Following their much-celebrated comeback earlier this year, Marie Serneholt, Sara Lumholdt, Dhani Lennevald and Amit Paul are getting into the festive spirit with a brand-new seasonal offering, written by the same team behind their 2026 single Iconic.
And, speaking exclusively to Official Charts, the four-piece reveal how their Christmas creation came about.
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MORE: When will the 2026 Christmas Number 1 be announced?
“When we decided that we were going to make new original songs, we said to our A&R, ‘If we’re going to do this, we have to go all the way, and we want to do a Christmas song,'” Dhani explains.
According to Amit, the idea was floated with songwriter Thomas G at a Melodifestivalen afterparty, with a demo arriving in their inbox just weeks later.
The result? A song Dhani enthusiastically describes as “bullseye Christmas,” complete with all the festive trimmings.
For Marie, it was love at first listen.
“The first 15, 20 seconds of the song, I’m like, ‘OK, we are onto something here,'” she tells us.
“It’s just so instant. It’s how it’s building up from the verses to the bridge to the instant chorus. That chorus gets stuck in your head right away.
“It has all the Christmas elements that you want to have, without it being too cheesy. It’s on the right side!”
Sara, meanwhile, remembers hearing the track for the first time at home with her children.
“I couldn’t stop smiling,” she recalls. “I got so excited for what was coming just after the first minute or something. We were going bananas on the WhatsApp group!”
Written by Dino Medanhodzic, Thomas G, Jimmy Jansson and Moa Carlebecker, Merry Christmas To You marks another milestone in the group’s reunion, which began in 2024 after two decades apart.
Earlier this year, A*Teens released Iconic, their first original single in over 20 years, before following it with You Got The Look, a reimagining of Roxette’s classic hit The Look.
The quartet originally enjoyed four UK Top 40 singles, including their Number 10 hit Upside Down, alongside ABBA covers Mamma Mia (Number 12) and Super Trouper (Number 21), and Halfway Around The World (Number 30).
Now, they’re hoping their latest release can earn its place in the Christmas canon, with Sara revealing she’d love to see it become a seasonal staple on fans’ festive playlists for years to come.
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And as for their own festive faves? Marie admits WHAM!‘s Last Christmas is “hard to beat”, while Dhani declares Mariah Carey the “mother of Christmas”.
In fact, the group joke that they wouldn’t dare announce their own festive single until Mariah had officially declared the Christmas season open.
“We would not dare to announce anything before she says it’s okay,” Marie laughs.
And A*Teens won’t be packing away the pop with the Christmas decorations, either.
Looking ahead to 2027, the group have more live shows and new music on the horizon.
“We have some shows already booked in Latin America right after the New Year, and we’re looking to add more shows there,” Amit reveals.
“For next summer, we’re continuing to look at more shows, and there will be more music. We’ll see what we can cook up, but it’s quite exciting.”
Could a return to the UK be on the cards?
“We would love to,” Marie tells us, with Dhani adding: “We had such a great time when we did Mighty Hoopla last year. That was incredible. A little England trip would be incredible.”
Amit, meanwhile, fancies taking things a step further with “a little stadium tour!”
A*Teens’ new single Merry Christmas To You is released Friday November 6.
When will the Christmas Number 1 2026 be announced?
The Official Christmas Number 1 single of 2026 will be announced on Friday December 25 – Christmas Day itself!
With Christmas falling on a Friday this year, the festive chart reveal will take place on the big day.
It’s a rare festive treat. The last time Christmas Day fell on a Friday, in 2020, LadBaby’s Don’t Stop Me Eatin’ was crowned the UK’s Official Christmas Number 1.
When does the Christmas Number 1 2026 race start and finish?
The Official Christmas Number 1 race will kick off on Friday December 18 2026, with the following seven days of eligible UK sales and streams counting towards the festive chart crown.
The race will close at 11.59pm GMT on Thursday December 24 – Christmas Eve.
Whether you’re backing a festive classic, a brand-new release or an unexpected underdog, that’s the all-important week to watch.
How can I listen to the Christmas Number 1 2026 announcement?
The Official Christmas Number 1 will be revealed on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart with Jack Saunders.
The exact broadcast time for 2026 is yet to be confirmed, but we’ll update this page as soon as further details are announced.
The full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart and Official Christmas Albums Chart will also be published on OfficialCharts.com.