Mariah Carey

LadBaby break Beatles’ record to score fifth Christmas No 1 single

YouTubers land fifth festive chart-topper in a row with Food Aid, a sausage roll-themed rewrite of the Band Aid classic

Laura Snapes

23, Dec, 2022 @6:00 PM

Do they know it’s Christmas? Why today’s festive pop lacks the crucial chaos element | Emma Garland

Despite annual attempts at toppling Mariah, there hasn’t been a new Christmas classic in nearly a decade. Modern songwriters shoot too classy: history tells us that commotion is the only way

Emma Garland

20, Dec, 2022 @12:00 PM

I’m dreaming of a bestseller: what makes Christmas songs stick?

We analyse the most popular festive songs to find that all we want for Christmas is mid-century nostalgia

Carmen Aguilar García, Michael Goodier, Lucy Swan and Pamela Duncan

20, Dec, 2022 @9:00 AM

How the UK Christmas No 1 became a national obsession – and a vicious competition

Charity singalongs, novelty hits and Facebook campaign curveballs – the festive top spot holds a symbolic power for the British. Is that why Mariah still can’t win it?

Kate Solomon

17, Nov, 2022 @12:00 PM

Songwriter drops £17.8m copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey for Christmas hit

A $20m case against the All I Want for Christmas Is You singer for copyright infringement will not proceed

Shaad D'Souza

04, Nov, 2022 @12:12 PM

‘It’s time’: Mariah Carey season has begun – and she won’t let you forget it

With Halloween over, the diva is donning her Santa suit to serve as the soundtrack for another Christmas

Alaina Demopoulos

01, Nov, 2022 @4:36 PM

The 100 greatest BBC music performances – ranked!

As the Beeb celebrates its centenary, we take a look at its most memorable pop moments, from the birth of grime to the first sightings of Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, plus TOTP goes Madchester and countless classic Peel sessions

Guardian music

06, Oct, 2022 @12:12 PM

You give me diva: Meghan Markle shies away from a word worth reclaiming

‘Diva’ has good, neutral and bad connotations – but as singers from Maria Callas to Beyoncé have shown, it is a trait of sheer excellence

Zoe Williams

03, Sep, 2022 @7:00 AM

Don’t rage against an entire festival over Zack de la Rocha’s no-show | Rebecca Nicholson

Punters demanding refunds because his band can’t turn up for Leeds and Reading should consider they might stumble across something just as good

Rebecca Nicholson

20, Aug, 2022 @6:00 PM

A Christmas hit can be the gift that keeps on giving, so why have so many artists given up? | Jessica Mizrahi

As Mariah Carey and Wham continue to rule the yuletide charts with decades-old songs, it seems many contenders have abandoned the festive fight

Jessica Mizrahi

24, Dec, 2021 @3:54 AM

Rockin’ around the Christmas streams: why festive music is bigger than ever

As they chase a wildly lucrative market with their new Christmas albums, Gary Barlow, Jamie Cullum, Leona Lewis and more explain the financial – and emotional – pull of a seasonal hit

Michael Hann

10, Dec, 2021 @8:00 AM