Can Sabrina Carpenter see off Mariah Carey? Will Wham! beat Sheeran? How race for Xmas no.1 became a battle of the ages

THE race for Christmas No1 is a battle of the ages with Mariah Carey and Sabrina Carpenter going head to head.

The pop sensation’s 1994 hit, All I Want For Christmas, is in the running once again but it must fend off fresh entries from the pint-size singer, Tom Grennan and Ariana Grande, as well as classics from Wham!, East 17 and Band Aid.

Georgie Culley looks at the contenders in BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart on Friday.

Sabrina Carpenter

Is It New Years Yet?

THE hitmaker has taken 2024 by storm, with her runaway single Espresso going platinum five times and shifting over five million copies.

Is It New Years Yet? is her strongest contender for Christmas No1, but she’s also propping up the charts with Taste and A Nonsense Christmas.

Mariah Carey

All I Want For Christmas Is You

IT peaked at No2 on its release in 1994, but has appeared in the Top 40 every year since 2007 and reached No1 in 2020.

All I Want For Christmas has consistently broken records to become one of the most enduring anthems ever.

Incredibly, Mariah, 55, and Walter Afanasieff, 66, wrote the song in 15 minutes.

Tom Grennan

 It Can’t Be Christmas

TOM GRENNAN’s catchy holiday track comes off a triumphant show at the Jingle Bell Ball, where he performed alongside Katy Perry.

It Can’t Be Christmas climbed to No6 on last Friday’s chart and is quickly gaining momentum.

The 29-year-old singer wrote the song in Los Angeles and says it was inspired by his desire to capture the feeling of loved ones coming together during the holiday season.

Cynthia Erivo ft. Ariana Grande

Defying Gravity

THE empowering anthem from musical movie, Wicked, celebrates individuality and standing up for justice.

It is performed by the actresses’ respective characters, Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).

But there was controversy when rumours circulated that Ariana, 31, was paid more than Cynthia, 37, for the film, which Universal Studios later denied.

The song debuted at no7 on the UK charts, becoming the first Wicked song to make the top ten.

Ed Sheeran

Under The Tree

UNDER The Tree is a heartfelt Christmas love song about longing for a lost romance.

Created for Richard Curtis’s animated film, That Christmas, starring Bill Nighy and Jodie Whittaker, it was co-written and produced with Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid.

Ed Sheeran, 33, wanted to write the ballad because one of his all-time favourite movies is 2003’s Love Actually, which was also written by Richard. Ed explained: “How could I resist?”

Wham!

Last Christmas

LAST Christmas was written and produced by George Michael and explores the mixed emotions of encountering an ex during the festive season.

It was beaten to No1 in 1984 by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas, on which George also performed, but it topped the chart for the first time last year.

George, who died on Christmas Day in 2016 aged 53, used to love disguising himself in fancy dress so that he could go carol singing unnoticed.

East 17

 Stay Another Day 2024

EAST 17 pipped Mariah Carey to Christmas No1 in 1994 with their song Stay Another Day, which was widely assumed to be about a failed relationship.

But Tony Mortimer, 54, revealed it was inspired by his brother’s suicide and asks the question, “What would you do if you had one more day with a loved one?”

The band recently revealed the pressure to replicate the track’s success “wrecked” their career.

The 30th anniversary rerelease raises money for a music charity.

Band Aid 40

Do They Know It’s Christmas? 2024 Ultimate Mix

FIRST released in 1984, Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been remixed for its 40th anniversary.

But the song, originally written to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia, Africa, has sparked backlash after British-Ghanaian musician Fuse ODG and Ed Sheeran criticised the release.

Ed, who appeared on the 2014 version, and Fuse ODG expressed concerns over its depiction of Africa, saying it perpetuates harmful stereotypes.