Fallon teams with Grande, Megan Thee Stallion to release new song for the holidays
In this Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, file photo, Jimmy Fallon talks during a taping of "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," in New York. (AP /Andrew Harnik, File)
Share
Yes, he's the host of the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." And sure, he's starred in movies, been a "Saturday Night Live" regular, and just launched a new show, "That's My Jam."
But Jimmy Fallon has always wanted his "That Thing You Do!" movie moment when he gets to hear his song come on the radio. And he's ready for that moment on Tuesday, when his holiday single "It Was A... (Masked Christmas)," featuring Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion is released.
"I almost feel like I'm Beyonce or Drake," Fallon told The Associated Press. "I've always wanted to surprise drop a single and now it's happening. This is crazy what life is."
"It Was A... (Masked Christmas)" started out as an idea Fallon was toying with in August while he was recording at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan. "I wanted to write something reflecting on how tough it was for everyone last year during the holidays and that it's gonna get better," he said, adding that he was looking to throw in some humor about putting Purell on everything and families cramming into the laundry room to get on Zoom because that's where the best Wi-Fi is. He also enjoyed how fun it is to say "booster," especially with a Boston accent.
While writing the song with producer Ido Zmishlany, best known for his work with Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber, Fallon had Grande in mind for singing the hook, but when he reached out to her, he didn't hear back right away because she was busy as a coach on "The Voice." Then, in mid-October, she responds, saying, "I love this song. You sound great. I think this is so funny. Let's do this. I'm on it. I'm going to record tomorrow in the studio."
She also asks who is going to do the song's rap, which Fallon did in the demo. Grande texts Megan Thee Stallion, who replies, "Are you kidding me? Ariana and Jimmy, my two besties? Let's do it."
Fallon was shocked at how quickly things were moving for the song. "It was nothing a week ago," he said. "And now the two biggest stars in the world are saying, 'Let's play and do a video."'
Though the result was light-hearted and campy, the video shoot was tough because of everyone's busy schedules. Fallon shot his scenes with Grande in Los Angeles, after he taped two episodes of "That's My Jam," including one with Grande and the rest of "The Voice" coaches. He then shot his scenes with Megan Thee Stallion in New York a few weeks later.
At a time when getting vaccinated for COVID-19 can be seen as a contentious issue, Fallon hopes people will see the song in the spirit it was created. "If we can get people to go get the booster or get the vaccine, that'd be amazing," he said. "If not, hopefully it just makes people smile and have a good time."
Fallon, who has long been a year-round fan of Christmas music, said the pandemic inspired him to generate some good cheer.
"That was kind of a wake-up call where you think, 'Why not do as much as we can to make people happy?"' he said. "We forget about these things. And this is a great time to celebrate and get together."
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw says three months into 2024, the city has already seen more than double the number of carjackings it did this time last year.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) says a provincewide one day strike will be held on Wednesday this week, the same day the provincial government is set to reveal its latest budget.
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.
An attorney facing criminal charges for illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a hearing in a separate case in Federal Court in Washington, D.C.
Twenty Palestinians were killed in the early hours of Tuesday in Israeli air strikes on Rafah and central parts of the Gaza Strip, Gaza health officials said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable "super-large" multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea's capital as he vowed to boost his war deterrent in the face of deepening confrontations with rivals, state media said Tuesday.
The infamous "Access Hollywood" video in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without asking permission will not be shown to jurors at the former president's hush-money criminal trial, a New York judge ruled Monday.
Moscow will not relent in its invasion of Ukraine and plans to create a buffer zone to help protect against long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Members of Parliament stood in solemn reflection in the House of Commons Monday in tribute to the late Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada who died last month.
The federal government is challenging a court decision directing it to step up the pace of judicial appointments to address an 'untenable' number of vacancies.
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
A U.S. government research team found no significant evidence of brain injury among a group of federal employees reporting symptoms of the "Havana syndrome" ailment that emerged in 2016, according to studies published in a medical journal on Monday.
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
The COVID-19 lockdown for humans was not an opportunity for wildlife to run free, in fact a new study found herbivores tend to be more active around people, while carnivores remained hidden.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas, involving a Ford electric vehicle that may have been using a partially automated driving system.
A movie set armourer is challenging her conviction on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film "Rust," court records released Monday show.
R. Kelly’s lawyer told an appeals court Monday that all kinds of legitimate organizations — even college fraternities — could be deemed racketeering organizations under a law used to convict the R&B superstar at his Brooklyn trial of sexually abusing young fans, including children, for decades.
On-demand U.S. audio and video streams for 'I'm Just Ken' topped three million streams in the week after Ryan Gosling's Oscars performance, a 422 per cent increase from the prior week.
A traveller who accused WestJet of failing to deliver his luggage during a weeks-long trip from Canada to the U.K. is not entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.
Two former employees of a Kitchener, Ont., grocer said their Ministry of Labour cases were settled, but only one has been paid what they were allegedly owed.
Elon Musk said he is 'almost always' sober during his late-night — or, in some cases, very early morning — posting sessions on his social media platform, X.
A small stone vial discovered in southeastern Iran contained a red cosmetic that was likely used as a lip coloring nearly 4,000 years ago, according to archaeologists.
Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner on Monday said she supported a local New York official’s order banning female sports teams with transgender athletes from using county-owned facilities.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw says three months into 2024, the city has already seen more than double the number of carjackings it did this time last year.
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.