Kylie Minogue lands Christmas No. 1 with XMAS, ending 37-year wait

Kylie Minogue earned her first Christmas No. 1 after 37 years of trying, beating Wham!'s Last Christmas to the top with her festive single XMAS. The 57-year-old pop icon had not topped the UK singles chart since 2003 when Slow was released, and this latest hit marks a rare Christmas triumph after a long career.

Wham! finished second with Last Christmas, a perennial festive favourite first released in 1984. The song had been tipped to win this year’s chart race, but XMAS benefited from a surge in streams and exclusive platform support. Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas came in at No. 3 for the second consecutive year, while Brenda Lee’s Rockin Around the Christmas Tree stood No. 4. The highest new entry was Together For Palestine’s Lullaby at No. 5, a charity single that has drawn a coalition of more than 15 artists including Neneh Cherry, Brian Eno and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and was crafted to raise funds for Gazan children.

Industry insiders noted that Amazon's exclusive rights to XMAS, combined with the track's absence from Spotify and Apple Music, likely influenced the week’s streaming counts. Amazon's ecosystem, including its Alexa voice assistant, has a track record of driving streams that count toward the singles chart because each streamed listen tallies toward the official tally, depending on the rules in force at the time.

Minogue mounted a high-profile promotional push ahead of the chart deadline. She teased the routine in which she spells out X-M-A-S on the dance floor, posted clips across Instagram, TikTok and X, and performed the track on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing last weekend. On Friday morning she appeared on Scott Mills' Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, a move that amplified visibility during the final days of voting.

Historically this victory adds a note in Minogue's career arc. She previously came close in 1988 with Especially For You, but was edged out by Cliff Richard's Mistletoe And Wine.

People familiar with the industry say the win signals a renaissance for Minogue and that a new album could be on the horizon. One industry insider said she is not finished and that the project is in the pipeline, with early discussions suggesting it could be brilliant.