The race for the Christmas Number 1 of 2023 begins, as holiday classics overtake the Top 40

Dua Lipa continues to lead a very festive Top 40, as “Houdini” enters a fourth consecutive week atop the list. It now ties with Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” as the fastest-scoring single of 2023 so far. The single debuted at Number 1 four weeks ago, earning the British talent her twelfth record-equaling chart-topper to date, tying with the Spice Girls as the act with the most Number 1s of all time. The song is also further supported by a new extended edit. “Houdini” pulls ahead of Jack Harlow, who is slowly closing in on Dua Lipa with his international hit “Lovin On Me”. With the Christmas Number 1 around the corner, both artists seem to be a shew-in. If Dua Lipa is to take the Christmas Number 1 of this year, she will earn her second festive chart-topper. In 2019, she topped the Christmas Top 40 with “Don’t Start Now”, the lead single of Future Nostalgia.

Joining the race for the Christmas Number 1 is Tate McRae, who soars into the Top 10 with “Exes”. It is the second single from her upcoming album Think Later. It was preceded by “Greedy”, which became an international breakout hit and spent six consecutive weeks atop my personal list. “Exes” peaks at #4 this week, supported by a massive increase in streaming figures. It earns the Canadian young talent her fourth Top 10-hit on my chart, joining the prementioned “Greedy” and the Top 3-hits “You Broke Me First” and “She’s All I Wanna Be”. Her upcoming release Think Later is now her first album to spawn more than one Top 10-hit on my chart. It is also a serious contender for the Christmas Number 1 of 2023 if it’s able to pull ahead of the Christmas singles.

Michael Bublé leads the Christmas pack at #7 with “It’s Beginning…”, while Mariah Carey her “All I Want For Christmas” soars into the Top 10. Ariana Grande enters the Top 20 with “Santa Tell Me” and Sam Fender follows suit with “Winter Song”. Kelly Clarkson continues to climb with “Underneath The Three” at #25. Mimi Webb debuts with her new Christmas song “Back Home for Christmas” at #27 and multiple other Christmas songs re-enter below. Ellie Goulding, Band Aid, Mabel, Sigrid and Justin Bieber all re-enter with their Christmas classics in the lower half of the Top 40.

Amidst the Christmas chaos, Taylor Swift debuts with “You're Losing Me (From The Vault)” at #35. It is the fourth single from her tenth studio album Midnights, which previously spawned the Number 1-hit “Anti-Hero”. It is the second song taken from The Vault to chart on my personal Top 40, the first being “All Too Well”. Further down, Tyla debuts at #39 with the smooth “Truth or Dare”, the much-awaited follow-up to her breakout Top 3-smash “Water”. It is taken from Tyla her eponymous EP. It is the latest in a string of big Afrobeats hits that have taken over my personal chart. The biggest Afrobeats song of the year so far is Libianca’s “People”.

As the race for the Christmas Number 1 of 2023 kicks off, I have decided to rank the biggest Christmas Number 1s of all time on my personal list. Cheryl takes the crown with her debut solo single “Fight For This Love” which was the Christmas Number 1 of 2009. It is one of only four diamond-certified records and was the longest-running Number 1 of all time until Dua Lipa overtook the record with “New Rules”. It is also the third highest-scoring single of all time. In second place is the most recent Christmas chart-topper – Maan & Goldband their duet “Stiekem”. It is also certified diamond and ranks as the highest-scoring Dutch song of all time. Dua Lipa finishes third with her comeback hit “Don’t Start Now” which was the Christmas Number 1 of 2019. Most notably, most of the biggest Christmas Number 1s of all time are from the 2010s, including Kris Kross Amsterdam, two Adele hits, Olly Murs and One Direction. The lowest-scoring Christmas Number 1 of all time is also from the 2010s: Birdy’s emotional “People Help the People” from 2011.

Newly certified

“Houdini” – Dua Lipa GOLD

“I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves GOLD

“Erop of Eronder” – Pommelien Thijs PLATINUM

Best-selling Christmas Number 1s of all time

1. “Fight For This Love” – Cheryl (2009)

2. “Stiekem” – Maan & Goldband (2022)

3. “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa (2019)

4. “Hij Is Van Mij” – Kris Kross Amsterdam, Maan, Tabitha & Bizzey (2018)

5. “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele (2010)

6. “Hello” – Adele (2016)

7. “Troublemaker” – Olly Murs & Flo Rida (2012)

8. “Story of My Life” – One Direction (2013)

9. “My Love” – Westlife (2000)

10. “Dilemma” – Nelly & Kelly Rowland (2002)