Few people can take an iconic track like Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ and truly reinvent it as their own, but Darren Criss has managed to do just that, with it being included as one of the selections on his cheekily festive new album A Very Darren Christmas. In his hands, ‘River’ is given a holiday makeover, complete with bells and a raucously wonderful percussion. The rest of A Very Darren Christmas plants Criss firmly in holiday classic territory, with staples like ‘The Christmas Song’ & ‘Have Yourself A Merry Christmas’ kept pure and stunningly simple. Evan Rachel Wood joins Criss on the glorious ‘Somewhere In My Memory’, while Lainey Wilson and Criss channel their best June & Johnny on “Drunk On Christmas’.
Our favorite former Warbler also dropped a tongue in cheek video on TikTok, showcasing “how to be a cool artist on TikTok” as he displayed some of the merch he’s dropped to coincide with with A Very Darren Christmas. As he skillfully showed off the merch while coming down a stairway, Criss ended the video by standing at the base of the steps (decked out in a Darren Criss holiday t-shirt & barely there black briefs) be saying people want to see artists “be you, be cool, and just do something genuinely funny”.
@darrencriss Crissmas came early. What can I say, I can’t wait. #MerryCrissmas
The holiday music Darren Criss is releasing is not the only thing that is brand new. Criss has been elevating his fashion game recently, and this swoon-worthy crooner has come to play. His Instagram showcases him in Jill Sander’s final collection for UNIQLO and rocking a chunky pink heel. The evolution in Criss’ fashion choices seem natural, as the tracks on his recent EP Masquerade are daring and unique, but still true to Criss as an artist. Tracks like ‘f*kn around’ show a slick electronica vibe that melds with Criss’ vocals perfectly, while ‘walk of shame’ shows Criss providing the pure vocals we have come to expect from him, but with an elevated and razor sharp production to the selections on Masquerade.
Follow Darren Criss on Instagram