Billboard UK
Sabrina Carpenter has secured her spot as the U.K.’s Christmas No. 1 Album for 2024. Her sixth album, Short n’ Sweet, first hit the summit of the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart in August, and this is the 25-year-old’s second non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the charts this year. Over the course of the year, […]
It’s official: Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is the U.K.’s Christmas No. 1 for 2024.
It makes for the second consecutive year that the pop duo – made up of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael – have achieved the feat. The song, first released in 1984 and written by Michael, was beaten to the Christmas No. 1 spot at the time of release by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and eventually took the coveted slot 39 years later in 2023.
Speaking on the achievement to the Official Charts Company, Ridgeley said, “37 years to get to No. 1, 39 years to Christmas No. 1, and then like London buses, they all come along at once! I’m especially pleased for George — he would have been utterly delighted his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets.”
The achievement places Wham! in a rare group of artists to have had multiple Christmas No. 1s on the Official Singles Chart. With its second title, the duo joins Queen (2), Spice Girls (3), The Beatles (4) and the current record-holders, LadBaby (5). The latter, the moniker for YouTube influencer Mark Hoyle, holds the record for number of Christmas chart-toppers with five different songs hitting No. 1 between 2018 and 2022.
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“Last Christmas” is also experiencing success on the Billboard Hot 100, currently placing at No. 3, a new peak for the single. Speaking to Billboard‘s Pop Shop podcast, Ridgeley reflected on how the success both in the U.K. and abroad felt.
“Well, extremely satisfying. You know, Yog [Michael’s nickname], we placed a great deal of importance on being a success in the States. It was, for any artist, of that era … you were nowhere unless you were a big deal in the States. You could be a big noise in the U.K., but the States was the golden prize, really. We were fortunate enough … and one or two of our contemporaries, we had great success in the States.”
Elsewhere, Wham! faced stiff competition over the course of the week. Gracie Abrams finished at No. 2 with her single “That’s So True,” which has enjoyed a five weeks at the top spot already in 2024, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finished at No. 3. Carey’s 1994 song took the honor of Christmas No. 1 back in 2020, more than 26 years after its original release.
Tom Grennan, meanwhile, put up a strong battle to finish at No. 4 with “It Can’t Be Christmas,” his exclusive for Amazon Music U.K., which is also his highest charting solo song on the Official Singles Chart.
See the full Official Singles Chart here.
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Ringo Starr joined his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney on the final night of the latter’s global ‘Got Back’ tour at London’s The O2 arena yesterday evening (Dec. 19).
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The drummer got behind his kit during the show’s encore to perform “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.” Watch footage of the moment below.
After honoring his late bandmate John Lennon during “I’ve Got A Feeling,” McCartney said to a giddy crowd, “We’ve got another surprise for you. Bring to the stage the mighty, the one and only Mr Ringo Starr.” The pair hugged on stage before McCartney quipped, “Should we rock? Get on your kit la” to Ringo before the two-song appearance.
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The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood also appeared onstage during the show, playing guitar on “Got Back.” McCartney introduced the song by talking about his old bass guitar that was stolen over 50 years ago, and was eventually returned after a public appeal. Holding the Höfner onstage, McCartney revealed that it was the bass’ first stage appearance since it had gone missing: “I haven’t played it in 50 years.”
The “Got Back” tour kicked off in 2022 and has seen the 82-year-old perform all over the globe, and included a headline performance at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June of that year. He then continued the run in the United States and through Latin America, eventually concluding with a run in Europe and a number of shows in the U.K. over the past few weeks.
The evening was a star-studded event with big-names such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Kate Moss, Dame Judi Dench, Greta Gerwig and more all spotted in the crowd.
There was also a festive surprise with a performance of his 1979 song “Wonderful Christmastime,” accompanied by the Capital Choir who provided backing vocals on the song as snow confetti filled the venue.
Elsewhere he performed a number of Beatles classics, including “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude” and “Something”, alongside Wings and solo material cuts like “Live and Let Die” and “Band On The Run”. He looked visibly emotional at the conclusion of “Now and Then,” the ‘final’ Beatles song released in 2023 which was completed through the use of assistive AI. McCartney has no more shows lined up in the near future, but promised the crowd at the conclusion that “we’ll see you again soon”.
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Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten joined The Pogues on stage to perform “Streams Of Whiskey” in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday night (Dec. 17). Watch fan-filmed footage here.
The Pogues played a one-off show at the city’s 3Arena yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1984 debut LP, Red Roses For Me. The gig featured a wealth of special guests, including Nadine Shah, members of Lankum, rapper Kojaque and John Francis Flynn, among others. Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll also performed as part of the live band.
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Following the death of singer Shane MacGowan last year, the current Pogues line-up consists of singer Spider Stacy, and founding members Jem Finer and James Fearnley. The band recently announced their first headline tour in 13 years – and first since MacGowan’s passing – to mark the 40th anniversary of their second album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash.
Scheduled for May 2025, the upcoming trek will include dates in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and Newcastle. Further details and ticketing information can be found via The Pogues’ official website.
Chatten paid tribute to MacGowan after he died aged 65 last November. “So long North Star,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will love you forever.” Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, he explained the impact that the songwriter’s passing had on the recording process for Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance.
“We were in the middle of recording the album when Shane died,” he said. “And I had to f–king take a break. I was really, deeply affected by it. Partly because he enhanced my relationship with my family! You know, he connected me to my Irishness maybe in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.”
In 2020, Fontaines D.C. shared a cover of “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day,” a traditional Irish song made famous by The Pogues, for SiriusXM.
Mariah Carey has overtaken Tom Grennan in the race for the U.K.’s Christmas No. 1 Single, as per a new report from the Official Charts Company published Tuesday (Dec. 17). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Moving to No. 2 in the midweek charts, Carey’s festive classic “All […]
50 Cent, Davido and Mary J. Blige have announced a special gig scheduled to take place July 3 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The date will see the three global superstars perform together as co-headliners for the first time. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. GMT this Friday (Dec. 20) via Ticketmaster.
For Blige, the show will follow her spring North American headlining tour in support of new LP Gratitude. On Nov. 29, the R&B legend also celebrated the 30th anniversary of her sophomore album, My Life, which spawned the singles “Be Happy,” “I’m Goin Down” and “Mary Jane.”
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, Blige described the record as being “pivotal” to her success, adding that its creation allowed her to find herself as an artist. “My fans have given me so much, and when I say, ‘We did it,’ I mean my fans and I,” she said.
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50 Cent, meanwhile, has another huge U.K. show scheduled for July. The following week will see him headline Glasgow’s TRNSMT Festival (July 11), alongside Irish pop act The Script. The rapper recently landed his second video in the YouTube Billion Views Club with 2005 hit “Candy Shop,” joining “In Da Club.” His last studio album arrived in the form of 2014’s Animal Ambition.
In March 2023, Davido released his Timeless LP, which peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for best global music album at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Its Musa Keys-assisted track “Unavailable” went on to hit No. 3 on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.
The Nigerian-American artist is slated to drop his next album, 5ive, early next year. He unveiled lead single “Funds” with Odumodublvck and Chike earlier on Dec. 5; it featured a sample of the 1997 track “Vuli Ndlela” by South African singer-songwriter Brenda Fassie.“This one is straight from the heart – my story, my truth, my growth,” Davido wrote on Instagram uponn the song’s release. “This one’s for the dreamers, the go getters and everyone chasing what’s theirs! Thank you for riding with me.”
Northampton rapper Slowthai has been cleared of raping two women after one of his shows. The 29-year-old (real name Tyler Frampton) had previously been accused of sexually assaulting them following his performance at The Bullingdon in Oxford in September 2021.
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Frampton and his co-accused, Alex Blake-Walker, were both found not guilty on three joint counts of rape following a trial at Oxford Crown Court. Blake-Walker was also cleared on one count of sexual assault. The not guilty verdict was announced Monday (Dec. 16) following 10 hours of deliberation by the jury.
The BBC reports that Frampton broke down in tears when the verdict was announced, and that there were gasps in the public gallery.
The trial heard that Frampton and his friends were invited to a party in Oxford following the conclusion of his show. The prosecution alleged that Blake-Walker had raped one woman at the encouragement of Frampton, who was then accused of twice raping a second complainant.
During the trial, Frampton said that sexual activity had taken place between him and the second complainant, but insisted that it had been consensual. “I know she was consenting, there wasn’t a question,” the BBC reports that he said during the trial.
Frampton and Blake-Walker had previously denied all the charges, and said the two women consented to all sexual activity.
The updates came after prosecutor Heather Stangoe warned jurors in the closing argument not to be “Wagatha Christies” in their deliberations, referencing the infamous legal battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney in their 2022 libel case in the U.K.
The presiding judge, Ian Pringle, asked jurors to “lay aside any feelings of sympathy or dislike” and make their decision in a “calm and cool manner,” adding that they “must be sure of guilt” if they were to convict the two men.
Patrick Gibbs KC, the lawyer defending Frampton, said in court that there were a dozen “problems” with accusations outlined. He added that Slowthai isn’t “everybody’s stereotype of a rapper,” describing him as a “thoughtful and modest” man who “throws himself, sometimes recklessly, into life.”
Also in the court proceedings, Blake-Walker’s lawyer Sheryl Nwosu, said that the evidence outlined “doesn’t fit with Mr Blake-Walker and his behaviour on the night,” while Judge Pringle said the case was a “question of consent.”
Frampton had been accompanied by his wife, pop star Anne-Marie, throughout the trial, which was held at Oxford Crown Court.
Frampton released his most recent album, Ugly, under his Slowthai moniker in 2023. Following the announcement of the charges that year, he was dropped from festival lineups for Glastonbury Festival and Reading & Leeds.
The race is on for the U.K’s Official Christmas No. 1, and with a week to go, Wham! is set to be the contender to beat as the duo’s 1984 hit “Last Christmas” has landed at No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart on Friday (Dec. 13).
The duo, made up of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael, are now at No. 1 for an eighth non-consecutive week in just four years; “Last Christmas” first reached the summit of the charts in 2021.
The song also bagged the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot for the first time in 2023, having been beaten to it in 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” LadBaby – the moniker for YouTube influencer Mark Hoyle – holds the record for number of Christmas chart-toppers with five different songs hitting No. 1 between 2018 and 2022, beating The Beatles’ previous record of four.
Wham! saw off a number of other festive classics, and is in pole position ahead of the announcement of Christmas No. 1 in the U.K. on Dec. 20.
Among the other contenders are Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (No. 3), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 5), and Tom Grennan’s new Amazon Music exclusive “It Can’t Be Christmas” (No. 6).
Speaking to the Bedford Independent earlier this week, Grennan said it felt “crazy” to be going up against “a band and artist that I’ve always loved and admired.” He added: “I was really conscious of not writing a cheesy Christmas song. It would have been so easy to have done that, but I wanted to put out the best I could possibly do.”
Gracie Abrams sees her five-week reign at No. 1 with “That’s So True” come to an end, placing at No. 2. A further slew of Yuletide-themed tracks make appearances elsewhere in the top 40, including Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 7), Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (No. 9) and Laufey’s “Christmas Magic,” (No. 20).
British vocalist Lola Young breaks into the top 20 for the first time with “Messy” (No. 11) following a rise of 24 places week-on-week. Speaking to Billboard U.K. last month, the 23-year-old discussed the slow-burn success of the single and why she believes it has connected with fans. “I choose to give realness and truth. I’ve got a bit of a belly out, I f–king swear a bunch and I have fun,” she said. “And that’s what people are resonating with.”
See the full rundown of the Official Singles Chart here.