05/12/2023 | Brussels

Is this Belgium’s happiest-ever song? Amazon releases a truly Belgian Christmas song, scientifically composed to deliver joy this Holiday season

60% of Belgians say that they don’t know of a single national Belgian Christmas song

Amazon.com.be joins forces with Sonhouse to compose a Christmas song designed to ‘deliver joy’

Hundreds of popular festive songs scientifically analysed in bid to compose Belgium’s happiest-ever Christmas hit

Brussels, Wednesday 6^th December – Amazon.com.be is delivering joy to millions of Belgians by teaming up with Brussels based music producers, Sonhouse, to create a truly Belgian Christmas song. The song, “pakjes vol liefde/Cadeaux pleins d’Amour”, performed by Scala’s Elise Tack and The Voice’s Jonathan Krego, combines music and science, and is designed to make people happier, this Holiday season.

Research commissioned by Amazon by iVox[1] reveals that 60% of Belgians say that they don’t know of any national Christmas songs that they can play during the Christmas holidays, and almost 3 out of 5 Belgians (58%) want a new Christmas song by a Belgian artist. Inspired by this and in line with Amazon’s mission to ‘deliver joy’ to customers throughout the Holiday season, Amazon.com.be and Sonhouse have designed what they hope will be heralded as the happiest-ever Belgian Christmas song, composed exclusively with Belgians in mind, so that the nation has a Christmas song to call their own.

“Pakjes vol liefde/Cadeaux pleins d’Amour” features local musicians, and brings together Flemish and Walloon voices in harmony as it’s performed as a duet by Scala’s Elise Tack and The Voice’s Jonathan Krego. The research reveals that music is crucial for the season, with 74% of Belgians saying that Christmas music creates festive joy and gets them ready for Christmas. 44% don’t think there is an authentic Belgian Christmas hit, with the same number (44%) claiming that Belgian artists only release covers of international hits. The research has also identified crucial characteristics for a festive hit, including a recognizable melody and chorus (78%), simple yet meaningful lyrics (63%), and the importance of it being a calm (54%), and authentic song in their own language (46%); all of which were taken into consideration during the composition of track.

Eva Faict, Country Manager of Belgium, said, “Our customers can rely on us for great deals, vast selection and fast delivery, and in addition, we wanted to create something which is free to everyone and designed to literally deliver a smile… or so the science says!” That’s why we’ve created a song that embodies everything that we Belgians love about the Holiday season. I hope our customers enjoy the song as much as we do – we cannot wait for them to be all smiles.”

A happy Christmas hit scientifically designed for Belgians

“Pakjes vol liefde/Cadeaux pleins d’Amour” is the result of Amazon and Sonhouse analysing hundreds of festive hits in pursuit of creating the perfect Belgian Christmas track, which is scientifically designed to make people happier. The final song is packed with festive jingles, an average tempo of 136 beats per minute, and happy festive expressions, such as “the most wonderful time of the year”, “packages full of love and boxes of happiness”, “whatever you believe or whoever you are”, and “have a magical Christmas and New Year”.

The analysis found that the most-popular Christmas hits evoke nostalgic feelings through the use of jingle bells, jazzy chords and rich harmonies, all of which feature in the song. Sonhouse, purposely integrated a celesta, tubular bells, violins, cello, and brass horns to create a truly Belgian Christmas sound. The climax of the song features the beautiful voices of a local school choir, Basisschool 'De Klim' in Schelle, who were involved in the background sound as a tribute to those who prefer the traditional festive carol sounds.

Steven Barbé, sound director at Sonhouse, said, "The three-minute song prominently showcases the enchantment of the holidays through a message centered around 'a magical Christmas’ and ‘gifts full of love’. The song taps into a sense of nostalgia, much like the beloved classics of Christmases past. The song's harmonic structure and musical arrangement play pivotal roles in the way it resonates with listeners, bringing them into the warm, fuzzy feeling that is so essential to Christmas. A successful Christmas song often starts out with a small yet magical intro that builds towards an old school pop arrangement and jazz-inspired chord progressions, all features that are seamlessly mixed in this final composition. We're genuinely thrilled with the outcome and hope that it brings the same joy to others as it has brought us throughout its creation."

How to listen

Listen to, or watch, “Pakjes vol liefde/Cadeaux pleins d’Amour” via all popular streaming platforms, such as Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, and via Amazon’s YouTube page here.

For more information, visit www.amazon.com.be.

 

[1] Research conducted of 1,000 Belgians by iVOX in November of 2023 on behalf of Amazon