Taylor Swift, Denise Welch and Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are among the artists vying for this year’s Christmas number one. Swift, whose twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl arrived in October, could claim the festive top spot with her chart-topping single The Fate of Ophelia. The Official Charts Company has also noted that her tracks Opalite and Elizabeth Taylor may emerge as strong contenders, adding further weight to her position.
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Swift may find herself competing with broadcaster Denise Welch, whose new festive single Slayyy Bells has been described as “the hyperpop Christmas banger of 2025”. Welch, mother of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, enters the race with a tongue-in-cheek track featuring lines such as “we’re serving looks, not turkey”. Though Healy and Swift never confirmed a relationship, speculation continues that elements of her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department allude to him.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande could also challenge for the top spot with For Good, taken from their new film, a sequel to 2024’s Wicked. Their soundtrack release features songs including No Good Deed and No Place Like Home. Other strong favourites include One of Us, a new version written by McFly’s Tom Fletcher for Paddington The Musical, accompanied by a video showing Paddington at the station. Historical children’s chart-toppers such as Mr Blobby and Bob the Builder demonstrate the unpredictable nature of the Christmas charts.
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A range of other new releases could climb the rankings this December, including Raye’s Where Is My Husband! and Labrinth’s Where Love Lives, the soundtrack to this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert. Established names such as Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pixie Lott and The Divine Comedy are also in the mix. Charity releases, including Lullaby by Together For Palestine and Home Care’s Got Talent’s rendition of Angels, add further variety to the field. With Wham!’s Last Christmas topping the chart last year after decades of near misses, familiar classics could still surge. The race officially begins on Friday 12 December, with the winner announced on BBC Radio 1 on Friday 19 December at 4pm.
