But Christmas is already stirring in his mind, because it means being home for the holidays.
Home, of course, is those West Virginia hills, where the Logan native grew up in difficult (to put it understatedly) economic and personal circumstances, including living in his car for a time. In a rags-to-riches story pretty much embedded in Mountain State folklore now, Landau ascended to national -- and international -- prominence after winning the sixth-season competition of "America's Got Talent" in 2011 on the viewer-and-judge-stunning strength of his "Sinatra Meets Soul" vocal stylings and stage presence.
It's hard to overstate Landau's seemingly selfless support of his home state and its people, however. His largesse includes helping raise millions of dollars for charities, serving on the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia Board of Directors and being named the 2011 West Virginian of the Year by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
His CD single, "Come Home to West Virginia," is a melodic love letter to the state, with a portion of its sales proceeds going to the Children's Home Society and to aid with Southern West Virginia flood relief in 2016, the year he wrote and recorded the song. It's available for download on iTunes, Amazon and his website, landaumurphyjr.com.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, he earned his high school diploma, having dropped out of school in the 11th grade. He continues advocating adult education through the West Virginia Department of Education's "It's Never Too Late to Graduate" campaign and by endowing an annual academic scholarship at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Logan.
Sharing the holiday spirit
Landau is now spending part of December on his 13th annual "Home for the Holidays" tour around West Virginia. The tour started on Dec. 2 at Clarksburg's Winterfest and will continue through Dec. 22. "I always block off Dec. 22 to New Year's Day so everybody can be home with their families," Landau explained.
"We're putting together special guests and how to format the show right now," he said in October. "I don't want to give them the same show; I want it to feel like a Johnny Carson 'Tonight Show' -- fun, exciting. I want to have a whole lot of fun with it this year with the audience; I want them to feel they're part of the show. That's my gift to the state of West Virginia and the fans."
When asked a favorite Christmas song in his stage repertoire, Landau is hard-pressed to name only one. "I like all Christmas songs, especially the ones that make me feel like a kid again," he said. "You know that feeling? It was the night before Christmas and you couldn't sleep. You were ready to go downstairs and open those gifts -- or your parents would give you one gift to open on Christmas Eve.
"I couldn't wait. My mom told me if I didn't go to sleep that Santa was going to put salt in my eyes. I would keep one eye open, waiting for Santa to come down the chimney -- until I realized we had a fake chimney, but I still had that feeling.
"Nowadays, it seems like you don't know Christmas is coming until you're actually sitting in that seat watching the show. The world is hustling and bustling and society is so busy, we're not paying attention until it's here in our face.
"My job [on stage] is to bring that feeling back since you've missed it so far. We're so busy now and so into our phones and TV shows, it's taken us away from the small, simple things in life that we all cherish and love."
And he admits he needs to feel the Christmas spirit, too. "Christmas time is a beautiful moment to me -- whether it's 'Silent Night,' the 'Chestnut' song or even just 'Jingle Bells,' it has to feel like Christmas to me.
"I remember when i started my first Christmas album. We did it in August. I went into the studio in Huntington. The band had played all the tracks, so I came in to do my vocals and I was not feeling it. It didn't feel like that little kid spirit was in it."
Landau told his recording engineer he was going to take a week or so off and "when I come back, I want this studio decorated like Christmas."
And when he returned, his Christmas wish had been granted. "They had fake snow, icicles, boxes under a tree. It felt like Christmas. Sleigh bells were ringing when I walked in."
For the final touches to "Silent Night," Landau flew in former Temptations member Glenn Leonard. "He came into the studio, shook my hand and listened to what I'd laid down," Landau recalled. "He went in there with his falsetto, just like in the Temptations 'Silent Night' album. We added a kids' choir behind it.
"I love doing that song at the end of the show. I love being on stage with different acts I bring out, playing around with the songs with them and sharing our Christmas stories -- like me saying, 'Why didn't I get my G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip?'"
Which led to the best Christmas gift from a fan that he isn't hard-pressed to remember.
"I was doing the Christmas show in Madison, I think, and a girl brought me a G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip," he recounted. "I sat there with tears in my eyes. Somebody actually heard this. I opened this box -- and G.I. Joe was Black! He had an Afro and big sideburns and looked like Robert Downey Jr. in 'Tropic Thunder.' I thought it was the funniest -- and coolest -- thing I'd even seen. I've still got it."
Looking toward 2024
Landau will turn 50 next August, but slowing down isn't marked anywhere on his calendar. "Basically, 2024 is all booked up solid -- superbooked," he disclosed. "It's probably one of the biggest years since the pandemic, where everything had to get rebooted."
His aforementioned fifth album features all-original songs by Grammy winner Rob Hegel and himself.
"Ever since I won 'America's Got Talent,' I wanted to record all these songs," Landau said. "Under the contract I had with Sony, they had me doing the Sinatra stuff. I loved it, but it wasn't my agenda. I did Christmas, gospel and cover albums, and my schedule got super busy. I was always saying I needed to do these songs."
He said the yet-untitled album may be released by the first of the year, but he would almost prefer it come out around Valentine's Day.
"These are love songs about chivalry and showing how much you care about the people you're with," he explained. "They go back to the Frank Sinatra era where love was everything. The music today is getting ridiculous. I don't get it. How does anybody stay in a relationship in today's world when everything you hear on the radio is about breaking up? All the negativity. I mean, you are what you eat. If you're listening to bad music and watching bad TV, that's going to manifest in your life. ... There's no more Temptations, no more Marvin Gaye. It all became bump-and-grind and nasty. It has really reprogrammed society.
"Everybody needs somebody, because if you don't, you'll go crazy, sitting at home figuring out what you're going to watch on Netflix by yourself. I want to actually love somebody and be loved by somebody. I love women and I love the woman I'm with, and I want to express it with other men in the world so they can express it to their women.
"Basically, my new album is about being in love and showing how much you care about them."
Landau is also exciting by hosting a reality TV show, "Circus Suites," in 2024.
"I love giving people what's real. I'd rather do a reality show than something scripted. The easiest thing in the world to do is be yourself. I'm the host, the ringmaster of the show, which has a whole bunch of circus acts, people who were with Ringling Brothers, on 'America's Got Talent,' all the other shows you can be in. We grabbed those people. A lot of them are now sleeping in their cars or on friends' couches.
"I have a big orchestra behind me and sing songs, talk to the audience, and we bring on jugglers, fire breathers, sword swallowers, contortionists, unicycle riders, anything you can think of -- except for the animal acts.
"These are the people who are often considered weirdos. We're just trying to embrace their talent and rehab them, to keep them from being homeless. It basically boils down to that. Maybe in 2024, some of those acts will come with me on the next Christmas tour," Landau said.
He also hopes to perform at the Japan Expo next year. "I want to spread this love around the world."
But home remains his preferred destination whenever possible. "West Virginia is where my heart is. My home is always here. When I leave, it's like a paid vacation," he joked. "When I'm here, I go to the gym, ride my mountain bike with my 6-year-old and go to Chief Logan Lodge and play basketball with some of the high school kids."
And he considers his entertainment career still just beginning. "I've never been drunk or on drugs since it started, so I remember it all," Landau said. "The best part of it is meeting all my fans. I'm the first person in the building and the last to leave. I'll take pictures and sign autographs for the person who's cleaning up after the show. I'm just spreading that cheer, giving back this good music that's been missed. I'm putting my own name in the Great American Songbook I helped rebuild. I've rebuilt the church, you know? So now it's time for me to minister and spread that joy, enjoying life and helping others.
"My deal with my Lord and Savior is to always be humble, always remember where I came from and where I can be, and represent the people, Black and white, of West Virginia and people around the world. I keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. I enjoy life and the gift God has given me and know that it's my mission and my responsibility to pay it forward."
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