australia
Page: 5
Morgan Wallen’s name is now etched in the ARIA history books as “Last Night” (via Republic/Universal) enters week eight at No. 1. “Last Night” holds top spot on the latest Australian singles chart, published June 2, making it the longest reigning leader by a male American country singer since the ARIA Charts launched in 1983. It beats by a week Billy Ray Cyrus’ seven-week stint at the top with “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992.Taylor Swift gets some good karma on the ARIA Charts, following the release of Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) (via Universal), which returns to No. 1. Swifties have been obsessing over the fresh cut of “Karma,” which features Ice Spice and flies 59-2 for a new chart peak, besting its No. 9 high from 2022. It’s one of several album tracks on the rise, including “Snow on The Beach,” which features additional lyrics from Lana Del Rey and reenters at No. 12; while “Hits Different” impacts the chart for the first time at No. 16. Dua Lipa shuffles into the top 40 with “Dance The Night,” lifted from the Barbie soundtrack. It’s new at No. 22 for her 21st top 50 single in Australia, a streak that dates back to “Be The One,” which reached No. 6 in 2015, ARIA reports.Also impacting the chart for the first time is “America Has a Problem” by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar, a remix of a cut from Bey’s chart-topping album from 2022, Renaissance. It’s new at No. 32. Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Swift’s Midnights returns to the summit, up 7-1, for its first stint in the penthouse since February of this year. Midnights has now logged 13th non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. Matchbox Twenty lights up the tally with Where The Light Goes (Atlantic/Warner), their fifth studio album. It’s new at No. 2 for the week’s highest debut. Thanks to Swift, the U.S. group misses out on extending its streak of No. 1s. They’ve landed four thus far, with Yourself Or Someone Like You (1996), Mad Season (2000), career retrospective Exile On Mainstream (2007) and North, their most recent studio album from 2012.Rockabilly “supergroup” the Barnestormers complete the podium with their self-titled set, new at No. 3 with the debut of their self-titled album (via Mushroom Group’s Bloodlines, distributed by Universal Music Australia). The Barnestormers features Jimmy Barnes on vocals, the Living End’s Chris Cheney on guitar, Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom on drums, producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley on bass, and Squeeze keyboardist and broadcaster Jools Holland.Close behind is Sydney indie band Boy & Bear, which bows at No. 4 with their eponymously titled fifth album (through UNFD/Orchard). It’s the fourth top 5 appearance for the ARIA Award winners, a run that includes No. 1s for 2013’s Harlequin Dream and 2015’s Limit Of Love.Finally, Tina Turner proves she’s still simply the best, as Aussies remember the U.S. R&B legend by returning to her greatest hits. “The Best” (Rhino/Warner), which soundtracked Turner’s campaigns for Australia’s professional rugby league, reenters at No. 29 on the singles survey after peaking at No. 4 in 1989 (a duet with Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes, which also appeared in a league campaign, hit No. 14 in 1992). Her signature comeback song “What’s Love Got To Do With It” returns at No. 84, while a string of her albums enjoy sales and streaming spikes: All The Best (up 28-17), Private Dancer (reentering at No. 53) Tina! (No. 58). Turner passed away May 24, aged 83.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Lewis Capaldi wouldn’t be denied his first No. 1 in Australia, as Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent blasts to the summit.
The Scottish singer and songwriter’s sophomore album eclipses the No. 7 best for his debut Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent from 2019. Platinum-certified Divinely Uninspired bounces 34-30 this week in its 210th cycle on the survey.
Coming in at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart, published May 26, is John Farnham’s Finding The Voice (Wheatley Records / Sony Music Australia), the soundtrack to the documentary of the same name.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Finding The Voice becomes the legendary Australian singer’s 20th top 10 album in Australia.
The documentary, like its companion album, is a hit. In the weeks following its release May 18 through Sony Pictures, Finding the Voice was confirmed as the best-selling theatrical release of an Australian music documentary.
Farnham is accustomed to life at or near the top of the charts. His blockbuster 1986 album Whispering Jack spending 25 weeks at No. 1, and is the highest selling album by an Australian act, shifting more than 1.6 million copies. Today, it’s certified 24-times platinum.
He also led the albums tally with Age Of Reason (1988), Chain Reaction (1990), Then Again… (1993), Highlights From The Main Event with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow (1998), 33 1/3 (2000), The Last Time (2002), Highlights from Two Strong Hearts: Live (2015) and Friends For Christmas, both with Olivia Newton-John (2016).
Farnham has been in the headlines due to poor health. The ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted singer underwent major surgery last year to remove a cancerous growth on his throat, and subsequently endured a stint in hospital as he battled a chest infection.
Completing an all-new top three is Sleep Token’s third album, Take Me Back To Eden (Spinefarm/Inertia). It’s new at No. 3 for the British rock band’s first appearance on the ARIA Chart, while Ed Sheeran‘s latest, Subtract (Atlantic/Warner), dips 1-4.
Also cracking the top 10 on debut is South Coast, Australian indie band The Vanns with their second album Last Of Your Kind (Upper River Records/AWAL), new at No. 8, for their first impression on the tally.
Adelaide alternative rock band Bad//Dreems starts at No. 10 with Hoo Ha! (BMG/ADA).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Morgan Wallen logs a seventh week at No. 1 with “Last Night” (Republic/Universal).
Finally, Lana Del Rey secures the top debut with her recently unearthed recording from 2012, “Say Yes To Heaven” (Interscope/Universal), new at No. 20, while Australia’s pop princess Kylie Minogue scores her 49th top 50 single with “Padam Padam” (Liberation), new at No. 39.
Ed Sheeran holds off The Amity Affliction on Australia’s albums survey, as Subtract (via Atlantic/Warner) starts a second week at No. 1.
With the British singer and songwriter’s latest chart feat, he racks-up 44 weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart across his full-length six albums, all of them best-sellers.
Heavy stuff is close behind. Homegrown metalcore group The Amity Affliction open at No. 2 with Not Without My Ghosts (Warner), their eighth studio effort.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The hard rockers this year celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and now boast seven top 10 appearances, including four ARIA No. 1s: Chasing Ghosts (from 2012), Let The Ocean Take Me (2014), This Could Be Heartbreak (2016) and Misery (2018). In the decade from 2010, the Gympie, Queensland heavyweights amassed five ARIA Award nominations, though none culminated in a pointed trophy.
Completing the podium on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, published May 19, is Taylor Swift’s former leader Midnights (Universal), up 4-3.
Further down the list, veteran Australian artist Kate Ceberano debuts at No. 6 with My Life Is A Symphony (ABC/Orchard), a collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. It’s Ceberano’s 17th ARIA top 50 album, according to the trade body, and seventh top 10, including 1989’s Brave, which peaked at No. 2.
Legendary local rockers Midnight Oil cook up a 17th ARIA top 10 with Live at the Old Lion, Adelaide (MGM), new at No. 7. Peter Garrett and Co. have led the ARIA Chart with seven titles: Red Sails In the Sunset (1984), Species Deceases (1985), Diesel and Dust (1987), Blue Sky Mining (1990), 20,000 Watt R.S.L. (1997), The Makarrata Project (2020) and Resist (2022).
The Eurovision Song Contest is done for the year, though the music lives on. A collection from the 67th annual event, The Eurovision Song Contest Liverpool 2023 (Universal), debuts at No. 15 on the albums tally. The compilation includes Australia’s representative for the 2023 Eurovision, Voyager with “Promise.” The plucky pop-rock outfit from Perth finished ninth in the annual competition, held last Saturday (May 13) at Liverpool’s M&S Arena.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Morgan Wallen clocks up a sixth consecutive week at No. 1 with “Last Night” (via Republic/Universal). It’s now just one frame from matching the seven weeks Billy Ray Cyrus logged at No. 1 with “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992, a record for a single by a male American country singer here since the official ARIA Charts were launched in 1983.
“Last Night” leads an unchanged top three, closed out by Fifty Fifty’s “The Beginning: Cupid” (Warner) and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony), respectively.
The top debut belongs to New York City-based drill rapper Lil Mabu with “Mathematical Disrespect” (Independent) new at No. 21. Lil Durk‘s “All My Life” (Sony) featuring J. Cole isn’t far behind; it debuts at No. 23.
Falls Festival, one of Australia’s top touring fests, will skip its 2023/24 edition.
Secret Sounds, the Live Nation-affiliated producers of Falls Festival, announced Wednesday (May 17) that the annual event would not go ahead this December and next January in either of its three locations – Melbourne, Byron Bay and Fremantle.
“After an impressive 28 years ringing in the New Year with some of the world’s biggest acts, the Falls team are today switching on their OOOs and taking this New Years’ season off to rest, recover and recalibrate,” read a statement posted to social media.
It’s the third time in the past four years the event has been nixed, after the 2020 and 2021 events were scrapped due to the pandemic.
Falls is one of the hottest tickets on the calendar, and, in a typical year, is held during the summer holiday with legs in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
A long-running show at Marion Bay in Tasmania was officially discontinued during the health crisis, and organizers last year walked away from ambitions to host a Falls Birregurra in Murroon, country Victoria, citing a time-consuming and expensive application process. The pre-NYE event went ahead at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, with Arctic Monkeys and Lil Nas X among the headliners.
“We send huge love and appreciation to all our patrons for their ongoing support and for the great vibes they brought to the 2022/23 events,” the Falls statement continues. “You really are the heart and soul of Falls Festival, and we look forward to updating you with our plans when the time is right.”
Spearheaded by Jess Ducrou and Paul Piticco, Falls Music & Arts Festival originated in 1993 as a one-day concert in Lorne, Tasmania under the banner Rock Above The Falls. In the years since, the likes of Iggy Pop, Jack Johnson, Billy Bragg, the Black Keys, Blondie and many more have graced its stages.
Nothing and no one can stop Ed Sheeran from reigning over the Australian albums chart with – (subtract via Atlantic/Warner).
The English singer and songwriter sprints to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published May 12, for a perfect six-from-six leaders in these parts. The chart summit is a familiar place for Sheeran. In his career to date, he has logged a total of 43 weeks at No. 1.
The final album in Sheeran’s mathematics-themed collection, subtract follows + (plus) in 2012, X (multiply) in 2014, ÷ (divide) in 2017, No. 6 Collaborations Project in 2019, and = (equals) in 2019 by going all the way to the top. Sheeran has a seemingly unbreakable bond with Australia. When his – = ÷ x Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour) passed through earlier in the year, the Brit established multiple records. With 105,000 tickets sold for a concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he set the new mark for attendance at a ticketed concert. He shattered his own record the following night, with 109,500 tickets sold.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The “Shape of You” singer also holds the all-time record for tickets sold on a single tour, set when his 2018 Divide tour, produced by Frontier Touring, passed the one million milestone for the first time. Meanwhile, homegrown indie band Pacific Avenue flourishes with Flowers (BMG/ADA), the Gerringong four-piece’s full length debut LP, new at No. 3.Rapper Big Twisty (real name: Dom Littrich) says a top 3 start “is probably the most surreal feeling we have felt yet since starting Pacific Avenue in 2017. I remember growing up and hearing about top 10 ARIA albums and seeing all of my idols named among the list.”Following a lap of the country for the World Is A Vampire festival with Jane’s Addiction, Amyl & The Sniffers, and others, the Smashing Pumpkins debut at No. 5 with ATUM (Orchard), the final part of a rock trilogy.Further down the list, Australian country artist Brad Cox bows at No. 7 with Acres (Sony), his third album. That’s a new peak and a first-ever top 10 appearance for Cox, besting the No. 12 peak for 2020’s My Mind’s Projection. Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (Republic/Universal) locks up a fifth consecutive week at No. 1.With subtract dominating the albums chart, a string of tracks from it, and earlier Sheeran works, impact the singles survey. “Eyes Closed,” the first release from the new LP, lifts 21-7, while “Curtains” opens at No. 24 — the highest debut on the latest frame. That’s Sheeran’s 66th appearance in the top 100, ARIA reports.Elsewhere, “Shivers” improves 24-22, “Bad Habits” gains 46-40, “Boat” rides up the chart 99-48, 2017’s “Perfect” lifts 60-55, 2014’s “Thinking Out Loud” reenters at No. 79, and his monster hit from 2017 “Shape Of You” returns at No. 81.
He might be sidelined from his U.S. tour, citing doctor-ordered vocal rest, but Morgan Wallen is the talk of Australia right now.
For the very first time, Wallen has a chart double in the land Down Under.
The country star’s hit “Last Night” (Republic/Universal) holds at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart for the third straight week, while its parent One Thing At A Time (Mercury/Universal) returns to the summit of the national albums survey for a second, non-consecutive week.
Wallen, who recently completed a tour of Australia, produced by Frontier Touring, becomes the first male American country singer to achieve the chart double in more than three decades, ARIA reports.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The last was Billy Ray Cyrus, back in October 1992 when he ruled with his hit single “Achy Breaky Heart” and the album Some Gave All.
In his homeland, Wallen is facing a fair amount of backlash for scrapping a stadium show in Oxford, Mississippi at the last minute, then wiping a week of shows, citing those health issues. There were no such problems on his six-date run of arena and festival shows here last month.
Staying with the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, April 28, Metallica’s 72 Seasons (down 1-2 via Universal) and Taylor Swift’s Midnights (unchanged at No. 3 via Universal) complete the podium, respectively.
There’s a new arrival at No. 4 for D-DAY (BigHit Entertainment), the debut solo album from BTS’ Suga, released under his other stage name Agust D. Suga’s 2020 mixtape D-2 peaked at No. 2 in these parts.
Animated Aussie kid’s TV star Bluey fetches another No. 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Dance Mode! (Rkt/Orchard). It’s new at No. 7. The international phenomenon led the chart in 2021 with Bluey The Album and went on to win best children’s album at the ARIA Awards of that year.
After scooping a string of RIAA “Diamond” certifications, and releasing a greatest hits album to celebrate the achievement, Post Malone makes a sparkling chart appearance. The U.S. singer and rapper’s The Diamond Collection (Republic/Universal), which gathers eight of his most popular numbers, plus his new pop cut “Chemical,” starts at No. 16 on the ARIA Chart. It’s his fifth top 20 appearance on the tally, including two leaders with Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) and Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019).
With Wallen reclaiming the top spot on the singles chart, TikTok star David Kushner makes his first appearance in the top five with viral number “Daylight” (Virgin/Universal), up 6-5, while ascendant K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty enjoys a fresh high with “The Beginning: Cupid” (Warner), up 9-6.
The highest entry on the latest chart belongs to The Weeknd and Future, with “Double Fantasy” (Universal). It’s new at No 9, giving The Weeknd two top 10 hits on the latest survey (“Die For You” is down 5-7), and his eighth top 10 hit in Australia across his career. “Double Fantasy” represents Future’s second ARIA top 10.
Dance music reigned at the 2023 APRA Music Awards at Sydney ICC, where Flume and Rüfüs Du Sol scooped several of the industry’s top honors.
With a swag of Grammys, ARIAs and APRAs to his credit, Flume (real name: Harley Streten) is no stranger to awards nights. The producer and DJ was at it again Thursday (April 27), as “Say Nothing” featuring MAY-A won the peer-voted APRA song of the year, the evening’s coveted category.
Flume (in 2017) and co-writer Sarah Aarons (2019) have previously taken out songwriter of the year at the APRA Awards.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Accepting his latest trophy via a pre-recorded Zoom, Flume pointed out the clubby hit was created through the wonders of technology, as the world’s borders shut fast.
“This song came about during COVID,” he explained. “We were in different places – Sarah was in London, I was in Byron (Bay) and we were just kind of sending stuff back and forth.”
The song, which came in at No. 1 in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown in January, and is lifted from Flume’s full-length album Palaces, was “done from all corners of the globe,” he continued, “in all different cities and ram shackled together to be something that has obviously connected with people – we’re really grateful to make something that does that.”
Making songs “during COVID was definitely hard,” added Aarons, “and we definitely had a bit of a COVID connection as some would say.”
This time, the songwriter of the year category went to Jonathon George, James Hunt and Tyrone Lindqvist, who together perform as Rüfüs Du Sol. The EDM trio also snagged most performed dance / electronic work for “On My Knees.” Though Rüfüs Du Sol has led the ARIA Albums Chart with three of their four studio album, and won a Grammy Award in 2022, this brace represents their first-ever APRA Music Award wins.
Songwriter of the year “is a pretty ridiculous accolade to get,” enthused Lindqvist in a pre-taped thank-you from South America, where the act is on tour. “We feel really blessed and grateful we can get the nod from the room and everyone in Australia. There’s so much talent coming out of Australia and there has been for as long as music’s been around.”Sydney-raised, Los Angeles-based singer and rapper The Kid LAROI extended his winning streak at the APRAs, as his global hit “Stay,” co-written and performed with Just Bieber, won for most performed Australian work for 2023, and most performed pop work.Unlike his contemporaries, the Kid (real name: Charlton Howard) didn’t prepare an acceptance video, with organizers pointing out he’d lost his voice after performing over two weekends for Coachella Festival.Also on the night, Zambia-born rapper and two-time Australian Music Prize winner Sampa the Great was named breakthrough songwriter of the year by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.In a taped piece to camera, Sama noted that September 2022 release As Above, So Below is her first album “done fully in my home country Zambia. It also happens to be the first album I have my first producer credits, so this is very special to me. I choose to share my culture. I choose to share stories from my country, and I choose to share them in my language with this album and I’m thankful for APRA for recognising and appreciating that.”
Other APRAs winners included Miiesha, The Chats, Tones And I, Casey Barnes, Xavier Rudd and others. The highlight of the ceremony, however, belonged to Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and the late concerts pioneer Colleen Ironside, both of whom were inducted with the Ted Albert Award for outstanding service to the Australian music industry – arguably the most prestigious award on the industry calendar. It was the first time in the APRAs’ 41-year history that the Ted Albert Award had been bestowed to two individuals.
Legendary concert promoter Michael Chugg was on hand to induct his good friend Ironside with a tribute that was both hilarious and touching, while Hay was introduced by his long-time friend Kim Gyngell, the Australian comedy actor, and via video messages from collaborator Ringo Starr and actor Zach Braff. Hay put the icing on the cake with a speech that poked fun at the Australian vernacular, included a poem on the experience of climbing the summit of pop music, insights on turning failure into victory, songwriting, and a remembrance to his late bandmate Greg Ham. The APRAs found the perfect note to finish on, with indigenous indie-rock outfit King Stingray performing “Down Under,” which they had previously recorded for a national tourism campaign. Hay joined the band on stage, with an acoustic guitar, for the most-Australian musical moment you’re likely to see in this or any other year.See the full list of winners below:
Peer-Voted APRA Song of the YearTitle: Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A)Artist: FlumeWriters: Flume* / Sarah AaronsPublishers: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Future Classic* / Sony Music Publishing
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian MusicColin HayColleen Ironside
Songwriter of the YearRÜFÜS DU SOLJonathon George / James Hunt / Tyrone LindqvistPublisher: Kobalt Music Publishing
Breakthrough Songwriter of the YearSampa the GreatPublisher: Kobalt Music Publishing
Most Performed Australian WorkTitle: STAYArtist: The Kid LAROI & Justin BieberWriters: The Kid LAROI / Justin Bieber* / Isaac De Boni# / Omer Fedi* / Magnus Hoiberg^ /Michael Mule# / Charlie Puth+ / Subhaan Rahman^ / Blake Slatkin*Publishers: Sony Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing* /Warner Chappell Music^ / Kobalt Music Publishing+ / Concord Music Publishing#
Most Performed Alternative WorkTitle: HurtlessArtist: Dean LewisWriters: Dean Lewis / Jon Hume*Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing*
Most Performed Blues & Roots WorkTitle: We Deserve To DreamArtist: Xavier RuddWriter: Xavier RuddPublisher: Sony Music Publishing
Most Performed Country WorkTitle: God Took His Time On YouArtist: Casey BarnesWriters: Casey Barnes / Kaci Brown* / Samuel Gray*Publishers: Mushroom Music / Kobalt Music Publishing*
Most Performed Dance/Electronic WorkTitle: On My KneesArtist: RÜFÜS DU SOLWriters: Jonathon George / James Hunt / Tyrone Lindqvist / Jason Evigan*Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*
Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap WorkTitle: LET’S TROT!Artist: Brothers & Joel FletcherWriters: Brothers / Joel Fletcher*Publisher: 120 Publishing*
Most Performed Pop WorkTitle: STAYArtist: The Kid LAROI & Justin BieberWriters: The Kid LAROI / Justin Bieber* / Isaac De Boni# / Omer Fedi* / Magnus Hoiberg^ /Michael Mule# / Charlie Puth+ / Subhaan Rahman^ / Blake Slatkin*Publishers: Sony Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing* /Warner Chappell Music^ / Kobalt Music Publishing+ / Concord Music Publishing#
Most Performed R&B / Soul WorkTitle: Still DreamArtist: MiieshaWriters: Miiesha* / Lucy Blomkamp* / Stephen CollinsPublisher: Sony Music Publishing*
Most Performed Rock WorkTitle: Struck By LightningArtist: The ChatsWriters: Matthew Boggis / Joshua Hardy / Eamon SandwithPublisher: Universal Music Publishing
Most Performed Australian Work OverseasTitle: Dance MonkeyArtist: Tones And IWriter: Tones And IPublishers: Kobalt Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Most Performed International WorkTitle: As It WasArtist: Harry StylesWriters: Harry Styles / Thomas Hull / Tyler Johnson*Publishers: Universal Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing*
Licensee of the YearTriple M
Morgan Wallen is the new king of Australia’s singles survey.
The U.S. country star bags his first leader on the ARIA Singles Chart with “Last Night” (Republic Records/Universal), which lifts 2-1, emulating its parent album One Thing At A Time, which hit the summit last month and currently lifts 4-3.
Prior to “Last Night,” Wallen’s chart best in these parts was a No. 20 peak for “You Proof” in 2022; “You Proof” dips 23-27 on the current tally.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
With Wallen at the throne, Miley Cyrus’ unbroken reign with “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) comes to an end at 12 weeks. That’s impressive, but still some way off the 24-week non-consecutive reign of Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” the all-time leader.
“Flowers” dips 1-2 on the latest chart, published April 14, while PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a liar” (Parlophone/Warner) holds at No. 3.
The highest new entry belongs to Drake, as “Search & Rescue” (Republic/Universal) bows at No. 8. Just one other cut debuts in the top 50 on the latest frame, NLE Choppa’s “S**t Me Out” (Warner), rising 105-48.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, homegrown queer pop band Cub Sport pounces to No. 1 with Jesus At The Gay Bar (Believe).
It’s the first No. 1 and second ARIA top 10 album for the Brisbane outfit. “We’ve been a band for over a decade and to achieve our first #1 record with our fifth album is incredible,” reads a statement from the four-piece. “So proud of the four of us for the years of hard work and for building to this moment as a self-managed and independent band. Above all, we’re so grateful to our beautiful fans – thank you so much for making this dream come true!”
Adds ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd: “Cub Sport are an incredible home-grown act who absolutely deserve to be celebrated. Congratulations to the band and their team for an incredible triumph, particularly as an independent band. All of us at ARIA are thrilled to be welcoming another Australian album to the top of the charts.”
Jesus At The Gay Bar shimmies past Hope (Capitol/Universal), the fifth studio album from Michigan-born, singer, songwriter and producer NF. It’s new at No. 2. That’s a career best for NF (real name: Nathan John Feuerstein), bettering the No. 3 peak for The Search in 2019, and the No. 5 for his mixtape Clouds in 2021.
Further down the tally, the Linkin Park’s sophomore album Meteora (Warner) impacts the top 10, at No. 8, thanks to a 20th anniversary reissue, which features previously-unreleased works including vocals from the late frontman Chester Bennington. Meteora originally peaked at No. 2 in 2003 and has been certified four-times platinum, ARIA reports.
Finally, Aussie punk rock outfit Frenzal Rhomb just miss out on a top 10 berth with The Cup Of Pestilence (Virgin/Universal), their 10th studio effort. It’s new at No. 1 on the all-genres albums chart, and it’s the best-seller on wax this cycle.
Colin Hay, the singer, songwriter and frontman of beloved Australian rock group Men At Work, and the late trailblazing tour promoter Colleen Ironside are this year’s recipients of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2023 APRA Music Awards, to be held April 27 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land.
Hay will be on hand to receive his circular trophy, recognition for a stellar career that launched in the early ‘80s with Men At Work’s hit debut album Business As Usual, and its standout single “Down Under.”
It was a dream breakthrough, the type few acts have done before or since, as the single and its parent topped simultaneously topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and the group went on to win the Grammy Award for best new artist.
“Who Can It Be Now” logged a single week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and “Down Under” would climb the summit later that year, holding top spot for four weeks. Today, the latter song has passed more than one billion streams across all platforms, and is treasured as Australia’s unofficial anthem.
“Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake” both hit the top 10 on the Hot 100, “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive” cracked the top 40 (at No. 28). Followup LP Cargo peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The band called it quits in 1985, but the music lives on. Career record sales top 30 million, according to APRA.
This award is “for outstanding services to Australian Music,” notes Hay in a statement. “I think services is the key word here. It’s important to realise at some point in your life that it is a valuable thing to be of service. To be of some use.”
Hay’s music would be introduced to new generations through Scrubs and Garden State, and he continues to tour, both as a solo artist and as a guitarist in Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. “Down Under” has been revisited in recent years with a hit drum ‘n’ bass cut by DJ Luude, and by award-winning Yolŋu surf rockers King Stingray.
Speaking to Billboard over Zoom from Sacramento, CA, Hay admits “Down Under” is “very dear to me. When I wrote the song, I had a lot of fear and trepidation about Australia becoming overdeveloped, like you know, Florida or something,” the Scottish-born artist notes, “and on the other side of the coin, there was this beautiful uniqueness and incredible — a kind of awesomeness — of the country which I thought, ‘we don’t want to lose that’. We have to nurture, it’s a precious thing we have.”
Also at the APRAs, Ironside will be posthumously saluted for a career during which she set the groundwork for a pan-Asian touring network and producing scores of tours in the region.
Ironside, who died in 2022, is equally remembered for her force-of-nature personality.
The concerts giant cut her teeth as a booking agent for the Harbour Premier Agency in Sydney, Australia. She went out on her own, establishing and running APA Booking Agency, which booked INXS, Ratcat, James Reyne, Jenny Morris, Wendy Matthews and Def FX for Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
In 1994, Frontier Touring recruited Ironside as head of its Asia division, where she managed tours by Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Tom Jones and others. In 1999, she established Live Limited and toured the Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, Sting and other titans of rock and pop music.
Later, in 2005, she began a five-year stint with Live Nation as senior VP of bookings in Pan-Asia, before reviving Live Limited, through which she promoted Janet Jackson in Hong Kong, Bruno Mars in Malaysia and Bob Dylan in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“Colleen championed Australian songwriters and artists and created live music pathways into Asia with a business acumen that was years ahead of her peers,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO, APRA AMCOS.
And Hay “is a songwriter of the highest level and with the biggest heart, whose songs continue to connect and hit No. 1 on the charts. We look forward to honoring them with the Ted Albert Award at this year’s APRA Music Awards”.
The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest accolades, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.
Previous recipients include Paul Kelly, the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, Slim Dusty, The Seekers and last year’s recipient The Wiggles.
In other APRA Music Awards news, the most performed international work has been awarded to global smash “As It Was” by Harry Styles, with co-writers Thomas Hull and Tyler Johnson). Universal Music Publishing and Concord Music Publishing are publishers.
As previously reported, Grammy Award winners Flume and Rufus Du Sol are among the artists and songwriters scoring multiple nominations for this year’s ceremony.
Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s favorite events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.
The special moments in the APRAs program includes the performance of those song of the year nominees, often completely reimagined by another star from Australia’s music scene.
For more information visit the APRA website.
U.K.-based, Sydney-formed Aussie rock act Gang Of Youths, and singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tash Sultana were among the big winners Tuesday night (April 4) at the 2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Sultana was on hand to the receive the Rolling Stone Global Award at Sydney’s The Argyle. “I’ll keep it short and sweet, just like me,” they quipped.
The “Jungle” singer enters the next phase of their career with a fresh indie-pop single “James Dean,” the first through a new deal with Kobalt. Sultana already owns an ARIA Award for 2018’s Flow State (for best blues & roots album), an LP that peaked at No. 2 in Australia, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.
Gang Of Youths scooped best record, for the band’s Angel in Realtime, which blasted to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in March 2022, their second leader.
Frontman Dave Le’aupepe delivered a pre-recorded thank-you to the packed house. “Most of all I want to thank youse back in Australia for caring about a record that was made entirely to serve the memory of my father. This is for my dad as well, who taught me how to live,” he explained.
Sydney indie act Lime Cordiale won the Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award, with frontman Oli Leimbach collecting the spoils. “Thanks everyone, I thought we were up for ‘Most Popular’ award, but that’s okay,” he quipped. “This is crazy, we’re really stoked, thanks everyone for everything.”
Also on the night, Perth indie-rockers Spacey Jane nabbed the best single honor for “Hardlight,” lifted from the band’s ARIA No. 1 studio album Here Comes Everybody, and the No. 3 ranked song in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown of 2022.
Golden-voiced singer Budjerah took home best new artist, adding to a collection that includes an APRA Music Award and the coveted Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist ARIA Award.
The evening, however, belonged to Tina Arena, the living legend who was named as the inaugural recipient of the Rolling Stone Icon Award.
Introducing Arena to the stage, the Brag Media’s editor-in-chief Poppy Reid remarked: “Tina Arena is one of Australia’s highest-selling artists, she’s a once-in-a-generation talent, but more than that, she is an icon for young people everywhere.”
She added, “Her work comes from a place of love, it comes from obsession, and it shows in everything she does. From her music, to her activism, her feminism, her allyship and the way she fights the sickness in our society around ageism, to her using her platform to lift others up. She’s an inspiration to me and everyone I know.”
Arena’s rousing speech was both hilarious and biting, as she took time to thank those who deserved a shout out, and shouted out those ageists and misogynists who continue to hold-back female artists.
“I’ve never been one to conform to stereotypes, or expectations. I’m not interested in being cool,” she said. “I won’t toe the line. I tell it like it is. I’m true to my internal compass, because authenticity is an absolute must for me. I sing from the heart, and I write from the depths of my soul. It resonates with some people, because some people are craving what is ultimately real. They’re craving truth in a world filled with absolute bullshit.”
She continued, “As artists, we have a huge responsibility to do our job with integrity. We must not confirm. We must not allow the powers that be to manipulate and use the arts to push their own agendas. An artist’s job, in my own humble opinion, is to lift people up, to inspire change and empathy. It’s not to be the mouthpiece for different social and political propaganda.”
Arena’s Icon status is well-deserved. Her 12-strong catalogue of studio album (including three recorded in the French language) have sold 10 million combined copies, and yielded seven ARIA Awards including the album of the year honor for her 1995 hit Don’t Ask, a category no other solo female artist had won at the time.
Don’t Ask was the highest-selling album of 1995 in Australia and, with more than 1 million domestic sales, and to this day is one of the biggest-selling albums by an Australian female singer.
She’s venerated in her adopted homeland, France, where she was awarded one of country’s highest civil decorations, the Ordre national du Mérite (French Order of Merit), for her contribution to the arts, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Arena delivered the highlight of the RS Awards with Budjerah for a surprise duet to “Chains,” a hit from Don’t Ask.
2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards Winners:
Rolling Stone Icon Award
Winner: Tina Arena
Best Single
Winner: Spacey Jane – “Hardlight”
Amy Shark – “Only Wanna Be With You”
Budjerah – “Ready for the Sky”
Courtney Barnett – “Rae Street”
Keith Urban – “Brown Eyes Baby”
Ruel – “Growing up is ___”
The Kid LAROI – “Thousand Miles”
Vance Joy – “Clarity”
Best New Artist
Winner: Budjerah
Blake Rose
Eliza & The Delusionals
Forest Claudette
James Johnston
Lara D
Merci, Mercy
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
Best Record
Winner: Gang of Youths – angel in realtime
5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure
Parkway Drive – Darker Still
Spacey Jane – Here Comes Everybody
The Wiggles – ReWiggled
Thelma Plum – Meanjin
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time
Rolling Stone Global Award
Winner: Tash Sultana
Alison Wonderland
Gang Of Youths
Iggy Azalea
Keith Urban
Kylie Minogue
Rüfüs Du Sol
The Wiggles
Tones And I
Troye Sivan
Vance Joy
Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award
Winner: Lime Cordiale
Boy & Bear
CXLOE
Daniel Johns
Ruby Fields
San Cisco
Teenage Dads
The Chats
The Wiggles
Tones And I