Christmas Number 1 Contenders 2024: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT

As the time for the UK's biggest chart race - the Official Christmas Number 1 - is close to getting underway, Official Charts is kicking off the festive season's favourite pop battle by spotlighting this year's key players.

Next up, we have a cheeky pop-punk number that's proving to be one of the biggest breakout hits on the Official Singles Chart right now - ROSÉ and Bruno Mars's APT!

Game? Start!

2024 has been the year that most of the members of K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK have forged ahead with their solo careers; JENNIE hit the Top 40 with high-octane offering Mantra, while LISA has set the stage for a sleek big pop girl moment with bangers like Rockstar and the Max Martin-produced New Woman with forward-thinking Latin supernova ROSALIA  (which sadly didn't reach the Top 40, but should have in a just world).  

But no BLACKPINK alumni has slayed their solo career this year quite like ROSÉ, who exploded out with the biggest hit of her career thus far with the catchy pop-punk ditty APT, which kind of sounds like a combination of Toni Basil's Hey Mickey and The Ting Tings' That's Not My Name (complimentary).

Taking its title from the Korean drinking game of the same name (it stands for 'apartment,' don't you know!) and it's, ahem, very apt (sorry) that APT has become a sensation in recent weeks, helped by an extremely catchy-hook and a sparky, charismatic bond between its two lead vocalists. 

APT has been one of the strongest performing songs in the Top 10 over the past few weeks, although it's consistently been blocked from Number 1 by Gracie Abrams' month-long chart topper That's So True.

But with Gracie set to slip from Number 1 this week, the road should be wide open for ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, if their streaming numbers can hold up against big festive players like WHAM! and Mariah Carey.

So far, APT has spent six consecutive weeks in the Top 10, a big win, considering it was only released six weeks ago. Upon debut, it entered in at Number 4, becoming ROSÉ's first solo Top 10 hit...and the first single ever by a K-pop female soloist (ROSÉ is Korean-Kiwi) to enter the UK Top 10. 

So far, APT has made it to a peak of Number 2, but trailed Gracie at Number 3 now for a straight month. Is it time for it to catch up?

After all, it's Christmas, and there's nothing Brits love more than a boozy drinking game after we've opened all our presents...

When will the 2024 Christmas Number 1 be revealed?

This year's Official Christmas Number 1 race 2024 kicks off Friday December 13 with sales and streams counting up until midnight (11.59pm) on Thursday, December 19.   

Tune in to The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1 on Friday December 20 from 4pm to hear the Christmas Top 40 countdown and the exclusive reveal of the Official Christmas Number 1 2024. 

The full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart and Albums Chart will be published on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm. 

Join the conversation now using the hashtag #XmasNo1. Follow @OfficialCharts on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For all the latest race updates join the Official Charts mailing list for Breaking News on this year’s race and beyond.