Kylie Minogue finally grabs Christmas No1

Christmas came early for Kylie Minogue yesterday as she scooped the festive No1 single, beating Wham! to the top spot.

Wham! took the trophy in 2023 and 2024 with Last Christmas, but despite aiming for the triple, Kylie, 57, pipped them with her catchy hit, XMAS.

It comes 37 years after she scored her first UK No1 with I Should Be So Lucky. Meanwhile, Last Christmas, by the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!, has charted each year since 2007.

Posing with her Christmas No1 trophy yesterday, Kylie said: 'It's hard to put into words how special this feels. Being Christmas Number One really is the most wonderful gift!

'I'm so thankful to everyone who's been listening and sharing the love.'

Mariah Carey's 1994 hit, All I Want For Christmas came in at No3 for the second year in a row, with Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree at No4.

The highest new entry, Together For Palestine's track Lullaby, finished the Christmas race at No5, winning the accolade of being the best–selling track of the week.

More than 15 artists – including Neneh Cherry, Brian Eno and Little Mix's Leigh–Anne Pinnock – joined forces to make the song as a fundraiser for Gazan children.

Kylie's victory was all the sweeter because she hasn't had a UK No1 since 2003, when her tune Slow topped the chart.

Her five previous chart–toppers included I Should Be So Lucky, Tears on My Pillow and Can't Get You Out Of My Head. One industry insider described her Christmas win as a 'renaissance.'

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Music executives said her dance routine – in which she spells out the letters X M A S – was a big part of the song's success, saying fans have been performing it when it comes on.

Wham!'s Last Christmas, which came out in 1984, had been the favourite to win, but music industry insiders said the streaming service Amazon, which has exclusive rights to XMAS, was determined to get a No1.

The track is not on Spotify or Apple Music, and experts say Amazon owes its success to its virtual assistant Alexa, because when users asked to hear a Christmas song it would have played XMAS first – and every time it's played, it counts as a stream towards single chart figures. One insider told the Daily Mail: 'It was perhaps a risk to be in one stable, such as Amazon, but it has paid off.

'This is a huge moment in her career and she is so, so proud and happy. Now she can enjoy a very merry Christmas.'

Former Neighbours actress Kylie's festive success has been a long time coming. Back in 1988, the Aussie pop princess almost made it with her duet with former Neighbours co–star Jason Donovan and their hit Especially For You, only to be pipped to the post by Sir Cliff Richard and his hit Mistletoe And Wine.

So this time she took no chances and went on a huge promotional drive to make sure she wasn't outgunned by Wham!.

For the last week her social media activity across Instagram, TikTok and X has been frantic.

Followers have seen the star dancing to the hit while dressed up as Mrs Christmas, and almost seven million tuned in to watch when she performed it on last Sunday night's Strictly. Then on Friday morning she was on the popular Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2.

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Changes in chart compilation methods – prompted by the decline in sales of physical records – mean that 100 streams now count as one sale.

This shift has dramatically altered the look of the Christmas charts, favouring established hits and streaming juggernauts.

But far from this being Kylie's swansong, sources close to her say that she is now planning her next move on the back of her renewed popularity – by releasing an album. One music industry insider said: 'Kylie has now realised that she is not over. She is absolutely thrilled, she cannot believe she beat Wham!.

'She keeps saying that this is one of her biggest achievements in her career ever.

'So why should she let it all go now? A new album is in the pipeline, it is going to be brilliant.

'It's like a whole new lease of life for her. She might be pushing 58 but there is a lot more of Kylie to come.'