Growing up in Glendale, Arizona, Jordin Sparks had two dreams.

One was becoming a singer — a dream that came true in spectacular fashion in 2007, when a 17-year-old Sparks sang her way to the head of the class on “American Idol” to be crowned the youngest winner in the history of the show.

Her other dream came true Thanksgiving weekend.

That’s when the singer released her first holiday album, a spirited effort called “Cider & Hennessy” that opens with a soulful gem that perfectly encapsulates the 2020 Christmas challenge with a chorus of “I wanna wish you Merry Christmas to your face.”

The album started with the Phoenix native writing music for a Christmas movie she’s producing. Filming was supposed to start in August but was put on hold because of COVID-19.

“There are lots of people all the time that might not get a chance to go home for the holidays, whether because of financial reasons or health reasons or troops overseas,” Sparks explains.

“We were thinking about it in terms of that. And then it just kind of smacked us over the head that this whole year was about wanting to see somebody face to face.” 

Speaking by phone from her home in Los Angeles, Sparks reflected on the making of the album, which she’s proud to say she executive produced with her husband of three years, Dana Isaiah.

There’s a contagious, almost effervescent energy to Sparks’ presence on the phone, especially when the conversation turns to how excited her 2-year-old son, Dana Jr. — or D.J. as she calls him —  is for Christmas.

The singer laughs freely and often but also adopts a more serious tone when the conversation calls for that, whether discussing the heartbreak many have endured in 2020 or sharing her hope that the holiday season will inspire us to be a little kinder.

Why a Christmas album is so important to Sparks

Question: Will you be able to spend the holidays with family?

Answer: We’ve got family all over — in Texas, Arizona, North Dakota, Minnesota. I am definitely not traveling. That’s the precaution that I’m gonna take for me and my little family. But we’ll definitely do Facetimes. We did a big family Zoom over Thanksgiving.

And I am grateful and blessed that my dad actually moved to California sometime last year. It was nice. He was able to drive up with my Mom Number Two, Vivian, and I got to spend some time with them and my cousin, who also moved here.

Q: That sounds nice. Did something in particular inspire you to make a Christmas album this year?

A: That’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Before “Idol,” I knew that I wanted to sing. And I knew that I wanted to do a Christmas album (laughs). To be honest, I wasn’t planning on doing a Christmas album this year. But I love that it happened.

I was only supposed to do one or two songs for a Christmas project. And because of COVID, we didn’t do the project. So I was in the Christmas space and I thought “Why not? I have all this time. Why not stay in this space and see what I can do?”

Q: Does it feel like people maybe need a Christmas album more than ever this year?

A: I feel like everybody’s definitely looking forward to some holiday cheer, to people being a little bit kinder to each other and that wonderment you get when you see the lights go up. That special, childlike feeling.

With how crazy and heavy this year has been, it’s nice to have a little bit of cheer. Not saying that we can forget about everything, but to allow ourselves to feel a little bit of joy. It’s OK. That’s the balance of life. We have to find the joy when it’s so dark.

So I hope this holiday season is the biggest dose of joy and kindness we’ve ever experienced.

What Christmas music meant to her growing up

Q: Are there Christmas albums or songs that meant a lot to you growing up?

A: Yes! You know I can’t answer this question without talking about the Queen of Christmas that is Mariah Carey. I grew up listening to her album. And I just absolutely adored it. It was so much fun because it’s such a great mix of up-tempos, ballads and some of the classics.

I wrote eight out of the 10 tracks on this album. And it’s hard and intimidating to think about writing Christmas music because you have to embody so much more than just how you feel about Christmas. It’s this general overall spirit of Christmas.

So Mariah definitely inspired me. Whitney Houston’s Christmas album inspired me. Boyz II Men. Pentatonix Christmas albums are incredible. Justin Bieber’s Christmas album. There’s so many. And my birthday is Dec. 22. So I feel I was kind of born with this initial Christmas spirit.

Q: Is there a quality that makes it sound like Christmas music? And how do you go about capturing that?

A: To be honest, I really wanted to find a balance between that classic Christmas sound and also modern day — like, “Hi, we’re here in 2020” (laughs). I love the swing of Christmas. And I wanted to be able to put that in there without seeming like I just did a whole bunch of covers. I wanted it to also be original.

We have sleigh bells all over this album and that definitely makes it feel Christmas-y. But I wanted the songs to also feel like you could listen to them all year round, not just Christmas.

Obviously, there are some that are super Christmas forward. But there are a few, like “Love is Alive” and “Heart of Snow,” you could put them in a playlist and you wouldn’t really realize they were Christmas songs.

How the album ‘Cider & Hennessy’ came together

Q: When did you start working on the writing of the album?

A: August. It was nice because there was no pressure. We were just creating to create and have a good time. Until the last two weeks, when we were trying to figure out how to get it mixed and mastered like, “Oh, yeah, we actually made an album and Christmas is coming. We’ve gotta get this out.”

Q: Was there something you did to get in the Christmas spirit in August?

A: Because I’m in LA, it was too hot to wear anything that represented Christmas spirit. But in one of the studios we worked at, you could change the lighting in the room. So we would make it seem pretty Christmas-y with red and green lights.

And I think in August, we were very hopeful that we would be out of this crazy lockdown and pandemic, but we’re still here. And it is OK. There is hope on the horizon.

Q: This is actually your second new release since August, following the “Sounds Like Me” EP. Was that also written and recorded this year?

A: It’s so crazy. When I think about it, I’m just like, “Wait, that was also this year?!” (laughs) This year has been so long. Long and quick at the same time, if that makes sense. But the “Sounds Like Me” EP was one of the last things that I did before quarantine happened. We did that in February at the Red Bull Studios here in LA.

And it was so much fun to be in that room. It was very special. We were in there three days and came out with six songs. We thought we’d maybe come out with three songs and one would be good, but all six were amazing.

Q: You’ve been on a real creative roll since “1990 Forever” came out last year. then the EP, now a Christmas record. Is there something that, like, got you in the zone where you’ve been coming out with all this music?

A: Oh my gosh, that’s crazy. I’m like, “Wait, that was only last year that I dropped ‘1990 Forever?!'” To be honest, I’m really grateful being able to have the creative output I’ve been having. Because for the last few years, probably since 2016, I had writer’s block.

And “1990 Forever” was amazing because I got to work with my friend, Elijah Blake, who creatively just really understands me. So being able to do that with him was one of the easier sessions I’ve been able to do.

This year, I don’t want to come across as tone deaf. Because there has been a lot of heaviness this year. And a lot of heartbreak. But for me, I have been grateful to spend time at home. I haven’t spent this much time at home since before I won “Idol,” if you can believe that.

I guess now we’re at what, eight months? Almost nine months? I haven’t spent this much time consecutively at home since “American Idol” happened. So for me, it’s really been a big blessing. I’ve gotten to feel what it feels like to be home without it being just a laundromat and a storage unit (laughs).

I was able to get a microphone and start recording here at home. And with all this time I’ve had, it’s just been nice to be able to not have the pressure I normally would trying to work on an album.

To be able to be home with my family and be inspired by my son and his laughter and watching him dance to the songs, I get encouraged because I’m like “If DJ dances to it, then I know I’m on a good track.”

And not having that pressure brings me back to when I was a kid, singing, creating and writing just because I wanted to. That’s kind of how I felt this year. And that’s been key for me in getting all this creativity out.

How Sparks’ son helps get her in the Christmas spirit

Q: You call your son DJ? That’s great.

A: Yeah. My little boo-boo. That’s his name. He’s so cute. And so much fun. He had to leave the room for a second because he’s so excited right now that he’ll just start screaming, so I had to get him out of the room for a sec.

Q: Is he excited about Christmas?

A: You know what?! He is! And it just brings me so much joy. He says “Christmas” and it melts me. He goes, “Mom, it’s almost Christmas?! This is for Christmas?!” He watches “The Grinch” every day.  Which is funny. I know he’s my child because “The Grinch” with Jim Carrey that came out in 2001 is what I was obsessed with as a kid.

I used to watch it all the time, even outside of Christmas. And now he’s watching the newest “Grinch” that came out I think last year or the year before.

But yeah, he likes it. He doesn’t really understand what it is. But he knows that everybody’s excited for it. So he’s excited for it.

Q: That is great. How does Christmas as a parent compare to what Christmas was like for you back in 2017 and every Christmas you ever knew before that?

A: I love this time of year. But having my birthday so close, it was always one of those things where it was like “Happy birthday and Merry Christmas!” Everybody was scrambling to get things done.

So for me, I love being a parent because now I get to just enjoy watching him enjoy the holidays — that wonderment they get in their eyes. The joy they feel. The excitement when they see all the lights. DJ loves the lights.

I put out a couple of Christmas decorations. He was like “Mommy, you put out Christmas for me.” And I was like, “Oh-ho-ho yes, I did!!” (laughs) It’s just so cute. It makes me so warm and fuzzy inside.

Growing up, my parents and my aunts and uncles would just shower so much love on all the kids. So that’s what I remember. And I want to be able to transfer that over to when we celebrate.

Q: Well, it was great to talk to you. I’m glad your writer’s block is over.

A: Thank you so much. And I have to say “Go Cardinals!” They are looking so good this year. I’m so happy. They do present themselves as the Cardiac Cards sometimes still, though, but it’s okay. We’ve gotta let them do their thing.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

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