As Last Year tops the chart, pop fans moan that Wham! have ruined the Christmas race for No1. However, a new chart craze is growing with rivals acts aiming for the Christmas No2 spot instead with no hope of overtaking hits of yesteryear. Take a look at the runners and riders aiming to get close to Wham! on next week’s chart.
18:00, 12 Dec 2025
Wham! back on top of the charts(Image: PR)
WHAM! may have killed the Christmas No1 race but they have given us something new…the race to No2!
As Last Christmas inevitably hits the top spot yet again ahead of next week’s festive No1, industry insiders are forging a new holiday chart battle – to be the runner-ups.
This week Raye’s Where Is My Husband! is at No2 and a chart expert told Wired: “The race has changed now and people are no longer aiming for No1, to get to No2 would be a real significant achievement these days considering the way streaming works.”
Last Christmas is a shoo-in to be No1 for a third straight year as streaming has distorted the charts making it practically impossible for any new songs to overtake the classics.
A label spy explained: “A big problem are the festive playlists on streaming sites. People ask ‘play Christmas songs’ and they nearly always start with the same few oldies by Wham!, Mariah, Buble and Brenda Lee. That suits the record labels who are making easy money from old hits, it costs much more to invest in new talent.”
Andrew Ridgeley has a lot of Christmas No1 trophies
24 songs in this week’s Top 40 Official Charts rundown are Christmas hits from yesteryear.
However, hitmaker Kamile, who has written festive songs for Leona Lewis, sees things differently: “We have to respect Wham! and Mariah at this point, because once they defrost you can’t’ do anything about it.
“It’s just what it is and they’re literally the most incredible songs. For me, it’s nostalgia that I love about those songs. When they come on the radio, you know, it’s just all the memories they bring with it, I love it.”
Last Christmas has now spent 11 weeks at No1 and makes annual earnings of around £300,000. As per George Michael’s wishes those funds are directed to various charities through the George Michael Estate, the Band Aid Trust and causes close to his heart, like the NSPCC, Project Angel Food, and others.
Kylie has never had a Christmas No1
The Official Christmas No1 race or er…maybe No2 race, is off! So here are the runners and riders hoping to get close to Wham!
Kylie Minogue /XMAS – the Aussie pop princess has the No1 album and her Amazon exclusive song is arguably 2025’s biggest ‘new’ holiday hit.
Raye / Where Is My Husband! – perfect for office parties, if she can’t find a man maybe a No2 trophy would do?
Olivia Rodrigo & Jacob Collier/ I’ll Be Home for Christmas – this cover of seasonal classic is a late contender but already surpassed 1 million views
Olivia Rodrigo enters the chart battle with Jacob Collier
Olivia Dean / So Easy (To Fall In Love) – the soul star has three songs in the Top 10 and her album will be in many stockings
Denise Welch / Slayyy Bells – the Loose Women star delivers a hyperpop festive banger “serving looks, not turkey”
HUNTR/X / Golden – one of 2025’s biggest hits won’t go away and streams will rise over the school holidays!
Tom Fletcher / One Of Us – it’s from Paddington The Musical, more Mamalade than Marmite.
HAVEN /I Run – notorious AI assisted EDM track gaining momentum
Denise Welch is in the chart race for No1
The Best of the rest – Never rule out Taylor Swift, or charity singles like Together For Palestine /Lullaby. Old classics by Mariah, Buble, McCartney, Shakin’ Stevens, Elton John, The Pogues and Slade, plus Kelly Clarkson’s 2013 tune Underneath The Tree is becoming a firm favourite too.
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