KYLIE MINOGUE CROWNED CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE AS POP ICON MAKES CHART HISTORY

Kylie Minogue has officially been crowned Christmas Number One, bringing festive cheer to fans across the UK and making chart history in the process. Her irrepressibly joyful single XMAS has toppled Wham!’s evergreen classic Last Christmas, which held the coveted festive crown in both 2023 and 2024.

The achievement is all the more remarkable as it arrives 37 years after Kylie’s first UK Number One, I Should Be So Lucky, back in 1988. With this win, Kylie becomes the first female artist ever to top the UK singles chart in four different decades, cementing her status as one of pop music’s most enduring and beloved stars.

Speaking about the milestone, Kylie admitted she was overwhelmed by the response.

“It’s hard to put into words how special this feels,” she said, revealing she’ll be spending Christmas at home in Australia, enjoying family time and, unexpectedly, obsessing over a jigsaw puzzle.

Kylie’s XMAS is a bright, upbeat anthem celebrating the simple joys of the season, from presents under the tree to romantic moments out in the snow. The track is taken from a newly expanded edition of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas and was released exclusively through Amazon.

That exclusivity sparked debate within the music industry, as the song was prominently featured on Amazon Music’s Christmas playlists while being unavailable on rival platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. However, strong Amazon and YouTube streams, combined with limited-edition vinyl and CD singles, ultimately propelled Kylie to the top.

Martin Talbot, head of the Official Charts Company, confirmed that the campaign was carefully executed.

“Kylie really, really targeted this particular race. Her record label pulled out all the stops,” he explained.
“When you have a superstar of her status really going for it, she’s always going to be in with a chance.”

The result? Kylie’s biggest sales week in 23 years, her strongest performance since Love At First Sight in 2002.

Despite Kylie’s victory, this year’s Christmas chart race was far from a landslide. Talbot revealed the competition was “tight right the way through the week”, with just 10,000 copies separating the top five songs at one stage.

The final Top 10 Christmas Singles Chart looked like this:

• Kylie Minogue – XMAS
• Wham! – Last Christmas
• Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
• Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
• Together For Palestine – Lullaby
• The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
• Dave ft Tems – Raindance
• Kelly Clarkson – Underneath The Tree
• Elton John – Step Into Christmas
• Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock

Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee once again proved the enduring power of festive classics, while Lullaby by Together For Palestine stood out as a modern charity entry, raising funds and awareness for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Although Wham! narrowly missed out on making chart history by becoming the first act to land three Christmas Number Ones with the same song, Last Christmas continues to dominate globally. The track has charted every year since 2007 and has just reached Number One on Billboard’s Global 200, making it the most popular song in the world right now.

BBC Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders summed up its enduring appeal perfectly:

“It captures the true heart and soul of what Christmas means to people. It’s family, friendship, and community.”

Despite her huge success, Kylie plans to keep things low-key after completing her 66-date Tension World Tour. Her festive plans include watching the Boxing Day Ashes Test between Australia and England, and restarting an annual family tradition involving a stubborn 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

After decades of hits, tours, and iconic moments, Kylie Minogue’s Christmas Number One feels like the perfect festive reward, and proof that her star power shines brighter than ever.