As the 2025 holiday season approaches, one of the events igniting the festive spirit is 3 Diamonds Films’ Unexpected Christmas. The promotional activities leading up to the theatrical film’s nationwide premiere on November 7 commence today (October 10) with the release of its soundtrack’s title track, a soulful ballad performed and produced by October London.
In addition to London, Unexpected Christmas: The Soundtrack features both established and emerging artists such as Kevin Ross, Tamar Braxton, Melanie Fiona, K-Ci Hailey, Koryn Hawthorne, and Kenyon Dixon performing a 10-track collection of original songs and holiday covers. Ahead of the soundtrack’s release on October 24 through 3 Diamonds Entertainment/Platform Sounds, the lead single and another track — “Cold Day” featuring EJ Jones — are available now alongside the album pre-save.
London produced the soundtrack’s lead single in collaboration with Tripp Caimbridge. Discussing the creative inspiration behind the song, London shares with Billboard, “I brought in the vision of making something soulful yet classic and then worked with Tripp to craft the lyrics in a way that felt timeless. The words came out of real memories: I wanted the song to feel relatable, like you could hear your own family in it. Then we built on them to give the song that universal Christmas spirit.”
Regarding the soundtrack’s other instant grat song “Cold Day,” written and produced by Daniel Bryant, Jones remarks, “When I first heard the song, it just clicked for me. I locked into the booth and recorded it in 30 minutes.”
The film Unexpected Christmas centers around romantic entanglements, family secrets, old rivalries — and love — that arise when the Scott family reunites for a holiday gathering. This comedy/dramedy stars Lil Rel Howery, Tabitha Brown, DomiNque Perry, Anna Maria Horsford, and Regan Gomez. Actor/comedian Howery and Emmy-winning actress/author Brown also served as executive producers of the film alongside Norman Gyamfi. Written by Cassandra Mannand and directed by Michael Vaughn Hernandez, Unexpected Christmas was produced by 3 Diamonds Films co-founders Phil Thornton and Trell Woodberry along with Perri Camper.
“The soundtrack for Unexpected Christmas represents everything I love about music and film coming together,” Thornton, also CEO of 3 Diamonds Entertainment, tells Billboard. “From the gifted artists to the extraordinary writers and producers, everyone poured their creativity into making songs that not only move you but also live naturally within the story. At 3 Diamonds Films, we’re committed to making soundtracks matter again. We want the music to feel like an event in its own right — something that amplifies the film and creates a lasting cultural moment. Unexpected Christmas is the first step in that vision.”
Unexpected Christmas soundtrack
Courtesy Photo
Unexpected Christmas: The Soundtrack track list:
- “Unexpected Christmas” – October London
- “Cozy With You” – Melanie Fiona
- “What Christmas Means to Me” – Kevin Ross
- “Joy to the World” – Tamar Braxton
- “Cold Day” – EJ Jones
- “Xmas Alone” – Xenia Manasseh
- “You This Christmas” – Kenyon Dixon
- “I’ll Be There” – TA Thomas
- “Wrapped in Red” – Koryn Hawthorne
- “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas” – K-Ci Hailey
