Entertainment

Mariah Carey, Tom Grennan and Wham! in bid for Christmas number one

Sales and streams from the last week are to be counted and announced on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart show on Friday.

Mariah Carey, Tom Grennan and Wham! are bidding for the Christmas number one (Greg Allen/Invision/AP)
Mariah Carey, Tom Grennan and Wham! are bidding for the Christmas number one (Greg Allen/Invision/AP) (Greg Allen/Greg Allen/Invision/AP)
By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

Wham! and Mariah Carey’s beloved Christmas tunes are in the running for the coveted UK Christmas number one title, while new tracks from Tom Grennan, Gracie Abrams and Bruno Mars are also in the mix.

The race kicked off last week with sales and streams to be counted and announced on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart show on Friday.

Last Christmas from Wham! duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley led the pack after celebrating 40 years since the track’s release earlier this month.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! (PA/PA)

The song was famously beaten to Christmas number one in 1984 by Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? and eventually reached the top spot in the UK in 2021 – 36 years after its release.

The track also secured the Christmas number one title last year, making history as the longest journey to make it to the top spot in time for Christmas Day.

Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53.

Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You presented stiff competition for the top spot as it marked three decades since its release in 1994.

It comes after it was announced that the pop star will make her radio presenting debut with a show on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day, playing festive classics from artists who have inspired her including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.

Also in the mix for the Christmas number one was British star Grennan with his new track It Can’t Be Christmas.

The singer-songwriter shared a video on social media which documented him having the words “Christmas No.1 2024 is…” tattooed on his right thigh.

Grennan later appeared on BBC Radio 1 telling Greg James that he will get himself tattooed on his leg if he wins the top spot.

He will ink a permanent tribute to whoever scores the Christmas number one.

US musician Abrams was also in the race with her hit song That’s So True, while Rose and Mars’ track APT is also in the hunt.

Five-time Christmas number one champion LadBaby were out of the running this year, having dominated the competition with their sausage roll-themed singles between 2018 and 2022.