Prior to the recording and release of the album, McManus had been performing the annual Michelle McManus' Winter Wonderland show since 2016,[2] and featuring the SoundSational Community Choir, a 50 piece choir. The show featured a mix of comedy, as well as McManus performing various Christmas songs from other artists. The live Winter Wonderland shows were written by McManus, in collaboration with comedian Bruce Devlin, and musical directors Tommy Chambers and Jen Phee.[3]
SoundSational Community Choir, from Glasgow, was established in 2010, and have also collaborated with Scottish recording artist Amy Macdonald. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the choir raised £500,000 for various charities, and in 2023, MSP Monica Lennon wished the choir well and offered her congratulations to the group on the release of their album, Evolution, in a parliamentary motion in the Scottish Parliament.[4]
On 1 December 2019, McManus released the album via her own independent record label, McMannii, which she originally established in 2007 after being dropped by her previous record company, Sony BMG, following the poor sales of her debut album The Meaning of Love (2004).[5] The record label was founded in order for McManus to self–release her second studio album, Dancing to a Different Beat, which was scheduled for released in 2008 but eventually shelved.[6]
