Mariah Carey may be the Queen of Christmas, but Michael Bublé is definitely the King. The classic crooner and coach on “The Voice” released his hit holiday album “Christmas” back in 2011, but it’s still just as popular 14 years later.
According to Forbes, the album “is so beloved, it organically makes its way back up the charts every year as December rolls around.” In fact, it’s one of the top 10 selling albums of the 21st century, per The Tennessean.
As amazing as that sounds, Bublé, 50, told Willie Geist during NBC’s “Sunday TODAY” on October 26, 2025, that he wasn’t always so keen on being known for his holiday tunes — until the day his son was diagnosed with cancer.
Michael Bublé Used to Think It Was ‘Cheesy’ That People Associated Him With Sentimental Holidays
GettyGrowing up in Canada with a deep love of jazz and any tunes from the Classic American Songbook, Bublé spent years working on his voice and playing small clubs and events. In 2000, he was discovered by legendary producer David Foster while singing at a wedding.
After working with Foster to develop his sound, the crooner released his first album on Foster’s label in 2002 and eventually hit it big with his 2005 album, “It’s Time.” As Bublé became known for his modern-day takes on classic tunes and heartwarming new songs like “Home,” he became the face of sentimental holidays.
“There was a time, years ago now, where my manager used to get mad because the phone would ring like two months (before) Valentine’s Day,” the five-time Grammy winner told Geist. “It was like, they wanted me everywhere and then (again) on Mother’s Day. I used to do these commercials where it was ‘Michael Bublé — make your Mother’s Day.’”
“I was like, ‘This is so cheesy! I’m more than just this (holiday) thing,’” Bublé recalled. “And (then) the whole Christmas thing kind of happened.”
Michael Bublé Says His Son’s Cancer Diagnosis Shifted His Mindset
But Bublé’s worries about being known for Christmas music or “cheesy” holiday promotions quickly evaporated in 2016 when he and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, learned their three-year-old son Noah had liver cancer.
“My son got diagnosed with cancer,” he told Geist, “and I don’t know why, but I had the clearest epiphany that day. I remember thinking, ‘Why did I ever worry about anything else?’ And from that day on, I never felt the same about it again.”
“I’ll be gone, man, I will be long gone and, weirdly, that will be my legacy,” Bublé said of his link to the holidays.
In 2024, he released his first Christmas tune in over a decade, a somber duet with Carly Pearce called “Maybe This Christmas.”
As a Dad of 4, Michael Bublé Says He’s Now the Biggest Fan of Christmas
In December 2023, Bublé said on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast that Noah’s cancer journey “rocked my world and pulled the curtain from over my eyes.”
“I don’t think I had my priorities straight,” he said. “Blinders, career, ambition. How do I become the baddest, biggest, best? You know? More ego, more power, more money, more.”
Bublé continued, “I remember, I closed my eyes, and (said) to myself, ‘If we get out of this, I am living a different life. A better life. I want to be kinder, I want to be more empathetic. I don’t ever want to allow that ego and false self to take over. I want to know how lucky I am.’”

With Noah in remission at age 12 and three more kids to parent — son Elias, 9, daughter Vida, 7, and daughter Cielo, 3 — Bublé told Geist on “Sunday TODAY” that he is all about Christmas these days.
He beamed, “Two days ago, (I said), ‘Good morning!’ and my kids went, ‘Good morning!’ And I said, ’68!’ My son Noah said, ’68? What’s 68?’ and I said, ’68 days until Santa Claus is coming!’ He just looks up and is like, ‘Loser!’ Dude, I love it!”