Jimmy Fallon Talks Landing Ariana Grande & Megan Thee Stallion

If Mariah Carey is the Queen of Christmas, is Jimmy Fallon angling to be the King?

After all, the Tonight Show host has the new pandemic-era holiday song “It Was A… (Masked Christmas)” alongside pop powerhouses Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion, which debuts on Billboard‘s Holiday Digital Song Sales chart this week. Plus, a parody song he co-created as a Saturday Night Live castmember back in 2000, “I Wish It Was Christmas Today,” landed at No. 34 on Billboard‘s 100 Best Christmas Songs of All Time.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below) — our final episode of 2021 — Fallon joins us as a special guest to talk all about his very own Christmas song, how the SNL ditty came together, and some of his favorite Christmas songs ever (and he has a lot to choose from on his 3,000-song personal playlist).

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“I didn’t want to do a Mariah Carey, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ type of song, which is what everybody tries to do,” Fallon tells the Pop Shop of “Masked Christmas.” “I’m like, ‘Guys, she’s done it. She’s done it well. She nailed it. You can move away. No one’s going to top that song. She’s the queen. Let her have it. Think of a new idea.’”

Plus, Fallon fills us in on his new NBC prime-time game show That’s My Jam, which kicked off last month with a preview episode that saw Grande and Blake Shelton face off against their fellow Voice coaches Kelly Clarkson and John Legend. The show officially starts Jan. 3, and you can stay tuned to Billboard for a full feature ahead of the premiere.

Also on the show, Keith & Katie listen to and discuss six new Christmas songs from Ed Sheeran & Elton John, Pistol Annies, ABBA, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey featuring Khalid & Kirk Franklin.

Happy New Year from the Pop Shop!

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s deputy editor, digital, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

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