Nashville-based country pop singer Emily Hackett recorded a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” just in time for the holidays. “Recording this song has always been on my bucket list and the timing of it just seemed so appropriate with everything going on in the world this year.”
The cover showcases Emily’s voice perfectly, and the artwork, designed by Bo Rinehart of Needtobreathe, is special in its own right. “When I first started thinking about the artwork for this single, I knew I wanted something that felt real and raw and would have gotten a John Lennon stamp of approval,” Emily stated about the concept. “Both of us being Beatles fans, Bo and I were very familiar with Lennon’s trademark doodles. I thought nodding to that would be the best way to represent him and keep the focus on the message of the song.”
“I think the most important line in the song is conditional. War is over…..if we want it. It’s not an announcement, it’s something that is going to require a great deal of action. If we want peace, we are going to have to work at it and it takes practice. It’s still a work in progress.” – Bo Rinehart, Needtobreathe
Stream/purchase “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by Emily Hackett here:
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Emily’s latest single “Nostalgia” was recently added to rotation on Radio Disney Country via the Radio Disney app. The single’s official video has also seen success on CMT – the video earned Emily a spot on CMT’s Artist Discovery Program, where it received 6+ weeks of airplay on CMT Music – the video even made it on the fan-voted CMT’s 12 Pack Countdown, peaking at #7.
“The song looks backward lyrically, but the arrangement is purely contemporary, creating an interesting musical juxtaposition.” – Taste of Country
“I loved the guitar loop we wrote it over,” Emily explains. “I couldn’t put a finger on it. It was just the way it sounded, I felt like I was in a scene from high school or something. It was nostalgic. But then I thought, what if we personified nostalgia? What if we gave that feeling a life? I said those first few words, ‘I’m the red balloon at the carnival,’ and next thing we knew it was 1AM and we had this song we were all obsessed with.”
“Nostalgia” is available now at all digital platforms and retailers:
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Stream “Nostalgia” on Spotify here: http://smarturl.it/
Watch the “Nostalgia” Official Music Video here: