Kylie Minogue Takes Lead in UK Christmas Chart Race

The XMAS Music Video

Image Credit: Instagram /@kylieminogue

Kylie Minogue is currently leading a tightly contested three-way race for the UK Christmas Number One, according to the Official Charts Company, with her festive single XMAS holding a narrow but significant advantage midway through the tracking week.

You are seeing XMAS sit around 7,000 chart units ahead of Wham!’s perennial favorite Last Christmas, which has claimed the Christmas Number One title for the past two years. Close behind in third place is Lullaby, a charity release credited to Together For Palestine, trailing Wham! by just 231 sales and keeping the competition unusually close.

If the current rankings hold, Kylie Minogue would secure her first Christmas Number One and her first chart-topping single since Slow reached number one in 2003. Speaking to the BBC, Minogue said the achievement would be deeply emotional, describing the year as already extraordinary and calling a festive chart victory the perfect conclusion.

The song XMAS has received a notable boost through its positioning as an Amazon-exclusive release. That placement means it is frequently surfaced when users request Christmas music via Amazon smart speakers, with each stream contributing to Official Charts calculations. The strategy has placed the track firmly within reach of the top spot during one of the most competitive chart weeks of the year.

The single also marks a return to a long-standing creative thread for Minogue. XMAS was originally recorded during sessions for her Kylie Christmas album but was left unfinished at the time. It was later completed for the album’s 10th anniversary edition, which topped the UK album charts last week. Minogue told the BBC the song had stayed with her for years, driven by a sense that leaving it unreleased felt unresolved.

Despite her strong showing in the Christmas Number One UK race, Minogue is not expected to be in Britain when the final results are announced. She confirmed plans to spend the holiday period with her family, opting for a quiet celebration rather than public festivities.

Wham!’s Last Christmas remains a major force in the race, powered by consistently high streaming figures. If it regains the top spot, the track would make chart history by becoming the first song to secure Christmas Number One on three separate occasions. Its enduring popularity continues to place it among the most reliable festive singles in UK chart history.

The charity contender, Together For Palestine’s Lullaby, has emerged as the best-selling song of the most recent weekend. The project features a wide group of artists and is based on the traditional Palestinian folk song Yamma Mwel El Hawa, adapted with new English lyrics. Proceeds are intended to support humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza.

Performers associated with the project have described the song as deeply personal, reflecting themes of resilience, identity, and hope. While its physical and download sales have been strong, the track has yet to enter Spotify’s Top 100, a factor that may affect its position as streaming volumes increase across the week.

Other festive staples remain close behind in the overall rankings. Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You is currently projected to finish just outside the top three, while The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York, featuring Kirsty MacColl, sits just behind. The latter has seen a surge in sales following the release of a limited-edition zoetrope vinyl, helping it become the third best-selling single of the week.

Fairytale of New York has previously reached every position in the UK Top 20 except number one, and strong streaming momentum could yet influence its final placement. Music sales data shows fewer than 10,000 chart units separating the top five contenders, highlighting how narrow the margins remain.

According to the Official Charts Company, the rankings are based on preliminary figures and are subject to change as additional streaming data is processed. With several major festive singles still accumulating plays, the outcome of this year’s Christmas Number One remains undecided as the tracking period continues.

For more information, visit BBC’s comprehensive article