Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Country Singer, and Songwriter Carrie Cunningham has a new release for the holiday season titled, “Eggnog.”
Picture this: You’re walking into your local grocery store to grab some Christmas essentials; ribbons, crackers, wrapping paper, the works. As you’re sauntering along in autopilot you’re bopping your head to the Christmas carols you’ve heard a trillion times each year.
Whether you’re a Christmas carol lover or not, we’re all looking for a little spice in our lives, and Carrie Cunningham has brought us just that. With her new Christmas release “Eggnog,” you’ll have another excuse to hype yourself up for the holiday season.
The song incorporates flavors of country and pop, all while maintaining the spirited energy of holiday songs that we all love. With its quick-paced percussion, chimes, jingle bells, and enthusiastic trumpets, the cheerful duet is exactly what you need to boost your holiday spirit this year.
In collaboration with musician Daniel Mason, Carrie Cunningham sings “Eggnog” as a vibrant duet. They keep the track dynamic by singing the verses individually, then coming together to highlight “Eggnog’s” magnetic melody by harmonizing the chorus.
The romantic and playful lyrics are the cherry on top of the vivacious experience that is “Eggnog.” With her contagious holiday spirit, Carrie Cunningham has created an essence of vibrancy that has the power to reverse a bad mood and have fans setting up their Christmas trees early before they even realize it.
Listen to "Eggnog," here.
The spirit of “Eggnog” was simply contagious, and exactly what we needed to hear as we enter the holiday season! What was your inspiration behind the song?
Awe thank you! It's funny how the whole thing came about. Last Christmas I was driving my 2nd-grade son home from school, and " I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" was playing on the radio. My son asked me if I would ever kiss Santa and the response of "Depends on what's in the Eggnog" just fell out of my mouth, lol! My son immediately yells back "Mom"! Totally caught him off guard. I also love "What Christmas means to me" by Stevie Wonder so, I wanted this song to take in that style.
What made you decide to come up with a holiday song? After listening to “Eggnog,” it seems like you’ve nailed your first one, do you plan on releasing more?
For many years I have wanted to do a Christmas album, but time gets away from me and by the time I think about it again, it's too late. I was planning on doing it this year, but I am releasing a full album early next year and I needed to put the funds towards that instead. This is my 2nd Christmas single. I released "Sand Beneath the Mistletoe" last year. It's a laid-back reggae style song.
We love a holiday song that can be sung as a duet! The harmonious chorus was one of our favorite parts of “Eggnog.” Could you tell us about your collaboration with Daniel Mason?
When my co-writer Hal Odell and I started writing the song, we thought about many ways we could take the concept. At first, we were going to have it as just me singing it, but the more we got into the writing process, we decided it would be fun to make it a duet. I could hear a specific sound I was going for as far as the male vocals were concerned. I wanted a singer who had a soul in his voice. Hal said he had a friend in Nashville who might just fit what I was looking for. I heard his voice and loved it. You should check out his band, "Brother Maven." Daniel did a great job and it was fun working with him in the studio.
Many artists go through their fair share of ups and downs within the music industry. Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences as a country artist?
Boy, ain't that the truth! I've always been a hard worker and my drive to stay in the country music business is no exception. Being a woman makes it difficult. I've lost out on gigs because of it. I've been told I didn't get the gig because I was a woman. I've been told my only position on stage is to make a guy want to have sex with me. Age makes it difficult. It's always been that if you were a woman in country music and you were over 26, you were pretty much too old. But things are changing, at least I hope they are. On a brighter note, I have opened for over 50 national acts and I am truly thankful. I love being a country artist. I love being able to make people dance and feel something.
What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020?
I have been working on building my business Sound Barn LLC. I'm a benefit auctioneer and motivational speaker also. I have been working on building my brand to really be a resource to people who need my help. I'm a giver and I want to give more. I am incorporating music into my philanthropy. So for the past 11 months, I have been working on the upcoming album, taking music business courses, and really honing into how I want the next chapter of my life to be.
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