Even before releasing her new album, Leighton Meester has gotten into the holiday spirit with a charitable recording of a traditional holiday song, Darlene Love’s Motown classic “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)”. Leighton’s version of the song is featured on the album ‘A Very Special Christmas Vol. 7.’
Leighton Meester singing “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)”:
The Special Olympics has seen successful growth internationally and in urban centers around the United States due to the success of the A Very Special Christmas (AVSC) album series. Over the past 7 years, AVSC albums have generated “approximately $100,000,000 in royalties and investment proceeds.”
The album includes 13 Christmas songs by today’s “most influential” and “chart topping artists”, including Colbie Caillat, The Carter Twins, Charice, Miley Cyrus, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso, Kellie Pickler, Ashley Tisdale and Carrie Underwood.
The album ‘A Very Special Christmas Vol. 7’ is available for purchase, as well as individual songs, at Amazon.com and iTunes.
Leighton’s Christmas spirit didn’t stop there. She also made sure to spread some holiday cheer among fans across the United States.
It’s Christmastime in the major cities as Leighton Meester works her way through the 2009 Jingle Ball circuit. Leighton began the holiday tour in LA with KIIS FM’s concert at Nokia LA Live Theatre on Dec. 5th. Next stop was Z100’s NYC preshow at Hammerstein Ballroom and concert at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 11th. The mini tour ended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with Leighton Meester and American Idol singer Adam Lambert co-hosting Y100s concert at the Bank Atlantic Center on Dec 12th.
While she didn’t perform her new Christmas song, she did sing “Good Girls Go Bad,” “Somebody to Love,” and her latest song off her LP, “Not As Cool As You Think You Are.” Leighton describes the new song as “pretty much about anybody who thinks that the song isn’t about them, you know? And it’s really funny and it’s cute. It’s really poppy — it’s kind of like Katy Perry meets, like, Regina Spektor. It’s really cool production and very sassy.”
“Good Girls Go Bad” and “Somebody to Love” from the Y100 Jingle Ball Concert:
“Not As Cool As You Think You Are” from the KIIS FM Jingle Ball Preshow:
According to Leighton, her album is set to be released in early 2010, following the filming of country movie, ‘Love Don’t Let Me Down,’ with actress Gwyneth Paltrow. “I’m about to start a movie that’s all about country music, so I’m definitely trying to keep the [movie and music] separated ’cause I really am starting to grasp a hold of that and I really love it,” she told MTV News at KIIS-FM’s Jingle Ball. Leighton’s plays the part of a beauty queen-turned-singer.
She chose February or March to release the album “just so that I have a really good time doing the movie and finishing up ‘Gossip Girl,’ and then I’ll have a little bit of time to tour and really get into it and do a live show.”
