Todd Kessler releases emotional new piano driven ballad New Years Eve

Music Review | 5th Dec, 2025

2025 has been a big year for singer-songwriter Todd Kessler, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. He’s dropped a steady stream of singles over the past few months, including the standout track Lost or Found, which picked up some serious love from music publications. Now, as the year winds down, Todd is closing things out on a deeply personal note with his newest release, New Years Eve.

New Years Eve is a slow, emotional ballad built around piano, soft keys, and a funky, mellow bassline that gives the song its warmth. But the story behind it is what really makes it special. The song was literally written in a hospital room on New Year’s Eve. At the time, Todd’s 18-month-old son had been admitted with a severe case of pneumonia just a couple days earlier. Facing long, quiet hours through the night, Todd grabbed his ukulele, quiet enough for the room, but enough to keep his mind busy. He started strumming a few chords, and before long a melody appeared. The lyrics came more as placeholders than anything, just a simple reflection of what he was feeling in that exact moment, in that exact place.

For a long time, the song mostly stayed tucked away. Todd would revisit it now and then, but never seriously considered doing much with it. It wasn’t until his producer, Hally, asked him to send over whatever he’d been working on that the track resurfaced. When Todd starts putting together an album, he always digs through old ideas.

He added New Years Eve to the big batch of songs he sent over and even pointed it out as one of his favorites. The two talked through where they wanted to take it, whether to stick with the ukulele or head in a new direction altogether. Once they hit the studio, things fell into place quickly. Lenny Cahill’s piano laid the groundwork, Robbie Malone added a beautifully melodic bassline, and Graham Hopkin brought in a subtle, Ringo-inspired drum part. Surprisingly, the lyrics barely changed from the original ones written in the hospital room. Even the line To this time next year, singing Auld Lang Syne, which Todd initially worried might be too sweet, ended up being the perfect emotional anchor for the song.

With New Years Eve, Todd Kessler closes out 2025 not just with another great release, but with one that carries real heart, history, and honesty behind every note.