australia

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.

Taylor Swift blocks-out the entire top 5 on Australia’s albums chart, as Swifties fire-up her catalog just days out from the start of her tour Down Under.
The U.S. pop superstar leads the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Feb. 9, with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal), which clocks its 14th non-consecutive week at No. 1, tying with Midnights as her longest-running leader.

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It’s all TayTay from there, as Midnights (Universal) holds at No. 2, Lover (Universal) lifts 8-3, Reputation (Big Machine/Universal) holds at No. 4, and Folklore (Republic/Universal) fires 8-5.

It’s not the first Swift Sweep of the ARIA Chart. The “Wildest Dreams” singer completed what was then an unprecedented lock-up of the top 5 last July, led by Midnights, followed by Lover, 1989, Reputation, and Folklore, respectively.

On that occasion, Swift-mania was triggered by the general ticket on sale for her The Eras Tour of Australia in 2024, produced by Frontier Touring.

The time has come. Swift will play her hits across seven concerts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney’s Accord Stadium, starting from next Friday (Feb. 16) at the MCG.

No other artist has come close to commanding the ARIA top 5. The late Michael Jackson was the standard-bearer before Swift, once landing the top three albums on the chart a week following his death in 2009.

The top new release on the latest ARIA Albums Chart is Prelude To Ecstasy (Island/Universal), the debut LP from the critically-lauded British group The Last Dinner Party. It’s new at No. 35.

Prelude To Ecstasy zoomed ahead on the midweek U.K. chart, and should give the London five-piece group a No. 1 there, adding to their growing collection of trophies which includes the BRITS Rising Star Award and the BBC Sound of… 2024 poll.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Noah Kahan sticks a second week at No. 1 with “Stick Season” (Universal), ahead of Jack Harlow’s former leader “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner), holding at No. 2.

U.S. viral star Benson Boone has a new career high with “Beautiful Things” (Warner), which improves 9-3. Until “Beautiful Things,” his ARIA Chart best was No. 34 for 2022’s “Into The Stars.”

Finally, Dom Dolla marches into the top 10 for the first time with “Saving Up” (Sony). A standout on the triple j Hottest 100 poll, where it dropped in at No. 3, “Saving Up” lifts 11-10 on the ARIA Chart.

“Saving Up” is one of 11 homegrown recordings in the top 100, ARIA reports, including cuts by Royel Otis, Troye Sivan, Vance Joy, Ocean Alley, FISHER with Kita Alexander and Flume with Kai.

As the calendar flips over to February, Australia finds itself in stick season.
Noah Kahan earns his first No. 1 single in Australia as “Stick Season” (via Universal) climbs 2-1 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Feb. 2. “Stick Season” gets there in its 15th week on the tally.

Last month, Kahan completed his We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour, which included dates across Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth — his first Australia trek since 2019. According to reps from Universal Music Australia, Kahan performed to more than 50,000 people on the jaunt, produced by Live Nation, and made his breakfast TV debut on Channel 7’s free-to-air Sunrise, for an in-studio performance of the hit single.

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Kahan has more to come. Next Friday, Feb. 9 sees the release of Stick Season (Forever), the “final pieces” of his release strategy, says a UMG rep, following the rollout of the Stick Season album in 2022 and, in late July 2023, Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever).

It’s mid-summer in Australia, another scorcher where heatwaves or storms are the forecast for any given day. The hottest months here never pass without an edition of Triple J’s Hottest 100 poll, which was counted down last week, and saw Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony) crowned the winner.

A string of entries in the Hottest 100 enjoy bumps on the ARIA Chart, led by “Paint The Town Red,” up 10-6.

Also, Aussie EDM producer Dom Dolla’s flashes the cash with “Saving Up” (Sony), which vaults 44-11 on the ARIA Chart. “Saving Up” came in at No. 3 on the triple j poll, which raked in 2,355,870 votes. That result is easily Dom’s highest-charting single in Australia, eclipsing the No. 32 best for “Rhyme Dust.” After blasting in at No. 4 on the Hottest 100 poll, “Rhyme Dust” reenters the ARIA Chart this week at No. 41.

G Flip had a record-breaking result as seven of their songs appeared on the Hottest 100. Less than a week later, G Flip’s former No. 1 LP Drummer (Future Classic/Universal) returns at No. 42.

There’s no moving Taylor Swift from the top of the ARIA Albums Chart, as Taylor’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) holds at No. 1 for a 13th non-consecutive week. If it logs one more week at No. 1, the latest Taylor’s Version would tie with Midnights as her longest reigning album in Australia, at 14 weeks.

According to ARIA, Swift chalks up 55 total number of weeks at No. 1 across 12 albums, starting with Speak Now in 2010.

The top debut on the albums tally is the Smile’s Wall Of Eyes (XL/Inertia), new at No. 7. It’s the second album from the Radiohead side project, following 2022’s A Light For Attracting Attention, which peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Chart.

Taylor Swift is back on Australia‘s chart throne, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) returns to the summit.
The best-selling album for 2023 in Australia, according to trade body ARIA, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) racks up its 12th non-consecutive week at the summit of the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 26.

21 Savage’s American Dream last week bumped Swift’s re-recorded LP from top spot. But the dream didn’t last. Savage’s set dips 1-7, as Swift moves back to the top, 2-1 on the latest tally.

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1989 (Taylor’s Version) is one of four TayTay albums in the top 10. With the start of the U.S. pop superstar’s The Eras Tour of Australia less than a month away, expect Swifties to keep her music at or near the top of the albums chart.

The top debut this week belongs to Green Day with Saviors, arriving at No. 2. The U.S. pop-punk trio’s 14th and latest studio album becomes their 12th top 10 album in these parts. The Rock Hall-inducted Bay Area band has topped the ARIA Chart on three occasions, with Dookie (1994), American Idiot (2004) and Father Of All Motherf—ers (2020).

Noah Kahan makes a move on both main Australian charts with Stick Season and its title track. The U.S. singer and songwriter’s album lifts 10-6, for a new peak, while “Stick Season” improves 3-2, also a new high, on the ARIA Singles Chart. Further down the singles tally, a new version of the album track “Homesick,” featuring English singer Sam Fender, bows at No. 57.

At the top of the ARIA Singles Chart is Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me,” which enters a 10th non-consecutive week at No. 1, ahead of “Stick Season” and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (up 4-3), respectively.

The Saltburn bump can be felt on the singles chart as Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s 2001 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” gains 12-7. The single, which is synced to the dark drama, peaked at No. 3 following its initial release.

U.S. singer and TikTok star Benson Boone bags a career high with “Beautiful Things,” new at No. 18, besting the “34” peak for his 2022 single “In The Stars.”

Finally, homegrown EDM DJ and producer Dom Dolla cracks the top 50 with “Saving Up.” The reigning ARIA Award-winner for best dance release, Dolla’s latest release starts at No. 44.

Taylor Swift’s long reign over Australia’s albums chart has come to an end, toppled by 21 Savage’s American Dream (via Epic/Sony).
The London-born, Atlanta-based rapper’s sixth studio album starts at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 19, for his first solo leader.

Previously, ARIA reports, Savage’s highest charting solo album was I Am > I Was, which reached No. 30 in 2018, though his collaborative albums flew into the top 10. His top chart position came with 2022’s Her Loss featuring Drake (at No. 2) and 2020’s Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin (No. 4). A handful of tracks from American Dream impact the ARIA Chart, including “Redrum” at No. 23 and “Née-Nah” (with Travis Scott and Metro Boomin) at No. 34.

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With Savage claiming the throne, Swift’s reign with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) ends at 11 successive weeks. The fourth in Swift’s re-recording projects, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the best-seller for 2023, according to year-end data published by ARIA earlier this month. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is one of five Swift titles in the ARIA top 10, a position of power that is unlikely to change anytime soon; Swifties will crank-up the listening frenzy when her The Eras Tour bounces into the market next month for seven stadium shows across Sydney and Melbourne.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Jack Harlow logs a ninth non-consecutive week at No. 1 with “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner). That’s the longest run at the top by a solo male artist — excluding collaborations and featured artists — since The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” stayed at the summit for 11 weeks in 2020. It’s worth noting, “Blinding Lights” is now recognized as the most-streamed song ever on Spotify, clocking up more than 4 billion plays across the DSP’s global network.

Ariana Grande returns to the chart with “Yes, And?” (Universal), her first solo top 40 hit in Australia in almost three years. It’s new at No. 2, her 19th top 10 single — a tally that includes four No. 1s (“No Tears Left To Cry” and “Thank U, Next” in 2018, “7 Rings” in 2019, and “Positions” in 2020).

Lifted from Grande’s forthcoming seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine (due out March 8), “Yes, And?” is Grande’s first new solo hit since “POV” peaked at No. 29 in 2021.

Two early noughts pop hits from the U.K. are rocketing up the ARIA Singles Chart, thanks to the magic of movies. Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” (Universal), blasts 25-12, following its sync to Emerald Fennell’s dark flick Saltburn. Also, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” (Sony), which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, is back in the top 20 following its inclusion in the rom-com Anyone But You. “Unwritten” reenters at No. 18, just five places below its peak position of No. 13 set back 2004.

Finally, Morgan Wallen has another notch on his chart belt as “Thinkin’ Bout Me” (Mercury/Universal) appears at No. 48 on the ARIA Chart. “Thinkin’ Bout Me” is the sixth single lifted from the country star’s chart-leading LP One Thing at a Time.

All hail Taylor Swift. That’s how Australians reacted to TayTay in 2023, as the pop superstar dominated the year-end charts.
Swift reigned supreme on the 2023 ARIA End Of Year Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 1, with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) taking out top spot.

The fourth re-recorded album from Swift’s repertoire, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) logged nine weeks at No. 1 on the national chart last year, the longest consecutive streak of any LP.

That’s just the start of Swift’s sweep. The “Shake It Off” singer bagged five of the top 10 albums in the land Down Under, including the runner-up spot with Midnights, ARIA confirms, and 10 of the top 50.

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Following a two-week stay at No. 1 in 2023, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) finishes the year at No. 7 overall; Lover is at No. 8; and the original version of 1989 is at No. 9. Also impacting the tally is Reputation (No. 11), Folklore (No. 12), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 29), Evermore (No.36) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 46).

Swift is accustomed to the high life. Midnights was No. 1 album of 2022, meaning Swift has had the best-selling album in Australia for two-straight years. A third isn’t out of the question. Swift has two more re-recorded albums in the works (though release dates haven’t been announced), and her The Eras Tour will storm into Australia in February for seven stadium shows across Sydney and Melbourne.

Canadian R&B star The Weeknd’s The Highlights completes the annual albums podium with his career retrospective, The Highlights, ahead of Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time and SZA’s SOS, respectively.

The country comeback is in full swing as Luke Combs lands three titles in the top 25: This One’s For You at No. 14, Gettin’ Old at No. 17 and What You See Ain’t Always What You Get at No. 24.

Meanwhile, U.S. artists lock-up the four best-selling singles of 2023, a list led by Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” a single that stood tall atop the ARIA Singles Chart for 12 weeks during the calendar year. Just eight songs have spent more than time at No. 1, ARIA reports. Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” remains the all-time leader, notching 24 weeks at the top in 2019-20.

Slotting in at No. 2 on the 2023 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart is country star Morgan Wallen with “Last Night,” ahead of SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” respectively, while English artist PinkPantheress finishes the year at No. 5 with “Boy’s A Liar.”

“Congratulations to all the artists who dominated 2023, but particularly to Taylor, who has completely reset the narrative for what a solo artist can accomplish,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “She is a truly once-in-a-lifetime artist, storyteller, performer and businessperson. Similarly, Miley Cyrus’ incredible achievement on the Singles Chart over the past year – solidified at No. 1 on the 2023 Singles Chart – is cause for celebration… as is women at the top of both the Singles and Albums Charts for 2023.”

The dearth of homegrown artists on both lists, however, is no cause to celebrate. Just four Australian albums cracked the top 100 this year, led by INXS hits collection The Very Best (at No. 58), and just three Australian-made singles impacted the top 100, none of which were released in 2023. The best-placed Australian recording was The Kid Laroi’s 15-times platinum 2021 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Stay.”

“It’s frustrating, but the data provided by these charts is an unbiased view of how Australian audiences consume music, and we need to use this data to understand we have a very urgent, very complex problem to solve,” adds Herd. “We need to address the damaging lack of data about contemporary music.

Help is on the way. With renewed support for Ausmusic from the federal government and various state governments, the establishment of Music Australia, Sound NSW, and the Centre for Creative Workplaces, notes Herd, the industry is optimistic that “we can change the narrative this time next year.”

Check out ARIA’s year-end singles and charts.

Taylor Swift commands Australia’s albums chart, and hits double figures at the summit as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) knocks-up week 10 at No. 1.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) is by some distance the most successful of Swift’s re-recorded albums in these parts, ARIA notes. Her previous projects, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), each spent one week in 2021, while Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) led for two weeks in 2023.

Closing out the top three is the Weeknd’s 2021 career retrospective The Highlights (Universal), up 6-2, equaling its peak position, while Swift’s 2022 studio release Midnights holds at No. 3. Close behind is Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing At A Time (Mercury/Universal), gaining 12-4.

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Swift, who brings her The Eras Tour to Sydney and Melbourne next month for seven stadium shows, produced by Frontier Touring, collects five of the top 10 album titles on the latest Australian tally.

As Christmas recordings shuffle out of the main ARIA charts, published Friday, Jan. 5, Jack Harlow is one of the beneficiaries. The Louisville artist’s latest hit “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner) enjoys new life in the new year, up 7-1 for its seventh non-consecutive week leading the ARIA Singles Chart.

There are similar rebounds for Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), up 15-2, equaling its peak position, and Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony), which ruled the national tally for 10 weeks last year and roars up the latest list, 21-3.

Also, Swift’s “Cruel Summer” heats up 24-4; “Prada” by Casso, Raye and D-Block Europe bounces 25-5 (Ministry of Sound/Sony); South African artist Tyla’s international breakthrough hit “Water” (Sony) flows 28-7, its equal best spot; and Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (Universal) improves 26-6, for a new high.

U.S. country star Zach Bryan is double trouble on the ARIA Singles Chart, with two songs in the top 10 — “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves (Universal/Warner), up 30-8, and “Something In The Orange” (Warner), up 36-10. In a sign of the strength of country music in the land Down Under, Wallen’s “Last Night” pounces 35-9.

Finally, just one new release appears in the ARIA Top 40 this time around, English producer Fred Again and U.S. rapper Baby Keem’s “leavemealone” (Atlantic/Warner), new at No. 34.

She wasn’t the queen of Christmas this year, though Mariah Carey does reign over Australia’s final chart of 2023 with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (via Columbia/Sony).

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Carey’s holiday classic lifts 2-1 to close out the festive season Down Under, leading an all-Christmas top 5 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Dec. 29.

Last week, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was pipped for the Christmas No. 1 by Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” (Atlantic/Warner). By completing its chart climb, the hit from 1994 boasts a sixth successive year reaching No. 1.

The top five on the latest tally is rounded out by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (up 5-2 via Warner/Universal), Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 4-3 via Sony), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (up 10-4 via Reprise/Warner) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 7-5 via Universal), respectively.

Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” dips 1-7, ending a six-week stint at the summit. It’s one of just two non-Christmas titles in the current ARIA Top 20, the other being Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), down 3-15.

A handful of new tracks impact the survey, all of them Christmas-themed. Among them is Cher’s “DJ Play a Christmas Song” (at No. 45 via Warner Music), which has already established chart records for the pop icon in the U.S. and U.K. Its parent LP Christmas, Cher’s 27th studio album, is the top new release of the week, opening at No. 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal) holds at No. 1 for the ninth consecutive week, extending its lead as the longest running No. 1 LP of the year in Australia.

Swift owns every title in the top 5 on the ARIA Chart, with the exception of Bublé’s double-diamond certified Christmas (Reprise/Warner), up 4-2. Count them up, Swift has seven of the top 10 albums.