Kerser gives the gift of two straight Aussie #1s

Kerser’s A Gift & A Kers makes a #1 debut on the ARIA Albums Chart this week, marking a second straight week of #1 albums by Australians, the first time this has occurred in 2023. 

A Gift & A Kers is the 10th studio album from the Aussie rapper and his eighth top 10 album. On his success, Kerser said: “I just want to thank my fans for the ongoing support, it’s actually crazy. I would like to thank the ADA team at Warner and my management for all the support. We did it. Number 1!”

ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd, said: “Kerser is a phenomenal example of independent artist success in Australia and someone whose career path we need to celebrate at a time where we search for more ways for artists to connect with Australian listeners. Huge congratulations are in order, especially as we hit two weeks in a row of Australian #1s!”

Rounding out the local debut successes are Trophy Eyes with Suicide and Sunshine, breaking the top 10 with a #8 debut, and Perfect World by Lastlings, new at #39. The 30th anniversary edition of The Cruel Sea’s The Honeymoon Is Over also arrives at #23; it peaked at #4 in 1993.

Suicide and Sunshine is the fourth studio album and third top 10 from the Aussie punk band after Chemical Miracle got to #8 in 2016 and The American Dream also peaked at #8 in 2018. The second studio album from Lastlings marks a top 50 debut for the Australian electronic pop duo after First Contact topped out at #89 in 2020.

From abroad, The Good Witch by English singer-songwriter Maisie Peters debuts at #4, her second studio album and first to chart in Australia. Chemistry by Kelly Clarkson is new at #31, and Business Is Business by Young Thug debuts at #36, his best performance on the charts after Punk climbed to #26 in 2021.

It’s also a good week to be Taylor Swift. Off the back of the announcement of her 2024 Australian tour, five of her albums sit the top 10: Midnights climbs from #5 to #2, Lover is up from #11 to #3, 1989 rises from #9 to #5, Reputation is up from #13 to #6, and Folklore climbs from #16 to #10.

On the Singles Chart, it’s four weeks at #1 for Sprinter by Dave and Central Cee, which is its entire chart run. Taylor’s 2019 song Cruel Summer (her favourite track from the Lover album) flies from #29 to a new peak of #3, giving her three singles in the top 10: former #1 hit Anti-Hero is at #7 and Karma is at #8.