Taylor beats Swift

Another week, another record for the woman who has the world enchanted right now. Taylor Swift lands at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), marking the first time since the ARIA Charts started in 1983 that a singer or band has replaced themselves at #1.

This is Swift’s 11th #1 album in Australia, three of which are re-recordings of old albums. The original version of Speak Now spent one week at #1 in 2010. Upon its release, the new album became Spotify’s most-streamed for a single day for 2023 and the most-streamed country album in a single day in Spotify history.

The hardest-working band in Australian music, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, come in at #2 with a blistering debut and possibly 2023’s longest album title: PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. 

It is the Aussie band’s 24th studio album; they have also released 15 live albums, three compilation albums, one remix album and three EPs. The band have enjoyed four previous peaks at #2: Flying Microtonal Banana in 2017, Infest The Rats’ Nest in 2019, Chunky Shrapnel in 2020 and Butterfly 3000 in 2021. They have also won two ARIA Awards.

The first live album from home-town heroes Rüfüs Du Sol, Live From Joshua Tree, debuts at #14. The trio have had three #1 albums in Australia – Atlas in 2013, Bloom in 2016 and Surrender in 2021 – as well as won five ARIA Awards. Rounding out the Aussie debuts are Royel Otis at #43 with their third EP Sofa Kings. 

Sunburn by Dominic Fike debuts at #25, the American singer-songwriter’s second studio album after What Could Possibly Go Wrong peaked at #34 here in 2020; and another greatest hits album from Wham!, Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven, is new at #26, fuelled by a new Netflix documentary.

On the Singles Chart, Sprinter by UK rappers Dave and Central Cee reclaims the #1 spot for a fifth non-consecutive week on top, while to no surprise, it’s another big week for Taylor, as she lands 9 of the top 20. 

The highest non-Taylor debut comes from the latest South Korean girl group to take the world by storm, NewJeans, who are new at #27 with Super Shy. NewJeans features Newcastle born-and-raised Danielle Marsh, as well as Melbourne native Hanni Pham, who featured on The Voice Kids Australia in 2014.