Elton John and CMAT release Christmas duet

Elton John and Irish singer CMAT released a duet version of “Step Into Christmas” on November 5, making the recording an Amazon Music holiday original available to stream exclusively on the platform. The collaboration revisits John’s 1973 festive single and is being presented as a contender for the UK Christmas No. 1, though no chart outcome has been reported. John said he had admired CMAT for years and was pleased with the collaboration. He described the two artists as kindred spirits, citing their shared connections to rock and roll, country and Americana. CMAT, whose full name is Ciara Mary Alice Thompson, said that listening to John’s music took her back to being a child in her mother’s car. She called working with him the greatest joy of her life. The artists had wanted to work together and came up with the idea for the duet while at Glastonbury Festival in 2024, according to one account. The new version is described as retaining the original’s rock-and-roll character while featuring CMAT’s voice. Amazon Music UK head Laura Lukanz said the song had soundtracked the festive season for generations and described the collaboration as an opportunity to reimagine it. John...