Blaine Sharp’s “The First Snowfall” Goes Viral With 90,000+ Streams Defying Odds As Independent Holiday Classic Captures Hearts Worldwide
As the first snowflakes of the season begin to fall across North America, independent artist Blaine Sharp‘s beloved holiday song “The First Snowfall” is experiencing a viral surge, amassing over 90,000 streams on Spotify. The swingin’ vocal version, which captures the magical transformation that happens when winter’s first snow blankets the world, has achieved a remarkable 66% listener engagement rate (Saves + Adds) on Spotify, proving that audiences are hungry for new holiday music infused with timeless sophistication and genuine emotion.
A vocalist, songwriter, and composer from Burlington, Ontario now based in Los Angeles, Sharp creates music that stops time, blending vintage charm with modern elegance. “The First Snowfall” lives at the crossroads of jazz, Broadway, and traditional popular song, evoking the warmth and sophistication of the great hit parade artists of the 1950s and 60s including Sinatra, Crosby, and Nat King Cole. Arranged by Teryn Ré, one of the rare female bandleaders in jazz today, and co-written with pianist Carey Frank, who currently tours with Kate Hudson, the track features big band instrumentation with a timeless swingin’ feel that brings freshness to vintage sound.
“I wrote The First Snowfall while feeling homesick in Los Angeles during the pandemic, when the border was closed and I couldn’t get home to Canada or see my family for over two years,” Sharp reveals. “The most Canadian thing I could think of while stuck in LA for the holidays was snow. In my heart, I kept returning to the imagery of snow and that childhood feeling when the first snow of the season would fall. This was the song I had to write.”
Sharp crafted the song as a quiet tribute to Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” keeping the language simple, honest, and relatable while letting the melody do the emotional heavy lifting.
“One of the most vivid memories I wanted to capture in the song is that transformation that happens in November, when everything feels grey and lifeless until that first snowflake falls, and suddenly the world feels new again, full of sparkle and the promise of the holidays,” he explains.
The track was engineered by Grammy winner Harriet Tam and mastered by Grammy/Emmy winner Clark Germain.
The song carries profound personal meaning for Sharp.
“My mother passed away from ALS the September before the song was released, and I made sure she was able to hear the finished version. It’s deeply emotional for me because the song’s journey into the world coincided with the end of hers. She loved family and the holidays, and her love lives on in this song and the sentiment that no obstacle, no amount of snow, will stop you from getting home to your loved ones for Christmas. When listeners share with me how this song is meaningful to them, in their own way and for their own personal reasons, it touches me deeply.”
The viral success of “The First Snowfall” has opened doors for Sharp’s entire catalog, with listeners discovering other songs including “Le Vent d’été (Summer Wind)” and “Violette.”
“As an independent artist, I’m blown away by how audiences are connecting,” Sharp says. “Every time it snows now, my inbox fills with video clips and messages from people playing the song and filming the falling snow. I love that so many tag the song and share their videos on YouTube too. It’s amazing to see them experience, in real time, the very emotions that inspired the song.”
A new instrumental version of “The First Snowfall” is out now, offering fans another way to experience the beauty of the melody.
“Knowing that my song is now part of so many lives for Christmas does my heart good, people decorating their tree, carving their turkey, living important moments as my song plays. Finding this connection in people’s lives is what it’s all about as an artist,” Sharp reflects. “The fact that The First Snowfall keeps resurfacing and growing bigger every year tells me it has an enduring message. I like to think of it as a snowball, gathering momentum as it rolls forward.”
Following the remarkable viral success of “The First Snowfall” this season, Sharp is planning a tour and a new album for 2026, continuing his mission to create music that connects deeply with listeners who appreciate new songs infused with the timeless spirit of the greats.
You wrote The First Snowfall while homesick in Los Angeles. If you could go back to that moment, what would you tell the version of yourself who was missing home?
It’s so important to chase your dreams, even when it asks a lot from you. Sometimes that means giving things up or moving away from the people you love most. It’s never easy, especially when life gets heavy. During the pandemic, that really hit me. The border was closed, and I was stuck in LA for two years, unable to go home and see my friends and family. Music and the arts were on shut-down too. I remember feeling so much doubt and wondering if I’d made a mistake. It was a really hard time.
If I could talk to myself back then, I’d tell myself to breathe, trust the process, and have faith that I was exactly where I needed to be. I’d remind myself to believe in the music and keep going—and I’d probably high-five myself knowing that The First Snowfall and other projects eventually came out of that struggle. In the end, it really does all feel worth it.
Fans send you videos every time it snows. What’s the most unexpected or moving message you’ve received about the song?
I always get excited when someone discovers the song and tags it (on Youtube or socials). There are two things I see over and over again. The first is people expressing the happiness and excitement they’re feeling while it’s snowing, the real-time emotions that perfectly mirror what the song is about. It’s incredibly validating to know that the spirit and sentiment behind the song connect with people in such a real, meaningful way. As an artist and performer, there’s nothing better.
The second thing I often see is someone feeling moved or emotional by the beauty of the falling snow, with my song playing in the background. That always hits me too. It’s another reminder that the music is finding its place in people’s lives, and that’s such a special feeling.
Your mother heard the finished version before she passed. What do you think she’d say now, seeing it hit 90,000 streams and becoming a holiday tradition for so many?
My mom always valued the practical things in life—getting a good education, building a stable career, all of that. But the one exception was my music. She believed in it so strongly. The contrast between her very rational nature and her unwavering support for my music was incredibly validating. It gave me this quiet sense that I was on the right path, even when it didn’t always make sense on paper.
In the end, she had a confidence that my music would connect, even at times when I didn’t share that confidence myself. I think now she’d be saying “I told you so” in the most loving way. And I know—more than anything—she’d be happy, and happy for me.
You called the song a snowball gathering momentum every year. What’s the moment where you realized, Oh wow, this thing has a life of its own?
No matter what format is dominating music—or what version of the industry you’re navigating—it always seems to come down to a lucky break. I got mine last year when a notable person tagged my song in a personal Instagram post. For a while, I couldn’t figure out why I was seeing this steady bump in streams… and then I stumbled across the post. I guess that was the break.
But what surprised me even more was what happened after. People were actually connecting with the song—they were liking it, saving it to playlists, Shazaming it, and sending all these great signals to the streaming algorithms. So the momentum kept building completely on its own, and I didn’t even have PR lined up or any plan in place to ride the wave.
When the song started surging again this year, I was finally able to be a bit more proactive. My first call was to Eric because he’s the best in the business and I figured he’d know what to make of it all. Honestly, I’m still shaking my head in disbelief that the song continues to do so well but I’m enjoying every second.