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Grammy-award winning R&B singer\/songwriter Susan Carol<\/strong><\/a> rendered a stunning, peaceful, but powerful performance of her Christmas song, \u201cMistletoe\u201d<\/strong> at the live recording of the Essence Holiday Celebration of Joy.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Essence Holiday Celebration of Joy special\u00a0 filmed in Atlanta and Los Angeles, according to a press release. The holiday special premiered on Thanksgiving Day on YouTube and <\/span>Essence.com<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The special bridged the holiday season, faith music and community- a live showcase of good-feeling music to get you in the spirit for the holiday season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carol, who is also a gifted guitar player, starts the set by playing a guitar solo, <\/span>\u00a0said \u201cit was surreal to be on the Essence stag <\/em><\/span>First of all, I felt like I was in a dream,I was like, I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Carol said she quickly wrote the Christmas ballad and formulated chords to prepare for the show.\u00a0<\/span>After coming up with the chords and lyrics, she sent it to legendary producer MyGuyMars to beef it up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMistltoe\u201d talks about falling in love during the Christmas season- featuring kisses under the mistletoe and drinking hot cocoa. <\/span>She\u2019s giving her presence as a gift and asking for the same in return for her gift.<\/span><\/p>\n Carol\u2019s acoustic set sounded like a winter wonderland. She has a voice that carries itself with effortless runs and a vintage sound.Carol sounded confident when performing and looked like she was home on the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n Carol said she writes songs from life and her real experiences, with inspiration from God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But everything hasn\u2019t been merry and bright for the singer\/songwriter lately. <\/span>Less than two weeks prior to her stellar performance, Carol went live on Instagram from her car on a rainy day about how life has been challenging for her lately, which is not her norm, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat day I felt led to share,\u201d Carol said. \u201cLife has certain seasons. Certain seasons you are up and certain seasons you are down. I\u2019ve been on a beautiful journey of freedom, learning and isolation where you really get to know yourself. It\u2019s a transitional period.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Right after giving a tear-filled, soulful acappella version of popular gospel song, \u201cJust Can\u2019t Give Up Now,\u201d Carol shared with her fans that she has been unexpectedly homeless since February, living out of her car, storage unit and occasional hotel visit. <\/span>That particular day she said she had nowhere to go.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cGod is providing and I have everything I need, but I\u2019ve been stripped of everything in this season of life,\u201d she said. \u201cGod is here and I know that I have a purpose. My gifts are inside of me and I still have to share them. Trials are just a part of it.\u201d <\/span><\/em>Carol said she knows a lot of people are silently suffering, but she wanted to let them know there\u2019s hope, they can make it, and they\u2019re not alone.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t a help me type of thing,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is real life, but I\u2019m going to push through it. Where there is pain, there is beauty. I was really scared to post it, but I have to overcome that. It\u2019s bigger than me. I\u2019m going through this to help someone.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Carol said she thought she would receive negative judgment, but received the total opposite. Support from her fans and others declaring their victory from their own situations. She said she\u2019ll<\/span>\u00a0 continue to sing about her life stories to be real and raw through her music.<\/span><\/p>\n Carol is currently working on a album with her team Ray Daniels and Theron Thomas that\u2019s expected to release next year via Def Jam.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have an incredible team,\u201d she said. \u201cThis beautiful album is about life. It\u2019s going to be an experience. You\u2019ll hear and feel the story. Just some beautiful music with an evolved version of me that\u2019s never heard before.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n To view Susan\u2019s Carol perform of \u201cMistletoe\u201d at the Essence Holiday Celebration of Joy, click <\/b>\u00a0https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DRnO6jdkpI0\/<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n To view the entire Essence Holiday Celebration of Joy event, visit <\/b>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z67rdZ6IpFg<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n