of CMAT since I first discovered her—watching her videos years ago, she brings a remarkable personality and a razor-sharp sense of humor,” he stated when announcing the collaboration.
“You can hear rock and roll, country, and Americana at the core of her work—our sensibilities align in many ways, and that’s why I was thrilled to invite her to collaborate on Step Into Christmas. She’s done an incredible job.”
Step Into Christmas remains a holiday staple, charting again each festive season, after reaching No. 7 on the UK singles chart last year. The reinterpretation now enters the race for this year’s Christmas No. 1 as Amazon Music’s Original Christmas song.
Earlier this week, CMAT teased the partnership on Instagram by dressing up as Elton for a party, while Elton shared a clip showing a Christmas tree topped with a red-haired doll. His caption read, “Stepping into Christmas with a special person this year…any guesses?”
In a statement, CMAT—best known for Take A Sexy Picture Of Me—recalled how Elton’s music consistently transports her back to being “seven years old in the back of my mam’s car.”
“Merging that feeling with the reality of collaborating with the man himself has been a bit surreal, but the greatest joy of my life,” she added. “Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year, perhaps second only to Elton John. I invite the whole world to step into Christmas with us and turn their yuletide dreams into reality.”
The new Step Into Christmas is out now, exclusively on Amazon Music.
