Michael James Scott is Giving Us a Fierce Christmas

Michael James Scott is sharing some holiday joy and merriment with the world.

The Broadway star best known for his iconic portrayal of the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin recently released his debut, studio album, A Fierce Christmas. Giving new life to classic holiday tunes by showing off Scott’s gospel and Broadway roots, songs include “Christmas Time is Here,” “This Christmas,” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Scott partnered with Scratch 17, a recording label based in his hometown of Orlando, Florida to produce this EP.

Scott has been wanting to create an album for a long time, and with all the sadness and despair caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought this would be the perfect time to shed some light and positivity.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Scott about A Fierce Christmas, how he plans to spend the holidays this year, how the pandemic will change theatre, and what he enjoys the most about playing the Genie in Aladdin.Hi, Michael! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your new holiday album, A Fierce Christmas. What can listeners expect?
Oh, gosh! First of all, I am like bursting over the fact that I have a holiday album coming out. Even in the craziness during a pandemic. People can truly expect big band, gospel, funky Broadway fun. That is what you can expect. Sassiness. I am taking your classic Christmas and turning it on its backside, giving fierce all over it. That is what I want to do.

This is your first studio album. How exciting is it to release this project into the world?
It is all the things, truly. It is scary, it is exciting, it is exposing, it is thrilling. As we all know, this year has been so trying for all of us, to say the least. Not only with a pandemic, but with a racial awakening and having hard conversations around each other that have been truly an underlying kind of thing for generations. This idea for me was to really sort of an approach all that was going on.

So, I decided that I am protesting with joy. That is what I wanted to do. That is where it came out of, this idea to protest with joy. Wanting to put a joyful face of a Black, gay man out there, and something in a positive light. Something that was inspiring and moving the needle forward, and something that was different from what we normally see. I thought, why not? There is no reason why we cannot put some joy in everybody’s ether. No matter what side you are on, no matter what you believe in, we all believe in some fierce holiday music. Music can bring us together, and I feel like the idea of joy can also bring us together.

Have you always wanted to do an album?
Yes! People practice Emmy speeches, Oscar speeches; child, I have been practicing my album since I was little. I was like, this is what I want to do! OK, here we go; this is what’s up. I am obsessed with Christmas, the holidays, and all the things that it means to so many people. For me, it was just a no-brainer. I have a list of holiday songs that I have always wanted to do since I was a little chocolate, chubby child.

You mentioned protesting with joy. Can you talk a bit more about the concept and inspiration behind A Fierce Christmas?
I obviously wanted to give homage to my Broadway community. Broadway is where my career began, and it is a big part of my life, but I grew up in the church. I grew up listening to all kinds of music. Big band, funk, soul—I wanted to add all those elements in and do what I do. This is sort of a combination of them all. I like to throw my spin on a lot of things, so the concept for it truly came out of joy. Let’s have some gospel, some big band, Broadway, and funk all in one. Let’s make this happen and make this fierce cake of fun and fabulousness.

It also came from this idea of collaborating with artists. Right now, we are apart. I wanted to see how we could come together. There are live musicians playing who are from Broadway and my hometown of Orlando, Florida. I recorded the album in Orlando, and it was produced by Chet Gass and the recording label Scratch 17. Then, one of the arrangements is done by Jim Abbott who is an amazing and incredible musician. All the Broadway musicians recorded their stuff remotely, then we put it all together. So, the overall concept was this idea of this collaborative effort to bring us together and bring some joy.

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How cathartic was creating this album for you?
Oh my gosh, so cathartic. This time of year, especially in the Broadway community and just being a New Yorker, this is such an incredible time of year where beautiful tourists come to the city. They see the lights; you can go to one of your favorite coffee shops and get a gingerbread latte, go Christmas shopping on Fifth Ave., see the Christmas villages, all those amazing things. It breaks my heart that we cannot do that this year. We will be back, and we will be fiercer than ever, but the reality is, we cannot do that right now. So, it was extremely cathartic to think about that and the bittersweetness of it all. There is a sense of home when you can collaborate with some incredible artists.

What is the number one thing you hope listeners take away from A Fierce Christmas?
I hope listeners take away joy, fierceness, comfort, and togetherness. I want my album to feel like a big ol’ Christmas hug that makes you smile. It makes you say Amen. All the things I love to spread, and for me, that makes me excited and joyful.How do you normally spend the holidays, and have your plans changed this year due to COVID?
It is crazy because I am so used to doing a Broadway, eight-shows-a-week schedule. I am usually working through the holidays. This is a busy time, especially on Broadway. Your schedule may change, or you may have to do an extra show. You may have to do a show on Christmas night, or just may just have Christmas Day off. So, I would sometimes fly in for the day to Orlando and give a quick Merry Christmas, then fly back home.

This year will be different. I actually am going to be home, and I will be there for a good chunk of time because not only am I going to be there for the holidays, but I am actually performing. I am doing my album live at an outdoor concert at the new Dr. Phillips Center. It is this huge, gorgeous performing arts center down in Orlando, and they have a new series. They got the funding to create this amazing festival, and they built an outdoor theatre.

There are all these amazing pods set up for the audience; everyone is socially distanced in terms of musicians and singers on the stage. So, I am doing my show on Saturday, December 19. A huge show, nine musicians, three backup singers, 16-person community choir. This will be the first time I have performed live since the shutdown. Since I was playing the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway.

How is the COVID situation in New York City?
Well, there is no Broadway. I think the heartbeat of New York is missing. Everyone knows that the pulse of the city is missing right now because there is no Broadway. It is a very essential part of New York City. Without Broadway, there is no life. It a very different city. The economy of what Broadway brings to New York City is enormous. Hotels, taxis, restaurants, and then of course tourists who come to Broadway and other places around the city. Our incredible leaders are doing everything in their power to get us back.

How do you think this pandemic will change theatre?
I think the thing that will be different right away is how comfortable people feel about being in a theater. The theater is such a sacred place for togetherness. We bring people together; that is what the joy and magic of live theatre is. So, I think it is going to take people getting used to feeling safe enough to be okay with being in the theater.

However, I do think that the explosiveness of the joy and the passion coming from the stage will be beyond. Everyone is fighting to be back, and even the audience, I think there will be an enormous, emotional connection for quite some time as we come back. I think that will be the difference. Having Broadway be shut down for this length of time, this is historic. It truly is a rebirth of Broadway; it is a brand-new Broadway. I think that the newness of it all will be the emotional depth of us being back.

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What do you enjoy the most about playing the Genie in Aladdin?
Oh my gosh, what do I not enjoy? There is so much. I enjoy the wonderment of it all. I enjoy getting to play a character that people are so excited to see and waiting for. I enjoy getting to tell the audience to give me more applause [laughs]. I enjoy the big kid-ness of it all, and I enjoy that the Genie is unapologetically being himself. I get to truly be Michael James Scott as the Genie, and it truly be me and not apologizing for who I am and all the craziness that I breathe. For me, that is incredibly rewarding and such a gift.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
Just my concert on Dec. 19 at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida, and my album. A Fierce Christmas is here!

To stay up-to-date, follow Scott on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or visit his official website. A Fierce Christmas is now available on all digital streaming platforms.

Photos Courtesy of Kelly Balch