CHAI have shared a cover of Wham!‘s festive classic ‘Last Christmas’ – watch the video for the rendition below.
The Japanese four-piece, who released third album ‘WINK’ earlier this year via Sub Pop, host a Christmas party in their fun and festive video for the track.
Over the past decade, a host of artists have covered ‘Last Christmas’. 2018 saw both Pale Waves and Robyn cover the classic Christmas staple, with Carly Rae Jepsen and The xx also sharing renditions of the song in previous years.
Watch CHAI’s new video for their cover of ‘Last Christmas’ below.
Reviewing CHAI’s ‘WINK’ upon its release back in May, NME wrote: “Album three is CHAI’s smoothest record to date – so much so it includes one song intended to be a lullaby for guitarist Kana.
“CHAI’s latest album might arrive just as the world begins to open up, but it will continue to dole out reassurance and relief long after the pandemic era has finally come to an end.”
Since the release of the album, the band have been recruited by Duran Duran for collaborative single ‘MORE JOY’.
“[Their] energy and pure sense of fun might actually blow your ears off,” frontman Simon Le Bon said of the Japenese group. “We are honoured to have them sprinkle their pink neon magic spikey dust onto our song.”
In their own statement, CHAI thanked the band for asking them to be part of the single. “When Duran Duran asked us to join their new song, we listened to it and thought ‘this is lively, rock, cool and fun’, and we danced,” they said. “We are full of joy!”
Over Christmas 2020, ‘Last Christmas’ reached Number One in the UK for the very first time, 36 years after it was first released.
Climbing from Number Three to top spot, the Christmas favourite by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley racked up 9.2 million streams over the Christmas period, reaching the top of the chart in the same week as the fourth anniversary of George Michael’s death.
‘Last Christmas’ spent five weeks at Number Two when it was first released in 1984 – kept off the Number One spot by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.
The track also reached Number Three in the UK singles chart this Christmas.
The post Listen to CHAI’s cover of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ appeared first on NME.
