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Canadian rocker Bryan Adams’ sold-out show at Perth, Australia‘s RAC Arena was unexpectedly canceled on Sunday night (Feb. 9) after a massive fatberg—an accumulation of fat, grease, and rags—caused a significant blockage in the city’s sewer system.
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The unforeseen issue led to water overflow near the venue, making it unsafe for concertgoers to attend.
Fans were left waiting outside the venue for hours as updates trickled in. Initially, the delay was attributed to a leak in the septic tanks, but at around 9 p.m.—the time Adams was scheduled to take the stage—officials confirmed the show’s postponement.
“Last night’s concert could not proceed due to an external Perth Water Corporation issue, which was unable to be fixed in time. The issue, which impacted all of Wellington Street, meant that it was deemed unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena,” Frontier Touring said in a statement. “Tickets will be automatically refunded in full (including refundable ticket purchase, if relevant) to the original payment method used for purchase and patrons do not need to take any action.”
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“Patrons should allow approximately 30 business days for the refund to appear in their account. (Please do not contact Ticketek regarding your refund.)”
“The cancellation of show is bitterly disappointing, and we thank fans for their understanding that while every effort was made for the show to proceed, this matter was outside of the control of Bryan Adams, Frontier Touring and RAC Arena.”
The Water Corporation, which manages Perth’s water and sewage systems, confirmed the blockage was due to a fatberg. CEO Pat Donovan explained the situation to 6PR on Monday morning: “I assure you that our people worked really hard to clear a large blockage, which is called a fatberg, in one of our key water mains under Wellington Street.”
He added that while alternative solutions, such as transporting the wastewater away, were explored, officials ultimately concluded they would not be able to keep up with the needs of 16,000 attendees inside the venue.
Adams, who is in Australia as part of his So Happy It Hurts tour, is set to continue with scheduled performances in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne later this week.
While Adams himself has yet to publicly comment on the incident, the unexpected cancellation will undoubtedly go down as one of the most bizarre reasons for a postponed arena show in recent memory.
Australian ticketing company Ticketek was offline Monday (Nov. 18), causing a major outage across the platform while drawing concerns from fans of bands like Twenty One Pilots that the outage could affect upcoming shows this week.
On social media, ticket holders for a Twenty One Pilots concert at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 19) are increasingly voicing their concerns that the ticketing company won’t be back online in time for the show. Officials with Melbourne & Olympic Parks Trust, which manages the arena, did not respond to questions from Billboard.
@Ticketek_AU @LiveNationAU when will the ticketek app and website be working again? i have a twenty one pilots show tomorrow and can’t access my tickets and i need to add them to my apple wallet!— val (@kilIersqueen) November 18, 2024
@Ticketek_AU website and app are still down. I want to buy presale tix for @KasabianHQ at @Enmore_Theatre How can I make the purchase if the site is down?— Mick Gee (@boomshanka1976) November 18, 2024
On Monday, visitors to Ticketek’s main web page discovered a message reading, “The Ticketek website is currently undergoing maintenance. We apologize that the update is taking longer than anticipated.”
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The cause of the outage is unknown, although a memo circulating online that appears to have been issued by a venue using Ticketek claims the company had voluntarily taken its network offline to “investigate some unusual cyber activity and, as a precautionary measure, the Ticketek Australia and New Zealand Websites and Apps have been temporarily offline today.”
The note adds, “Ticketek are working to reinstate access as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused. Ticketek are working hard to reinstate the site in the coming few hours.”
Ticketek’s pages in the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia remained operational during Monday’s outage.
Billboard reached out to representatives from Ticketek but did not receive a response.
Ticketek is one of the largest ticketing companies in Australia and falls under the umbrella of Australian promoter Paul Dainty‘s company TEG, which today is majority-owned by Silver Lake and was recapitalized in February in a deal with KKR Credit Markets and the Singapore government-owned investment firm Temasek. TEG’s portfolio also includes TEG Sport, TEG Experiences, TEG Dainty, SXSW Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena, Softix, TicketCharge, TicketWorld and Ovation.
Australian artist Angie McMahon has shared new single “Untangling” ahead of the release of new EP Light Sides. Due out on Sept. 13 via AWAL, the new project is a collection of five tracks that were written at the same time as her sophomore album Light, Dark, Light Again, which was released last October.
McMahon explains in a release that “Untangling” was a difficult track to complete. The song remained unfinished on her phone since the beginning stages of creating Light, Dark, Light Again. “It was written about someone who is deeply entwined in my life,” McMahon said, “so I never felt like either the song or the untangling itself was entirely finished.”
The deeply personal song features McMahon struggling with the prospect that she hurt someone because she was too “slow at healing.” But facing those feelings, McMahon sings over a sturdy bassline and gritty guitar that she is “untangling” them from her center and calling the situation “a joint misadventure.”
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The song was recorded at longtime collaborator Alex O’Gorman’s studio in suburban Melbourne, Australia between stops on her recent Making It Through tour — and is the only song on Light Sides that was finished with her much-loved live band: Lachlan O’Kane (drums/percussion), Jess Ellwood (guitar), Stella Farnan (keys/synth) and O’Gorman (bass).
“I was surrounded by trees and my friends and I’m so grateful to them for their musical powers,” McMahon added.
“Untangling” follows the release of another track from the EP, “Just Like North.” Light Sides’ tracklist will include the two released songs alongside originals “Beginner,” “Interstate” and “Take Up Space.”
McMahon has just returned to the United States for a string of full-band Midwest and East Coast tour dates, recently making stops in Chicago and Detroit. She arrives on the heels of a packed performance at Glastonbury, multiple sold-out shows at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre and the Sydney Opera House, and an appearance with long-time supporter Fred Again.. on stage in front of 15,000 fans in Australia.
Watch the video for “Untangling” below.
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Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter Gretta Ray has provided an update on her health, announcing the cancelation of all her remaining 2024 shows to focus on her recovery from a serious heart infection.
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Earlier this month, Ray revealed she was hospitalized in London due to an unknown illness, with the news prompted an outpouring of support from fans worldwide. On July 16, she took to Instagram to thank her followers and shed light on her situation.
“I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of love on my latest post, you are all so incredibly kind and it really means the world to me, thank you x,” Ray wrote.
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“I wanted to clarify that luckily I’m not having to deal with this experience on my own – due to the seriousness of my condition my family are here in London taking care of me I am in good hands here in a really good hospital. Just taking it day by day. Lots of love.”
On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.
“I wanted to let you know that the sickness I am recovering from is a rare disease called infective endocarditis – a severe infection in the heart that for me, caused a multitude of distressing repercussions,” she explained in her Instagram post.
“It happened very suddenly and frighteningly, and as a result, took a moment to be diagnosed. Nonetheless I am so, so lucky that I caught it early, and landed in such a great hospital here in London that took amazing care of me. I was then transferred to a second hospital – one that is famous for dealing with this particular disease.”
Ray confirmed that she will need surgery due to the impact on her heart, but for now, she is focusing on regaining strength after completing a long course of intravenous antibiotics and being discharged from the hospital.
“The toll this has taken on my heart means that at some stage I will need to undergo surgery,” she continued. “For now, it’s been a week since I finished a long course of intravenous antibiotics, and two weeks since I was discharged from hospital. Due to the fact that I am stable, the doctors have encouraged me to spend time regaining some strength and immunity outside of hospital.”
Although she is still dealing with some complications, Ray expressed relief at being able to enjoy the world outside the hospital.
“While I’m still dealing with some complications, it’s already been healing being back out in the world… I just take it one day at a time (my mum is also still in London with me x),” she wrote.
All dates are off for the foreseeable future, including her appearance at BIGSOUND 2024.
Ray concluded her update by expressing her gratitude for her fans’ unwavering support, saying, “I know I will be telling this story in more detail when the time is right, but for now I’m processing the trauma and taking things slowly.”
“I can’t tell you how much your kind and thoughtful messages and comments have meant to me in this challenging time, I’m so grateful… sending all my love to you from London, and we’ll speak soon.”
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Source: Department of Justice / buzzfeed
An ultra-rare album by the Wu-Tang Clan is now on display for fans—but only in a museum in Australia.
Source: Department of Justice / buzzfeed
According to reports, the rare Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time In Shaolin will be made available to the public for the first time since its creation nine years ago. The catch? It will be on display in a museum in Tasmania, Australia. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) has announced that it will be on display as part of its “Namedropping” exhibition, highlighting some of the world’s most captivating musicians and artists. The exhibition will run from June 15 to June 24, with the Wu-Tang Clan exhibit available twice daily from Friday to Monday.
“Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances,” Jarrod Rawlins, Director of Curatorial Affairs at MONA, said in a press statement. “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition.” Visitors will also get to listen to the album in specially curated 30-minute mixes and at private listening parties at the institution’s Frying Pan Studios. There will be a limited amount of free tickets available for visitors.
Once Upon a Time In Shaolin, produced in secrecy, was announced as a one-of-a-kind mission to “put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music,” as stated by The RZA in an interview with Forbes in 2014. The album would go up for auction in 2015, where it would be purchased by the controversial Martin Shkreli aka “Pharma Bro” for $2 million, making Once Upon a Time In Shaolin among the most expensive albums ever sold. Shkreli would have the album seized by the Department of Justice as he was convicted of securities fraud. The DOJ would then sell it to the digital art collective Pleasr in 2021. “With this single work of art, the Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music. Pleasr is honored to partner with Mona to support RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” the group said in a statement.
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has sold his complete song catalog to Sony Music Publishing. The deal expands Parker’s longstanding relationship with SMP, which has published him since 2009, and includes all of his works released as Tame Impala as well as his writing credits for other songs, including his contributions to Dua Lipa‘s new album Radical Optimism, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week.
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Parker has also expanded his publishing deal with Sony to include the administration of the full catalog as well as future works.
The Australian mutli-hyphenate musician has made an indelible impact on music since he began his psychedelic rock band in 2008. Through the project, Parker has released four albums — InnerSpeaker (2010), Lonerism (2012),Currents (2015) and The Slow Rush (2020) — all of which were solely written, produced, recorded and mixed by Parker.
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Along with Tame Impala, Parker has also written and produced for a number of top acts, including Travis Scott, Dua Lipa, Mick Jagger, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, The Gorillaz, Mark Ronson, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, Flaming Lips, A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty, Don Toliver, Daft Punk, Miguel, and Australian children’s group The Wiggles. Rihanna also covered his Tame Impala-released single “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” (which she retitled “Same Ol’ Mistakes”) on her acclaimed 2016 album ANTI.
Parker says of the deal: “The idea of passing on ownership of my songs is one that I don’t think about very lightly, at all. They are the fruit of my blood, sweat and creativity over all the years I’ve been a recording artist and songwriter so far. I have a lot of love and trust for the Sony publishing family and have only had great experiences with Damian Trotter and the rest of the gang worldwide. I don’t think my songs could be in any safer hands than Sony’s, and I’m excited for the future and happy I can keep working with them on whatever the future brings…”
“I have always admired Kevin Parker and I believe he is one of the most versatile songwriters of our time,” says Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of SMP. “Kevin has built a catalog of songs with incredible range and enduring power, and he has always stayed true to his vision. It is a privilege to represent his music, and we are committed to broadening his legacy of success.”
Damian Trotter, managing director of Australia for Sony Music Publishing said: “Kevin is a singular talent whose creativity and dedication to his art has enthralled fans and artists since he arrived on the music scene. Having worked with Kevin since before the release of the first Tame Impala album, it has been thrilling to witness his rise to success worldwide, which is so well deserved. We are proud and humbled to be taking custodianship of this iconic catalogue of songs and to be continuing our relationship with Kevin in this exciting phase of his music making career.”
Ariana Grande holds at No. 1 in Australia with Eternal Sunshine and, again, narrowly misses the chart double.
As Eternal Sunshine (via Universal) enters a third week atop the ARIA Albums Chart, Ariana’s album cut “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” enters a second week at No. 2 on the national singles tally.
Coming in at No. 2 on the album list is Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You (Universal/Sony), their first collaborative collection. It’s Future’s 10th title on the albums chart, including a No. 1 with 2022’s I Never Liked You. Metro Boomin landed at No. 4 in 2020 with Savage Mode II, a collaboration with 21 Savage, and solo LP Heroes & Villains peaked at No. 5 in 2022. Three tracks from We Don’t Trust You appear on the ARIA Singles Chart, led by “Like That” at No .8.
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Closing out the top three on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, March 29, is Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore LP Guts (Geffen/Universal), which benefits from the release of the Spilled edition, which includes one new track and four songs that were previously only available on wax.
One of those new releases “Obsessed,” arrives at No. 16 on the singles chart, for her 16th top 20 appearance, ARIA reports. Three of those have climbed the chart mountain: “Drivers Licence,” “Good 4 U” and “Vampire.” Following its release in September 2023, Guts debuted at No. 1 in in Australia and logged two weeks at the summit.
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Meanwhile, Australian pop duo the Veronicas bag a top 10 debut with Gothic Summer (Virgin Music Australia/Universal). Produced by Goldfinger’s John Feldmann and featuring a cast of top-flight collaborators, including Travis Barker, Gothic Summer is new at No. 6. The Brisbane sisters (Jessica and Lisa Origliasso) have cracked the top 10 with all six of their studio albums, the first three of which peaked No. 2: The Secret Life Of… (2005), Hook Me Up (2007) and The Veronicas (2014).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, also published Friday, Benson Boone bags a fourth week at No. 1 with “Beautiful Things,” atop an unchanged top three.
Finally, Irish singer and songwriter Hozier returns to the top 10 with “Too Sweet” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 10. That’s his first solo top 40 hit since 2015, when “Someone New” peaked at No. 24. His career best in these parts came with his 2013’s “Take Me To Church,” which sailed to No. 2.
For the fifth consecutive year, Australia’s recorded music industry posted growth in 2023 – all thanks to streaming and Aussies’ love of wax.
According to wholesale data published by ARIA, the nation’s record market lifted by 10.9% to A$676 million ($442 million), powered by subscriptions to music streaming brands.
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That rate of growth for Australia, a top 10 market, the IFPI confirms in its newly-published Global Music Report, is in line with international trends.
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, and the full slate of subscription platforms now generate 69% of the industry’s total value, or $467.6 million ($305 million), up by 13.9% year-on-year, reports ARIA, the labels trade association.
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Also reporting gains for 2023 is the space for ad-supported streaming models, up 15.3% jump to $68.3 million ($44 million).
All digital products combined, including downloads and video streams, account for a sum upwards of A$616.1 million ($403 million), a 12% year-on-year lift. In other words, more than 90 cents in the record industry’s dollar is generated by digital.
Vinyl albums are an ongoing sweet spot, posting gains of 14.1% to A$42.1 million ($27 million), a sum more than twice that of the dwindling market for CD albums (A$17 million or $11 million, down 16%), for decades the record industry’s diesel engine. The rate of growth for vinyl, however, appears to be slowing.
An overall strong market report is masking a problem that Australia’s music community is trying desperately to crack — how to break more homegrown in Australia and abroad?
Where the IFPI’s GMR is flush with case studies on the success of Afrobeats, Latin music, K-pop, and blockbuster acts from North America and the U.K., acts from the land Down Under aren’t stealing the limelight.
“While Australia remains the 10th largest music market in the world – and Aussies clearly love music,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “it remains harder than ever for our local artists to reach these audiences.”
ARIA’s end-of-year charts “paint a clear picture of this,” notes Herd, with only four Australian albums impacting the top 100 for 2023, led by INXS‘ hits collection The Very Best (at No. 58), and three singles, none of which were released during the reporting period. The best-placed Australian artist on the year-end singles tally was The Kid Laroi with his 2021 Justin Bieber collaboration, “Stay.”
“Achieving cut-through becomes increasingly difficult for artists as the growth rate of subscription and ad supported streaming models continues to increase year on year,” notes Herd, “while nearly all other growth rates have eased compared to 2022.”
The Albanese federal government listened to the industry’s dilemmas, and, in 2023, activated Creative Australia, the centerpiece of the federal National Cultural Policy, Revive, which its architects hope will turn Australia into a music powerhouse.
Among the government’s promises is the launch of Music Australia, a reimagined national music development agency that would support and invest in the development of Australian contemporary music, and now led by founding director Millie Millgate. The Music Australia Council, effectively the Music Australia board, includes legendary concert promoter Michael Chugg and Future Classics founder and CEO Nathan McLay.
The government’s National Cultural Policy is an ambitious year-long action plan, structured around five interconnected pillars and underpinned by a commitment for new, additional investment totaling A$286 million (US$202 million) — record levels of arts funding. Music Australia alone is funded to the tune of A$69 million ($44 million) over four years.
“We are fortunate that compared to other major global markets, our growth rates paint a favorable picture for the future of music in Australia,” adds Herd. “Music is valuable, it is popular and it is growing. We look forward to working with the industry and government to ensure that message is heard and that value is increasingly used to support our incredible local talent.”
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Taylor Swift came, she played and she continues to dominate Australia’s charts.
Swift wrapped her seven-date, two-city The Eras Tour of Australia earlier in the week, and has left the country, but the afterglow of that trip can be seen on the ARIA Charts.
Swift’s Lover release “Cruel Summer” (Universal) enters a second week atop the singles tally while Midnights holds at No. 1 on the albums list, for a 16th non-consecutive week.
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Midnights leads an all-Tay Tay top six on the latest tally (Lover, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Folklore, Reputation and Evermore, respectively), published Friday, March 1. Also, Swift retains No. 8 with Red (Taylor’s Version), marking the second week straight she has had seven albums in the top 10, equaling her own ARIA Chart record.
Swift completed sold-out shows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (three dates) and Sydney’s Accor Stadium (four), for a trek produced by Frontier Touring. Next up, a six-night stand at Singapore National Stadium.
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The top new release on the national albums survey is Swing Fever (Rhino/Warner), the first collaborative album from Rod Stewart and Jools Holland. It’s new at No. 19.
That’s Stewart’s 32nd top 20 appearance and first since 2019, when You’re In My Heart: Rod Stewart With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra peaked at No. 3, ARIA reports.
All told, Steward has landed seven ARIA No. 1s, dating back to 1971’s Every Picture Tells A Story.
Holland, the British bandleader and TV presenter, cracked the top 20 back in 1979 as a member of Squeeze (also known as U.K. Squeeze) with Cool For Cats, which peaked at No. 18. Swing Fever was the leader on the midweek U.K. albums chart.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” initially released back in 2019, enjoys a second week at No. 1.
Beyonce’s country-leaning “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Columbia/Sony) lifts 3-2, and could lasso the U.S. pop/R&B superstar her first No. 1 in these parts in more than 17 years. Bey’s only other Australian leader is “Irreplaceable,” which logged three weeks at No. 1 in late 2006 and early 2007.
Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner) completes the podium, dipping 2-3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
The top new release on the singles survey belongs to SZA, as “Saturn” (RCA/Sony) zooms in at No. 8. It’s housed by the R&B star’s Lana, a forthcoming deluxe version of her chart-topping LP SOS. SZA will play arenas across Australia next month for a tour produced by Live Nation, her first of these parts in almost five years.
Finally, Stranger Things star Joe Keery now has a top 40 hit in Australia through Djo, his recording project. Djo’s debut single “End of Beginning” (AWAL) rockets 69-14. Keery plays the chump-come-good character Steve Harrington in the much-loved Netflix sci-fi series.
It’s a long, sweet southern summer for Taylor Swift, as the U.S. pop superstar dominates the Australian albums chart and her sleeper hit “Cruel Summer” climbs to No. 1 for the first time. The newly-crowned IFPI Global Recording Artist, earning plaudits for a record fourth time, Swift now sweeps the ARIA Charts like no artist has before her.For the third time in her career, Swift occupies the entire top 5 on the ARIA Albums charts, a feat no other artist has achieved even once (Michael Jackson came closest, when he posthumously nabbed the top 3 spots in 2009).On the latest tally, published Friday, Feb. 23, Swift rules with Midnights, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Lover, folklore (all via Universal), and reputation (Big Machine/Universal), respectively. Midnights becomes her longest-reigning No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, at 15 non-consecutive weeks.
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All told, TayTay bags seven of the top 10, breaking the record for most titles by one artist in the top 10, beating her old mark of six.When Swift was confirmed by the IFPI Wednesday (Feb. 21) as the biggest-selling global recording artist of the 2023, the trade body pointed to the “phenomenon” by which her record-busting The Eras Tour increases engagement with her entire catalog on streaming platforms around the world.Lover track “Cruel Summer” is the IFPI’s case study, a song “initially released in 2019 but which topped charts around the world four years later.”It’s a good point, well made. Last week, Swift completing a three-night stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and tonight enters the final straight of her The Eras Tour of Australia, produced by Frontier Touring, with the first of her four consecutive concerts at Sydney’s Accord Stadium. Those dates at the MCG, totaled over 288,000 — the most tickets sold by one artist at the towering venue, according to Universal Music Australia. Too much Taylor Swift isn’t enough for her Swifties, as “Cruel Summer” lifts 4-1 for its first stint at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart, her 11th leader. That places her in a tie with Madonna as the artist with the third most No. 1 singles in Australia, behind the Beatles (26) and Elvis Presley (14), respectively.
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It’s the seventh time Swift has notched the ARIA Chart double, extending her own record.
Also noteworthy on the latest ARIA Singles Chart is the trajectory of Beyonce’s country-leaning “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Columbia/Sony). A record-setter in the U.S., Bey’s new hit flies 38-3 for her 16th top 10 solo or duet appearance in Australia.Also, Dua Lipa bows at No. 12 on the ARIA Chart with “Training Season” (Warner Records), lifted from the British pop artist’s forthcoming third album.The top debut on the ARIA Albums Chart belongs Sydney indie duo Royel Otis, with Pratts & Pain (Ourness), new at No. 10. That’s a new career best for the pair, Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, following the No. 43 peak for their 2023 EP Sofa Kings. Nominated for the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist award at the 2023 ARIAs, Royel Otis are currently touring Australia in support of the new LP.