Kylie MinogueKylie Minogue has achieved her first-ever Christmas #1 single in the UK with her festive track, XMAS. And she’s broken some records to get there.
With XMAS, Minogue ended Wham!’s two-year festive chart reign (with Last Christmas) to nab the #1 spot. An Amazon Music Original, the song is available to stream exclusively on the platform, as well as on CD and vinyl—the music video landed on YouTube last week. It marks the first time Amazon has enjoyed an Official Christmas #1 single.
By taking the Christmas #1 title, Minogue has become the first female artist to hold #1 singles in the UK across four different decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2020s. Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Mariah Carey have all topped the charts in the UK across three decades, but getting to #1 across four decades is incredibly rare.
She’s in the company of Elvis Presley, Elton John, and Queen, who have topped the UK charts across four decades. Only Cliff Richard has gotten to #1 across five decades.
Kylie is also the first solo female artist to nab the Christmas #1 in 12 years, following Sam Bailey with Skyscraper in 2013. Plus, Kylie is just the third international female artist to land the UK Christmas #1, joining Winifred Atwell – who achieved the feat in 1954 – and Whitney Houston, who landed atop the list with I Will Always Love You in 1992.
Discussing the feat with the UK’s Official Charts, Minogue said, “It’s hard to put into words how special this feels. Being Christmas Number 1 really is the most wonderful gift! I’m so thankful to everyone who’s been listening and sharing the love, and I’m wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!”
XMAS features on Minogue’s newly minted Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), a ten-year celebration of her festive album.
The special edition, released on 5 December, features the best of the original record: covers of Santa Baby and It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, as well as fan favourite original tracks At Christmas and 100 Degrees, plus four additional songs. The new songs are XMAS, Hot In December, This Time Of Year, and Office Party.
“Revisiting Kylie Christmas ten years on has been so much fun,” Kylie said. “Fully Wrapped has given me the chance to write and record four new songs and add a little extra sparkle - I can’t wait for everyone to turn up the volume on the new single, ‘XMAS’!”
You can listen to XMAS here.
Meanwhile, on the UK albums chart, Pink Floyd nabbed their first-ever Christmas #1 record with their Wish You Were Here 50 reissue – 50 years after the original album topped the charts in the UK. In 1979, they secured the Christmas #1 single with Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2.
