Ida Engman's new single "Joy" is the kind of Christmas song you didn't know you needed. It avoids the usual sleigh-bell cliches while still holding on to the season's shimmering magic. The song is both cynical and sweet, and it feels like walking through London's West End in December, taking in the lights and crowds while asking yourself, "What does joy mean right now?"
Engman a Danish-Scottish Euro-mongrel who sang in her bedroom, channels that dual heritage and bedroom-born honesty into a sound that is both clear and irresistibly happy. The song lyrics are sharp, self-aware, and not afraid to talk about the messy contradictions of the holidays. She shows the tension between the happy fantasies of the holidays and the harsher truths, like the noise of shopping, feeling lonely, and the familiar urge to drink the season away. But she never lets the darkness take over.
That raw love, mixed with Engman's wry realism, gives the single its pulse. Her attitude is more stubbornly hopeful. She sees Christmas as these shiny, beautiful, standout few days when she can pretend I'm a happy kid, that God loves me, and that people really care. This attitude makes her sound vulnerable and disarming, which is why the song doesn't sound cheesy at all.
Ida Engman not only has a great voice in "Joy," but she is also a songwriter who isn't afraid to tell the truth about the holidays while still celebrating them. This is a Christmas song for individuals seeking authenticity, something that radiates even when the world remains dark.