15 December 2019
Newsdesk
The new Official Chart: First Look, which airs on BBC Radio 1 today between 6pm – 7pm, offers a first glance of the Top 20 ahead of Friday’s Official Singles Chart Top 100. The chart is based on preliminary sales and early streaming reports.
After 48 hours, the Official Charts Company can confirm that dad blogger, YouTuber and reigning Christmas Number 1 champion LadBaby, takes an early lead in the biggest chart battle of the year – the race to be crowned Official Christmas Number 1 2019.
Fresh from last year’s victory and throwing his hat into the festive ring for a second time, LadBaby’s I Love Sausage Rolls (a playful twist on Joan Jett classic I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, raising money for foodbank charity The Trussell Trust) goes head to head with Stormzy ft. Ed Sheeran & Burna Boy’s Own It (2), plus Christmas classic Wham!’s Last Christmas (3) and Ellie Goulding’s River (4).
Two days in and LadBaby takes a strong lead on downloads, the sheer streaming power of his closest rivals however means the gap could close significantly throughout the week.
With less than 2,000 copies separating Stormzy, Wham! and Ellie Goulding, things could shuffle around as the week progresses. It is well and truly all to play for over the next few days ahead of Friday’s final whistle.
· Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company comments “As we enter the biggest week of the year, the race for Official Christmas Number 1 is underway - and it looks as though it could well be a sausage roll Christmas once again. LadBaby’s latest sausage song is a genuine banger and is already looking like the track to beat - with Stormzy, Ellie Goulding and Wham all in his wake.”
If LadBaby does maintain his lead, he would be the first artist to score consecutive Christmas Number 1s in over 20 years, since the Spice Girls, who famously triumphed three years on the bounce in 1996 to 1998 with 2 Become 1, Too Much, and Goodbye.
Own It is one of three tracks from Stormzy’s new Heavy Is The Head album on course for Top 20 entries – Own It (2), Audacity (8) and Lessons (13).
In its 25th anniversary year, Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You starts the week at Number 6.
An ode to XFM presenter Chris Moyles, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Dominick The Donkey - the track that the then Radio 1 Breakfast DJ championed all the way to Number 3 during Christmas 2011. This time around, ‘Merry ChrisMoyles Everyone’, an original song by Matt Hulbert, opens in the Top 40 at Number 37.
The Christmas Number 1 race runs from Friday 13 December through to 11.59pm Thursday 19 December. The Top 40 will be counted down exclusively on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart with Scott Mills from 4pm Friday 20 December, crowning the winner of the Official Christmas Number 1 2019. The full Christmas Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart will be published on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm.
