Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, country music newcomer Seth Ennis shares the story behind his holiday marriage proposal in the newly released “Xmas.”
The Georgia-raised 23-year-old turned to Instagram on December 23 to share a snippet of his new song, along with the caption, “She said yes.” Then, three days later, he confirmed his engagement with a photo of him and his now-fiancée Janna Nevil celebrating with glasses of champagne.
In the song, Ennis says he can’t wait to see his girlfriend’s face when she sees the ring that he picked out. We also learn that Ennis’ proposal has been a year in the making. It started last Christmas when he revealed his intentions to Nevil’s dad.
Ennis sings, “I bet you didn’t know at Christmas / I was talkin’ to your daddy / I told him me and you were in love / And I just want to make you happy / For ever and ever keep loving you better / And never give up or leave / And baby next Christmas / I’m gonna ask you to marry me.”
In a romantic example of life imitating art, Ennis stood by his lyrics and popped the question during the Christmas holiday. In the catchy chorus, he sings “Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes / Say yes to me” — and she did.
Born in Dothan, Ala., Ennis began playing the piano at the age of 7. By the time he was in middle school, he was also a talented guitarist and drummer. The son of a military colonel, Ennis honed his talents as he spent his formative years on a military base in Japan.
“Country music is not that big in Japan,” he noted in his official bio. “If I were raised in Georgia my whole life, I’d probably sound a lot different than I do. But because of how much I moved around, and all the cultures I experienced, my sound is especially diverse.”
Ennis got his big break by being in the right place at the right time.
“There was a battle of the bands competition here in Nashville and when one of the bands dropped out, I got the call,” Ennis said. “I called my players together and we killed it.”
The victory earned Ennis a coveted spot at CMA Music Festival. That performance caught the eye of Sony, which signed him to a record deal in 2016.
In early 2019, Ennis will be embarking on a 14-city tour with performances in New York, Boston, Silver Spring, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, Orlando, North Myrtle Beach, Charlotte and Raleigh.
Please check out the audio track of Ennis performing “Xmas.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Xmas”
Written and performed by Seth Ennis.
I bet you didn’t know at Christmas
I was talkin’ to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And I just want to make you happy
For ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up our leave
And baby next Christmas
I’m gonna ask you to marry me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Keeping it a secret
and trying to keep it that way
Until the holiday season
Gets harder every day
But even more than I do
When I just tell you
I want to see your face alright
When you see the ring I picked out
Old friends in your new home town
In December when you say
I can’t believe I didn’t know at Christmas
When I was talkin’ to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And I just want to make you happy
For ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up or leave
And baby next Christmas
I’m gonna ask you to marry me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
I remember back in high school
Dreaming of what you’d be like
Hoping that I’d find the kind of girl who
is from a hometown like mine
Before I met you in that church
Took you out to that concert
Told my momma that I found my wife
When you know you know I knew the whole time
But I bet you didn’t know at Christmas
That I was talkin’ to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And all I want to do is make you happy
If you had me for ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up or leave
And baby next Christmas
I’m gonna ask you to marry me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Credit: Image via Instagram.com/seth_ennis.