THIS CHRISTMAS

For award-winning songwriter Darren Coggan, there has always been something infinitely special about Christmas. The love of the festive season he developed as a child, he has shared with his own family, and it has grown into a passion for Christmas and all that it means. As an avid collector of Christmas albums and music, it was always only a matter of time before Darren released his own little bit of Christmas magic to the world. The release of the This Christmas single harnesses all the whimsical magic of an Australian Christmas, while embodying the spirit of love and forgiveness in the true meaning of Christmas.
This Christmas has actually been played in Darren’s own household for several years. He wrote it while his children were still young as a Christmas gift for them, and it has become part of their musical Christmas tradition. With his children now adults, he felt it was time to share the song that has meant so much to his family with others in the hope that it also brings them joy. While Darren re-recorded the song for this release, he did still keep in the original tracks of his own children singing along to the chorus, recorded all those years ago.
“I recorded This Christmas with them when they were six or seven,” says Darren. “I recorded a home version of them singing along with me. I kept their voices on this recording and you can just hear them singing along. I still think this is one of the best songs I have ever written.”
This Christmas is part of a four-track EP which features other Christmas tracks, including a duet of Silent Night that Darren recorded with his daughter Olivia Coggan, an emerging songwriter in her own right, and Darren’s version of Mary’s Boy Child and his homage to the Steve Earle classic Nothing But A Child.
The memories of Christmas past have made a lasting impact on Darren. Every year he hits the road to perform a handful of Christmas shows around the country, and even as a teenager, he was bestowing joy to people by sharing Christmas music, and he says he still gets approached at shows by people that remember those days.
“Growing up in Wagga Wagga, there was a street, Athol Street, that fully embraced the Christmas spirit, with every house going to elaborate lengths to decorate their homes,” he says. “The fire brigade would spray the street with foam to look like snow, and it was incredible. A bunch of mates and I perched ourselves outside this random house one year and sung Christmas carols, and it became a ritual for me. I returned to the same house and did it for years. I love that people still remember that.”
Darren is a masterful storyteller who is considered one of Australia’s most exciting and diverse artists. He has carved an impressive career in the Australian country music industry with a swag of Golden Guitars under his belt. He kicked off his career winning the coveted Toyota Star Maker in 1996 and hasn’t looked back.
Darren Coggan’s EP and single This Christmas is available digitally now. This Christmas – https://checked.ffm.to/thischristmas