Every December, it happens like clockwork: Mariah Carey’s voice fills shopping malls, car radios, TikTok videos, and family kitchens across America. But the 2025–2026 holiday season didn’t just bring another festive victory — it delivered one of the most astonishing chart achievements in modern music history.
With “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returning to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Mariah Carey has officially extended her all-time record for the most cumulative weeks at No. 1 in Hot 100 history to 101 weeks. No other artist has ever reached triple digits at the summit of the chart.
Even more jaw-dropping: the song is now the first in history to hit No. 1 in eight different calendar years — 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. A 1994 holiday record has become the most reliable chart-topping force of the streaming era.
From Holiday Classic to Annual Cultural Event
When “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was released in October 1994 as part of Mariah’s Merry Christmas album, nobody could have predicted this outcome. At the time, Billboard rules didn’t even allow most catalog holiday songs to chart properly. It wasn’t until the streaming age reshaped consumption habits that the track finally began its modern chart reign.
Its first No. 1 came in December 2019 — 25 years after release. What followed has been unprecedented:
- 2019: First Hot 100 No. 1
- 2020–2026: Returns every holiday season, reclaiming the throne each year
This isn’t nostalgia. This is dominance. The song outperforms new releases annually, often pushing contemporary superstars down the chart with ease.
101 Weeks at No. 1 — A Record That May Never Fall
Before Mariah, the benchmark for cumulative weeks at No. 1 was once thought unreachable. Artists like The Beatles, Drake, Rihanna, and Beyoncé have had enormous chart runs, but none could match the sustained career-long impact Carey now commands.
Her 101 total weeks at No. 1 are spread across a legendary catalog that includes:
- “One Sweet Day” (16 weeks)
- “We Belong Together” (14 weeks)
- “Always Be My Baby”
- “Fantasy”
- “Hero”
- And now, an annual holiday juggernaut that just won’t quit
This is not one song carrying a résumé — it’s a lifetime of chart excellence capped by a cultural tradition.
Eight Calendar Years at No. 1 — No One Else Is Even Close
Plenty of artists have comeback hits. Some even manage to revive old songs years later. But no song in history has ever topped the Hot 100 across eight separate calendar years. Only Mariah Carey.
Each December, the same cycle repeats: streaming spikes, radio flips formats, playlists update, and Mariah’s voice once again becomes unavoidable. It’s not manufactured — listeners actively seek the song out. In the TikTok era, it has become shorthand for “Christmas has arrived.”
Merry Christmas Becomes Her Third Diamond Album
While the single continues to dominate, the album that birthed it just reached a monumental milestone.
In December, Mariah Carey’s 1994 album Merry Christmas was officially certified Diamond, meaning it has sold over 10 million units in the United States. That makes it her third Diamond album, joining Music Box and Daydream.
The album has quietly become:
- One of the best-selling holiday albums of all time
- A perennial top-10 Billboard 200 performer every December
- A fixture in American holiday tradition
Three Diamond albums in one career is elite territory — a club reserved for only the biggest legends in recording history.
Not Just a Legacy Act: Here For It All Debuts Top 10
As if the Christmas reign wasn’t enough, Mariah also reminded the industry she’s not living off the past.
In September, she released her 16th studio album Here For It All — a sleek, modern R&B project featuring 11 tracksand collaborations with:
- Kehlani
- Shenseea
- The Clark Sisters
- Anderson .Paak
The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, making Mariah one of the very few artists to land top-10 albums in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.
Four decades. Four eras. Still relevant.
Bridging Generations Without Losing Identity
What makes Here For It All stand out isn’t just its chart debut — it’s how naturally Mariah adapts to the sound of today without sacrificing what made her iconic.
- The production blends classic soul with modern R&B polish
- Her vocal layering is restrained but surgical
- Features are carefully chosen rather than trend-chasing
The Anderson .Paak collaboration feels like two generations of funk meeting in the middle. The Clark Sisters appearance ties her gospel roots to modern audiences. And working with Kehlani and Shenseea introduces her to a younger demographic that may only know her as “the Christmas lady.”
She’s quietly reshaping that narrative.
Why Mariah Carey’s Career Is Truly One of One
Most artists burn bright and fade. Others enjoy short revivals. Very few manage to dominate across four decades — and almost none do it in two completely different lanes: pop superstardom and holiday immortality.
Mariah Carey is now:
- The artist with the most weeks at No. 1 in Billboard history
- The only artist with a song that topped the Hot 100 in eight different calendar years
- The owner of three Diamond albums
- A current top-10 album artist in 2025
That combination is unmatched.
The Queen of Christmas, the Blueprint of Longevity
At this point, the phrase “Queen of Christmas” almost feels understated.
Mariah Carey has turned a single song into a recurring cultural reset — something families, brands, radio stations, and streaming platforms all orbit around every December. And unlike most nostalgia acts, she’s doing it while still releasing new music that charts, tours, and earns respect from a new generation of stars.
Her legacy is no longer just about vocal range or 90s ballads. It’s about architecting a career that outlives eras, formats, and trends.
101 weeks at No. 1. Eight calendar years on top. Three Diamond albums. A top-10 debut in 2025.
Mariah Carey didn’t just make history — she’s made it seasonal.
The post Mariah Carey extends her Billboard Hot 100 record of the most weeks at number one appeared first on Hip Hop Vibe.
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