All AboutA Philly Special Christmas Special, Including Jason and Travis Kelce’s Duet

Photo:A Philly Special Christmas/ YouTube

A Philly Special Christmas/ YouTube

The Philadelphia Eagles double as athletes and songbirds, too!

Players of The Birds have once again transitioned their team spirit into holiday spirit as they join forces for their sophomore album,A Philly Special Christmas Special.

Leading the charge on the project are offensive linemenJason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. The players second musical collaboration follows the release of their debut studio album,A Philly Special Christmas, in December 2022.

Theirseven-trackalbum nonetheless brought the holly and jolly, prompting the triad of Philadelphia Eagles to team up once again for some festive fun. “We sing around a lot, like Lane and I will go in the same car after a game sometimes, and we’ll listen to songs,” Kelce toldToday’sco-host Sheinelle Jones.

A Philly Special Christmas Specialincludesvarious holiday hitswith cameos fromother players on the teamand a notable name in music who hails from the Philly area. In addition to the album, the special includes an eight-minute animated film and alimited-apparel collection.

The money raised from the first album sales went to several charities, withA Philly Special Christmas Specialhaving similar proceed plans to benefit causes close to the athletes' hearts.

Read on for everything to know aboutA Philly Special Christmas Special.

What isA Philly Special Christmas Special?

Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata recording in the studio.A Philly Special Christmas/ YouTube

In addition to the album, there’s an eight-minute animated film component that was released worldwide on Thanksgiving Day.

How many songs are onA Philly Special Christmas Special?

The 11-track album consists of a variety of holiday hits, like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “The Christmas Song,” in addition to several original numbers.

When speaking on the Kelce brothers' weeklypodcast,New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,Mailatashared some insight into the recording processwith his teammates.

“We got to see the creation of the songs more this year than we did last year, and I’m going to take that with me forever,” he said on the episode. Jason agreed, saying, “I’m right there with you, and I think that me, you and Lane get put on the face of the album, but there are so many musicians.”

“It’s really fun watching that go from nothing to something,” he added.

Below is the completeA Philly Special Christmas Specialtracklist:

Who is featured onA Philly Special Christmas Special?

Philidelphia Eagles christmas album.Philadelphia Eagles/ Instagram

Philadelphia Eagles/ Instagram

Of the collaboration, Mailata said on the Kelce podcast that it was “nerve-wracking” to sing “in front of a great” like her. Meanwhile, the Eagles tackle has been singing since he was young, previously tellingABC 6that “music was [his] first love before sports.”

However, Jason told listeners that Mailata is “very talented” musically, and has even “been teaching himself banjo in the locker room” this season.

In addition to LaBelle, Jason’s brotherTravis Kelcewas tapped for the album’s “Fairytale of Philadelphia.” The original song allowed the NFL stars to embrace their brotherly love, Philly style.

Travis’s verse includes playful jabs at Jason, like calling him a “phony” and an “a–” and hoping for “this Christmas to be our last” in the song.

Will Taylor Swift be featured onA Philly Special Christmas Special?

Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

WhilePatti LaBellesings a duet with Mailata on the sophomore effort, Kelce shared that he wouldn’t be opposed to singing alongsideTaylor Swift, amid her new romance with his little brother Travis. However, she’s not featured onA Philly Special Christmas Special.

“Maybe, not this one, not this time around,” Kelce said afterToday’sJones when she asked about the possibility of Swift joining in. “That would be pretty incredible, maybe in the future.”

But despite Swift’s absence on the album, the power of the Swifties is present. Within hours of its release on Nov. 15, “Fairytale of Philadelphia" made its way intothe top 10 songs on iTunesand moments later reached the No. 1 spot.

“We owe a big thanks to one group in particular, besides the 92 percenters,” Kelcesaid on the podcast, referencingNew Heightslisteners. “And that’s the Swifties, because the Swifties came out.”

“One thousand percent,” agreed Travis.

Where willA Philly Special Christmas Specialproceeds go?

The proceeds fromA Philly Special Christmas Specialwill benefit the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, perToday. The Eagles' debut holiday album raised over $1 million for local charities following its 2022 release.

“They just always support the team,” Johnson told the outlet of the community, noting that fans understood how important this project was for them. “Once they found out it wasn’t a joke, and it was actually some little bit of talent on there and ability. It (meant) more.”

How to listen toA Philly Special Christmas Special?

Jason and Travis Kelce in the studio.A Philly Special Christmas/ YouTube

A Philly Special Christmas Specialisavailable to pre-ordernow. The album will be sold as a limited-edition red vinyl, limited-edition gold vinyl and a double disc, which will include the first album.

When willA Philly Special Christmas Specialbe released?

A Philly Special Christmas Specialis to be released in full on Dec. 1, 2023. Meanwhile, three singles have already been released. Jason and Travis' duet,“A Fairytale of Philadelphia"is out now — along with Mailata and LaBelle’s “This Christmas” and the trio of Eagles' rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

source: people.com