Leona Lewis's One More Sleep is the UK's most-played modern Christmas song

We all know that Leona Lewis's One More Sleep is a modern Christmas classic. But now it's officially been named the UK's most-played modern Christmas song.

Since its release in 2013, One More Sleep has accumulated the equivalent of 14 weeks of continuous airplay on UK radio and television.

That put its comfortably ahead of the next most-played modern Christmas song, Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson, which has accumulated the equivalent of 11 weeks of continuous radio and TV airplay.

MORE: This year's Christmas Number 1 contenders revealed

"It's really special knowing that One More Sleep brings a little joy to people’s Christmases," Leona says of the accolade. 

"The song and the whole album mean so much to me. It's really beautiful that people connect to it and as an artist that’s all I could hope for."

One More Sleep, which appears on Leona's holiday album Christmas with Love, peaked at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart in 2013. It has since returned to the Top 40 every festive season since 2018.

The numbers have been crunched by music licensing company PPL, which defines "modern" as a track released in the 21st century. Coldplay's Christmas Lights and Ariana Grande's Santa Tell Me both feature in the Top 10 too. 

The Top 10 most-played modern Christmas songs in full

1. One More Sleep – Leona Lewis 

2. Underneath The Tree – Kelly Clarkson 

3. Warm This Winter – Gabriella Cilmi 

4. Christmas Time – The Darkness 

5. Christmas Lights – Coldplay  

6. Merry Christmas – Ed Sheeran & Elton John 

7. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Michael Bublé 

8. Somewhere Only We Know – Lily Allen 

9. Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande 

10. This Christmas – Jess Glynne 

Peter Leathem OBE, CEO of PPL, says of the Top 10: "Christmas songs hold a very special place in the nation’s psyche. With new festive tracks released each year, we decided to look at the success of those recorded this century. 

"This chart shows the power of broadcast in helping usher in a new era of seasonal classics to match some of the most loved from years gone by."

MORE: See where every Leona Lewis song and album has charted in the UK

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.