Brenda Lee Reacts to ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Breaking 1 Billion Streams Days Before Her 80th Birthday (Exclusive)

The music icon (and newly crowned Queen of Christmas!) also opens up about how she’s spending her milestone 80th birthday

Last year, music icon Brenda Lee was crowned the honorary Queen of Christmas when her 1958 classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” took the top spot on the Billboard chart — a place historically occupied each December by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Now, as the 2024 holiday season kicks into full swing, Lee appears poised to reclaim the honor yet again. 

On Dec. 10, it was announced that the song has racked up more than 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it the only holiday song by a female country artist to do so. “I was dumbfounded when I heard,” Lee tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I can’t even think that high, much less say it!” 

Lee was also honored by the Recording Industry Association of America for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” going platinum seven times over — meaning it’s sold upwards of 7 million copies. To date, it’s the second-highest certified Christmas title behind Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”