I put on Leopold Nunan’s “Feliz Navidad” the other night just to see what he did with it, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting much because holiday covers are usually predictable. But this one caught me completely off guard. The song starts and suddenly I’m not in December anymore, I’m basically standing somewhere in Rio with sun on my face. The guitar has this relaxed, beachy thing going on, and the percussion feels like someone playing along at a backyard party. Not polished but alive. It made me laugh a little because it’s the first time I’ve heard “Feliz Navidad” without imagining fake snow and mall decorations.
What really struck me is how Brazilian the whole thing sounds without screaming “look, I’m Brazilian.” It’s just baked into it. The rhythms aren’t trying to impress anyone; they just sit there comfortably, like they’ve always belonged in the song. Leopold’s voice floats through everything really naturally, not showing off, just letting the vibe happen. You can tell he grew up with these sounds, the same way some people grow up with carols playing in freezing weather. It’s almost like he’s saying, “Hey, this is what Christmas felt like for me,” and letting you hang out inside that memory.
And the personal bit? You can hear that too. He mentioned releasing it around his birthday and how the whole thing ties back to home, and the track absolutely feels like someone celebrating something private rather than trying to make a big holiday statement. It fits with his Leo From Rio project — the same mix of identity and movement and this constant blending of cultures he’s been building for a while now.
By the end of the song, I just sat there thinking, “Okay… this is the first holiday track in a long time that didn’t feel like part of a winter commercial.” It’s warm, real, a little nostalgic, and completely its own thing. Honestly, it feels like Leopold just invited everyone to his version of Christmas and didn’t bother to translate it, which is exactly why it works.
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