Four-time GRAMMY winner India.Arie will kick off the Christmas With Friends tour on December 13 at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston

Four-time GRAMMY winner India.Arie will kick off the Christmas With Friends tour on December 13 at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston. The holiday celebration will include a December 15 show at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre and conclude at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on December 21. Special guest Jonathan McReynolds will open on most dates. See below for itinerary and visit soulbird.com/events for ticket information.

India.Arie recently released her first-ever holiday album, Christmas With Friends (Soulbird/Motown). The 10-song collection is available HERE. Her celebration of the season continues with a performance at the Hollywood Christmas parade, airing on The CW on December 11, and a visit to the nationally syndicated show “Steve Harvey” during the week of December 14. She will also appear on an episode of PBS’ “Tavis Smiley” that will air in December.

Her collaborations with jazz icon Joe Sample are at the heart of Christmas With Friends, which was produced by Aaron Lindsey (Marvin Sapp, Yolanda Adams). Special guests include Brandy, KEM, Michael McDonald, Tori Kelly, Dave Koz, Trombone Shorty, Gene Moore, Kirk Whalum and Take 6’s Khristian Dentley.

When India.Arie first met Joe Sample at a 2012 festival, she worked up the courage to ask him to collaborate with her. Christmas wasn’t on her mind then – but two years later, the pair decided to heed the advice of their respective families, which had been hounding each of them to record a holiday album.

“The sound of Joe’s piano and his special chord voicings always struck the perfect balance of peace and inspiration for me,” says India.Arie, who dedicated Christmas With Friends to Sample. “I wanted to use my voice in new ways that would complement his aesthetic.”

The pair began recording Christmas With Friends in February 2014. Sample passed away before the album was completed, but the four songs that he played on set the tone for a holiday album that brims with natural spontaneity and unexpected pairings.Together, they recorded a bright and breezy take on album opener “Let It Snow” and a warm, stripped-down version of “The Christmas Song.” They were joined in the studio by Brandy, whose striking backing harmonies bring a fresh touch to the traditional carol “Silent Night,” and fellow Motown artist KEM, who trades vocals with India.Arie on an ultra-romantic rendering of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Baby” is a knockout, as Indie.Arie and legendary vocalist Michael McDonald infuse the holiday classic with a burning, bluesy sensibility. The sparkling original “Favorite Time of Year,” co-written by India.Arie’s mother, features newcomer Tori Kelly, a self-professed India.Arie fan. Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty join Indie.Arie on an exuberant rendition of “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.” Additional tracks feature Gene Moore, Kirk Whalum and Take 6’s Khristian Dentley.

Born in Denver and later relocating to Atlanta as a teen, India.Arie went from singing under a tree in the park to the GRAMMY Awards stage in five years, earning seven nominations for her 2001 double-platinum debut Acoustic Soul featuring her first hit single, “Video.” That was followed in 2002 by the Platinum-selling Voyage to India, 2006’s Gold-certified Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship and its 2009 sequel Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. She has sold a cumulative 10 million albums worldwide and received 21 GRAMMY nominations.

12/13 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
*12/14 -Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
*12/15 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
*12/17 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage
12/18 – Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theater
*12/20 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
*12/21 – Nashville, TN @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center