Taylor sweeps the record

The tour effect continues as Taylor Swift’s Midnights returns to #1 for a 13th non-consecutive week on the ARIA Albums chart after ticket sales for her February visit sent the nation into a frenzy last week.

Taylor dominates the chart this week, with six albums in the top 10 and the entire top five, setting a new chart record. Until now, the record for dominance was held by Michael Jackson, who had the top three albums the week after he passed away in 2009.

In addition to Midnights at #1, Taylor scores Lover at #2, 1989 at #3, Reputation at #4, Folklore at #5, and Red (Taylor’s Version) at #9.

In local artist news, Up, Down & Sideways by Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley is new at #26. It is the second album together for the Australian husband and wife country stars; their first, Adam & Brooke, peaked at #16 in 2018 and was nominated for an ARIA Award. As a member of The McClymonts, Brooke has scored five ARIA Top 10 albums, most recently in 2020 when Mayhem To Madness topped out at #3 

Lekkerboy, the fifth studio album from Sticky Fingers, also debuts at #37. The band hit #1 in 2016 with Westway (The Glitter & The Slums).

Elsewhere, Pink Tape by American rapper Lil Uzi Vert arrives at #7, their third studio album; Eternal Atake hit #1 in 2020. Dead Club City by Nothing But Thieves debuts at #10; in 2020, their album Moral Panic peaked at #8.

On the singles chart, Olivia Rodrigo returns with Vampire, storming into the charts at #1. It’s her third chart-topper following Drivers Licence and Good 4 U, both of which reached the summit in 2021. It’s also the first track from her highly anticipated sophomore album Guts, which drops in September. Her first album, Sour, went to #1 in 2021; this week, it bullets from #28 to #15 after spending eight weeks at #1 in 2021.

The rest of the singles chart is all about Taylor, as Cruel Summer steps up to #3 and many other tracks climb, with Anti-Hero and Karma also breaking the top 10.

In non-Taylor news, the second single from the soundtrack to the upcoming Barbie movie – Barbie World by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua – rises from #34 to #24. It samples Barbie Girl by Danish-Norwegian band Aqua, which hit #1 for three weeks here in 1997.