Elton John and CMAT have released a new version of “Step Into Christmas”, returning to the holiday song 53 years after its original appearance. The November 5, 2026, Amazon Music Original combines elements of the 1973 recording with new strings and the Irish singer’s voice. Available exclusively through Amazon Music, the collaboration connects a familiar seasonal hit with a performer who grew up listening to him.
Elton John returns to “Step Into Christmas” with CMAT in a new recording released on November 5. The collaboration arrives as an Amazon Music Original, combining a familiar arrangement with the Irish singer’s contribution. For her, the opportunity carries memories that extend well before her own professional career, linking the duet with music she heard while travelling in her mother’s car as a child.
This is a revised version of the 1973 song rather than a newly written Christmas composition or an announced holiday album. It uses parts of the original recording, adding new strings and CMAT’s voice. The lively rock rhythm and invitation to sing along remain central, keeping the track recognisable while giving another performer room within its established musical shape.
Elton John says he had noticed CMAT and her videos several years before they recorded together. He was drawn to the humour, personality and musical references in her work, including her interest in rock and roll, country and Americana. He describes a sense of artistic kinship, explaining why the chance to join her on this particular song appealed to him.
CMAT’s account starts with a more intimate image: being seven years old in the back of her mother’s car, listening to his songs. She says that feeling remains whenever she hears his music, regardless of what happens in her own career. Recording alongside him therefore brings a long-established personal association into a collaboration she still finds difficult to take in.
She describes the opportunity as one of the great pleasures of her life, adding humour to the emotion by placing Christmas among her favourite things, with her collaborator a possible rival for that distinction. Her remarks invite listeners into the festive spirit while revealing why this release means something different to her from another routine guest appearance.
Elton John’s description of their shared references helps explain the pairing. CMAT, whose full name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, has developed music combining pop and country with a strongly personal narrative voice. “Euro-Country” won Best Album at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards, adding another public recognition to the work that had already brought her to his attention.
The two had also met in a public musical setting before this release. CMAT appeared on “Rocket Hour”, his Apple Music programme, in 2024. His interest in her personality and developing artistic identity was therefore visible before the seasonal recording was announced. The duet follows that earlier conversation rather than introducing them as performers with no previous connection.
Days before the release, CMAT dressed as Elton John for Halloween under the name “RocketMAT”. He responded warmly on social media. On November 4, another clue appeared when he shared a video featuring a CMAT doll at the top of a Christmas tree, encouraging followers to guess which performer would join him for the new version.
The original “Step Into Christmas” was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin in 1973 as a seasonal thank-you to listeners. Its brisk rhythm gives it a different character from slower Christmas ballads, with the invitation in the words matched by the energy of the performance. The new recording keeps that basic approach rather than changing the composition into a quieter reflective piece.
The song’s initial chart performance was smaller than the lasting familiarity it later acquired. It reached number 24 in Britain in January 1974, then returned to radio schedules and listening selections through successive Decembers. That recurring presence allowed it to reach people across a much longer period than the original release campaign, giving the recording a continuing seasonal life.
During the 2025 festive period, the earlier recording climbed to number seven in Britain, its highest position after more than half a century. That result belongs to the established version and supplies historical context for the new release. It does not predict where the collaboration with CMAT will place or establish an equivalent result for a recording that has only just arrived.
Amazon Music’s Original series brings exclusive versions and new compositions to the platform. Its 2026 holiday programme also includes contributions from The Beaches, The Head and the Heart and other performers. The new duet is available through that particular service, so the announcement should not be read as confirmation of simultaneous availability across every digital music platform.
The series also had a major British seasonal success when Kylie Minogue’s “XMAS” took the Christmas number-one position in 2025. Elton John has separately returned to festive music through projects including “Merry Christmas” with Ed Sheeran in 2021 and the John Lewis Christmas advertisement in 2018. Those earlier appearances provide background without turning the new collaboration into a continuation of any one campaign.
CMAT has announced that she does not plan live performances in 2027 after years of touring, making the recording another addition to a busy current year. The duet itself is already available as “Step Into Christmas (Amazon Music Original)”: the familiar 1973 melody and original recording elements, joined by new strings and her voice, exclusively on Amazon Music.
IMAGE_CREDIT: Ben Gibson
