The Christmas season seems to arrive earlier and earlier each year. Department stores put out decorations in September and radio stations start pumping holiday tunes as early as Nov. 1. Holiday traditionalists (no Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving) may want to make an exception for the new Christmas ditty by Straight No Chaser featuring "Frozen" star Kristen Bell.
The a capella group and Bell released their fun holiday song for the 21st century, "Text Me Merry Christmas," on RyanSeacrest.com on Monday. "We wanted a Christmas song that spoke to how informal communication has become," SNC's Randy Stine told RyanSeacrest.com.
Straight No Chaser, which formed at Indiana University in 1996, knew immediately it needed the "Frozen" star to accompany the group on the track.
"As soon as we heard the first demo it was apparent that it had to be a duet... the only voice we heard singing this was Kristen Bell and she nailed every note and delivered the lyrics with the perfect comedic tone. We were hanging on her every word," Stine said.
The tune makes references to selfies, emojis and popular social networks Facebook, Twitter and SnapChat. In the music video, the singers' lines display like text messages on a phone. An avatar for Bell and SNC appears next to their respective verses.
"The lyrics are smart and creative and musically it was a blast to sing a cappella with Straight No Chaser. I'm excited to be a part of what could be a Christmas classic for our current generation," Bell told RyanSeacrest.com. The "Veronica Mars" star was pregnant with her second child when she recorded her vocals.
Straight No Chaser got the idea to record a Christmas song in May. Oscar-nominated Adam Schlesinger and 13-time Emmy winner David Javerbaum created the sweet and witty tune for the a cappella singers to record by July.
Straight No Chaser found widespread fame in 2006 when its "12 Days" Christmas-medley video went viral. The video has garnered more than 17 million views on YouTube.
Disney will release the "Frozen Sing-Along Edition" on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
