Kylie Minogue has cemented her status as a UK chart legend, scoring her 11th No. 1 album and moving level with music heavyweights David Bowie, Eminem, U2 and Rod Stewart in the all-time league table, according to theguardian.com.
The milestone was reached with Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), a reissued and updated version of her 2015 festive album. Though the original only reached No. 12, the new version, which features four newly recorded tracks, counts as a new album entry, continuing the star’s non-consecutive run of chart-toppers that began with her 1988 self-titled debut.
Minogue now surpasses the likes of Abba, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Elton John and Queen. However, she remains four No. 1s shy of the joint leaders: The Beatles and Robbie Williams, who both boast 15 No. 1 albums. Williams is set to challenge for the outright lead with his forthcoming album, Britpop, due in February.
The singles chart is currently dominated by festive classics, with Wham!’s “Last Christmas” taking the No. 1 spot this week, displacing Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” after its seven-week run. “Last Christmas” has now topped the chart for the third consecutive year, having finally reached No. 1 in January 2021, 37 years after its 1984 release.
Minogue also features in the singles chart, with her Amazon-exclusive song “Xmas” placed at No. 16. Its chart position is expected to rise next week due to the release of physical CD and vinyl editions, which are key drivers of sales in the streaming era, ahead of the ultimate Christmas No. 1 announcement.
Other high-fliers in the chart include Mariah Carey’s perennial rival “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at No. 3, and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at No. 4. Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” reached its highest-ever position at No. 5, a decade after its 2013 debut, underscoring its status as the most popular ‘new-school’ Christmas track. Overall, there are 20 Christmas songs within the Top 40 this week.
The UK Christmas No. 1 will be announced at 4pm on Friday, 19 December.
•Featured image: Kylie Minogue performing at the Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena in London/Matt Crossick/Shutterstock for Global
