As Final 12 months tops the chart, pop followers moan that Wham! have ruined the Christmas race for No1. Nevertheless, a brand new chart craze is rising with rivals acts aiming for the Christmas No2 spot as an alternative with no hope of overtaking hits of yesteryear. Check out the runners and riders aiming to get near Wham! on subsequent week’s chart.

WHAM! might have killed the Christmas No1 race however they’ve given us one thing new…the race to No2!

As Final Christmas inevitably hits the highest spot but once more forward of subsequent week’s festive No1, trade insiders are forging a brand new vacation chart battle – to be the runner-ups.

This week Raye’s The place Is My Husband! is at No2 and a chart knowledgeable instructed Wired: “The race has modified now and individuals are not aiming for No1, to get to No2 could be an actual important achievement today contemplating the way in which streaming works.”

Final Christmas is a shoo-in to be No1 for a 3rd straight 12 months as streaming has distorted the charts making it virtually not possible for any new songs to overhaul the classics.

A label spy defined: “A giant drawback are the festive playlists on streaming websites. Individuals ask ‘play Christmas songs’ and so they almost all the time begin with the identical few oldies by Wham!, Mariah, Buble and Brenda Lee. That fits the document labels who’re making simple cash from previous hits, it prices way more to put money into new expertise.”

24 songs on this week’s High 40 Official Charts rundown are Christmas hits from yesteryear.

Nevertheless, hitmaker Kamile, who has written festive songs for Leona Lewis, sees issues in another way: “We have now to respect Wham! and Mariah at this level, as a result of as soon as they defrost you’ll be able to’t’ do something about it.

“It’s simply what it’s and so they’re actually essentially the most unimaginable songs. For me, it’s nostalgia that I like about these songs. After they come on the radio, you already know, it’s simply all of the recollections they carry with it, I adore it.”

Final Christmas has now spent 11 weeks at No1 and makes annual earnings of round £300,000. As per George Michael’s needs these funds are directed to numerous charities by way of the George Michael Property, the Band Assist Belief and causes near his coronary heart, just like the NSPCC, Venture Angel Meals, and others.

The Official Christmas No1 race or er…perhaps No2 race, is off! So listed below are the runners and riders hoping to get near Wham!

Kylie Minogue /XMAS – the Aussie pop princess has the No1 album and her Amazon unique track is arguably 2025’s greatest ‘new’ vacation hit.

Raye / The place Is My Husband! – excellent for workplace events, if she will’t discover a man perhaps a No2 trophy would do?

Olivia Rodrigo & Jacob Collier/ I’ll Be Dwelling for Christmas – this cowl of seasonal basic is a late contender however already surpassed 1 million views

Olivia Dean / So Simple (To Fall In Love) – the soul star has three songs within the High 10 and her album will probably be in lots of stockings

Denise Welch / Slayyy Bells – the Unfastened Ladies star delivers a hyperpop festive banger “serving appears, not turkey”

HUNTR/X / Golden – considered one of 2025’s greatest hits gained’t go away and streams will rise over the varsity holidays!

Tom Fletcher / One Of Us – it’s from Paddington The Musical, extra Mamalade than Marmite.

HAVEN /I Run – infamous AI assisted EDM monitor gaining momentum

The Better of the remainder – By no means rule out Taylor Swift, or charity singles like Collectively For Palestine /Lullaby. Outdated classics by Mariah, Buble, McCartney, Shakin’ Stevens, Elton John, The Pogues and Slade, plus Kelly Clarkson’s 2013 tune Beneath The Tree is changing into a agency favorite too.

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