Music & Concerts
Love and joy come to you
Legendary singer brings Christmas cheer to the Howard
After many years in the background, singer Darlene Love is enjoying her moment in the sun. (Photo courtesy Project Publicity)
Darlene Love
Saturday, Dec. 19
8 p.m.
620 T St., N.W.
VIP tickets: $80
General admission $45 in advance/$50 day of
With Christmas on the horizon, chances are if Christmas music is being played, Darlene Love’s 1963 “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is in the rotation, as the song has been one of the most popular songs of the season for decades. David Letterman calls it his favorite song and before retiring, would have Love come on his show and kick-off the Christmas season with a live rendition.
“Dave is the one who made it so popular around the world,” Love says. “When it’s this close to Christmas, I think the song means even more to people. I love this time of year. I really enjoy the closeness of family and people are in a giving mood, are happy and jovial. It’s a very special time for me.”
Love rose to prominence in the ’60s as a session vocalist and although she supported all the great singers in Phil Spector’s arsenal of performers with her glorious background vocals—including tunes such as “He’s a Rebel,” “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” “Be My Baby” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”—she was rarely credited on the liner notes of the records.
The performers all knew and adored her, but the public wasn’t privy to just how incredible she was.
“I wasn’t the first one that it happened to; you just never heard about it with a lot of us. Phil Spector was a rising producer who became incredibly successful who started his own empire and knew how to succeed,” she says. “I couldn’t sign work because of him recording my voice as the Crystals and I couldn’t claim ‘He’s A Rebel’ or ‘He’s Sure The Boy I Love’ as my own, because my name wasn’t on there. That kept me from finding work.”
Then Letterman began championing the Christmas tune, she took a role as Murtaugh’s wife in the “Lethal Weapon” movies, and did a turn on Broadway in “Leader of the Pack,” and Love eventually skyrocketed to the fame she deserved.
Love is ranked No. 84 on Rolling Stone’s top 100 singers of all-time; she was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and was one of the subjects of the 2014 Oscar-winning documentary, “20 Feet From Stardom,” which showed an in-depth illustration of Love’s storied musical career as a background singer. Her speech at the Oscars was one of the most memorable of the last decade and the soulful singer has never been in greater demand.
“When I started, I thought I would be done singing by the time I was 50. You don’t think you could keep it up or that people would still love the music, but they do,” the 73-year-old says. “I think the biggest reason they still come out is that I stay true to the songs. I don’t change how I sing them and they are even more powerful today because my voice is more powerful.”
Fans can check that out for themselves when the legendary Love plays the Howard Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 19.
“We’re having so much fun with this show, everywhere we’ve been,” Love says. “My show is very energetic. Many women don’t do these high-energy shows—maybe Tina Turner or Joan Jett—but mine it so high energy. We play some new songs, do some Christmas songs and of course, many of the classics people love.”
Her favorite thing about being on stage is seeing the generations of fans who come out and sing along with her.
“It’s so great to see people are bringing their children and they are bringing their children, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Love says. “I think the younger generation wants to hear great songs, great lyrics and great melodies that they want to sing along with. They do that when they come to my show.”
Last year, the singer released new material with the album, “Introducing Darlene Love,” produced by Love’s longtime friend and advocate Steven Van Zandt.
“It’s been time to do this for a while, but I couldn’t find anyone to do it, that was the problem. Record companies don’t want to record older artists because they think there’s no place for them,” she says. “Steve wanted to record to sound like the music I recorded in the ’60s, and that’s the beauty of it. People may think they have heard these songs before because they sound as if they are from that era.”
Love will be opening her show at the Howard with one of the new tunes and hopes to see many people come out and celebrate Christmas with her.
“I always tell my audiences to come with the sense that they’re going to be entertained and I will life their spirits up. It’s my job to life their spirits up, so they will leave the show saying we had a good time,” Love says. “If I’m having fun, they will have fun. They know just how far to go with me.”
Music & Concerts
DJ Chanel Santini is bringing the heat and some gender-fluid diversity to XBIZ Miami
Pool party celebrates most charismatic personalities, creative artists in adult entertainment
Chanel Santini has crossed over to being a DJ, performing at clubs all over the country. Now known as Santini, they will be making music and hyping the pool party, DJ-ing at XBIZ, the conference for adult creators and digital players, in Miami.
Taking place on Monday to Wednesday, the event honors the most charismatic personalities and creative artists in entertainment.
“I am honestly so excited — getting to DJ in Miami Beach is literally a DJ’s dream!” Santini told the Los Angeles Blade.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity because I haven’t been around my industry peers in a long time. It’s a great event to network and show off the new me!” said Santini.
While Santini is unsure what music they will be playing, they want everyone to have a good time. “My goal is to ignite the dance floor and play great music that everyone will vibe to. My sound includes house music, bass house, tech house, and I always like to throw a little bit of hip-hop in my sets.”
Santini loves how DJ-ing brings people together.
“Music really ignites us all! It is so universal, no matter what language you speak. I think it’s the best high in the world when you play a banger track, and everybody on the dance floor screams loudly. You can’t describe that feeling until you’re up there on that stage.”
Santini describes DJs as the “modern rock stars” in today’s world.
“I always feel like such a superstar when I’m up on that stage. The best feeling is after my set when I have people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for sharing that amazing music.’ That’s how you know that you’re a good DJ — I love when I get those types of compliments!”
While sometimes it’s hard to please everyone’s musical tastes, Santini endeavors to try! “You just have to go out there and give it your all and be the best DJ that you can be,” he noted.
Santini, who had previously identified as transgender, recently decided to transition back to being gender fluid.
“It’s definitely been a journey, but I’m definitely happier in my own skin now than I was. I don’t go by he/him pronouns. I don’t go by they/them either. I guess I just really don’t have a preference. Whatever you see me as is your opinion. I’ve learned over the years that I’m not trying to be one specific thing. I’m just Santini. I’m just me.”
Santini acknowledged they felt respected more when dressed as a woman.
“I think it’s just because femininity runs the world. When I started to de-transition, I felt like I had to just be a boy all the time. But I’ve realized over the years that I don’t need to stick to one specific thing. I am always gonna be feminine, and that’s OK.”
Recently, Santini has been embracing their feminine side more.
“I definitely feel more comfortable in female presentation, and more powerful when I’m on stage dressed as Chanel. I love DJ-ing in drag because there are so many straight male DJs in the world. It’s almost like a superhero when he puts on his cape! I think it makes me confident and stand out more as an artist.”
And because Santini loves makeup and fashion, they can incorporate that into their sets. “I’m not just bringing you good vibes and good music. I’m bringing you a show/ production!”
Santini is already working on big plans for the future.
“I’m opening up for a huge Pride block party in my hometown, Albuquerque, N.M., on June 12 and 13. It’s a two day festival and I’m super excited for this opportunity. I’m even hiring backup dancers and a choreographer.”
Santini plans to go “all out” for this show.
“It’s gonna be the biggest crowd that I’ve ever played for,” Santini enthused. “I’m putting my heart and soul into this performance, especially because it’s Pride in my hometown, and that means so much to me. I know the younger me would be so proud.”
Santini remembers going to Pride when they were younger and telling themself they couldn’t wait to be up on that stage.
“I’m truly living my dream right now, and I’m so excited for the future. The last 10 years of being in the adult entertainment business have been great and have given me major success. But I always knew that I didn’t want to be in this industry for long.”
Santini acknowledged that, in the recent past, it was a struggle.
“I’ve been trying to find myself and figure out what I wanna do next with my life. Now that I’ve found this passion for DJ-ing, it makes me want to go far in this business.”
In addition to being a DJ/artist, Santini is starting college next semester.
“I’m gonna get my degree in audio engineering,” Santini enthused. “I can’t wait to start producing my own tracks. I especially can’t wait till the day I’m headlining a major festival! I know with a little bit of patience and hard work that I can get there! I just have to continue believing in myself.”
Santini wanted to thank all of their fans for their support. “Truly, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to fund my art in the way that I have. I’m truly grateful. And I’m excited for the future!”
Music & Concerts
Gaga, Cardi B, and more to grace D.C. stages this spring
Shake off your winter doldrums at a local concert
D.C. shakes off its winter blues this spring as the music scene pops off. We all know the big star is coming: Lady Gaga will perform at Capital One Arena on March 23. But plenty of other stars, big and small, will grace D.C. stages, including many LGBTQ and ally artists.
March
3/15, 9:30 Club, St. Lucia – Indie electronic music project known for its synth-pop sound, which blends ‘80s influences with electronic and indie rock elements.
3/31, Lincoln Theatre, Perfume Genius – Indie/pop singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas, also known as Perfume Genius, has toured with a full band, but he is stripping things back for this tour.
April
4/8, Capital One, Cardi B. Cardi B, from New York, unapologetic and proud, is the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. This year, she’s on her Little Miss Drama Tour, in support of her second studio album, “Am I the Drama?”
4/13, Lincoln Theatre, The Naked Magicians. Australia’s The Naked Magicians are two performers who deliver live magic and laughs while wearing nothing but a top hat and a smile.
4/18, Capital One, Florence and the Machine. Longstanding indie rock back from Great Britain, much-loved for lead singer Florence’s powerful vocals. On their Everybody Scream Tour.
4/16, Capital One, Demi Lovato. Singer/songwriter from Texas, who came out as nonbinary, is traveling on her “It’s Not That Deep Tour.”
4/21, The Anthem, Calum Scott. Platinum-selling gay singer/songwriter Calum Scott released his latest project, Avenoir, last year. Scott rose to fame in 2015 after competing on Britain’s Got Talent, where he performed a cover of Robyn’s hit “Dancing on My Own“.
4/26, Atlantis, Caroline Kingsbury. American queer pop musician from Los Angeles. She released her debut album in 2021, and has two additional EPs. She’s played Lollapalooza 2025 and All Things Go 2025, as well as gone on a co-headlining U.S. tour with MARIS. Shock Treatment is her latest EP.
4/26, Anthem, Raye. This bisexual artist, known for her current chart-topping “”Where Is My Husband!” single, blends pop, jazz, R&B, and more.
4/30, Union Stage, Daya. This bisexual singer/songwriter is on her “Til Every Petal Drops Tour,” touring the album of the same name that was released last year.
May
5/1, The Anthem, Joost Klein. Eurovision comes to D.C. in Joost Klein: Originally a Youtuber, he was selected to represent the Netherlands at Eurovision in 2024 with his song “Europapa.” He released a new album on New Year’s Day.
5/1, Fillmore, MIKA. MIKA is on his Spinning Out Tour. Born in Beirut and raised in both Paris and London, MIKA sings in multiple languages and has co-hosted Eurovision.
5/7, 9:30 Club, COBRAH. Clara Christensen, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and club queen, making electronic dance music.
5/19, Atlantis, Grace Ives. New York-born singer/songwriter, known for her high-energy synth/electronic, bedroom-pop-style music.
June
6/2, The Anthem, James Blake. English crooner got big from his self-titled debut album in 2011. He won two Grammys and just released his 7th album,Trying Times, in March.
Music & Concerts
Washington chorale kicks off Christmas with vibrant program
‘Thine Own Sweet Light’ concerts planned
The full Washington Master Chorale will return for its annual holiday concert tradition with “Thine Own Sweet Light” on Friday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 21 at St. Ann’s Catholic Church (D.C.) and Church of the Epiphany (D.C.).
The concert will feature the rich sounds of the 50-voice, a cappella chorus performing lush, seasonal choral music inspired by the theme of light. Highlights include Edvard Grieg’s “Ave Maris Stella,” Eric Whitacre’s “Lux Aurumque,” and Christopher Hoh’s “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts.” The program will also present a new work by Barcelona composer Josep Ollé i Sabaté, along with charming holiday folk songs and seasonal favorites.
For more details, visit the Washington Master Chorale website.
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