Record-breaking, global pop juggernaut Tones And I debuts at #1 on this week’s ARIA Albums Chart with Welcome To The Madhouse.
The first full-length album from singer-songwriter Toni Watson comes two years after she made her first Album Chart appearance with The Kids Are Coming EP (#3 Sept. ’19). Since then, Watson has dominated charts across the globe, smashing records with ‘Dance Monkey’, whose 24-week stint at #1 in Australia was the longest ever. ‘Dance Monkey’ is also the world’s most Shazamed song and Spotify’s third most played track.
According to UK-based music admin platform, Blokur, Tones And I was the world’s top songwriter in 2020, based on works streamed on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and YouTube. She was the only Australian and only female songwriter in the Top Ten; the rest of the list being dominated by North American and British artists. Welcome To The Madhouse becomes the tenth Australian #1 album on the ARIA Charts in 2021.
Watson’s unstoppable success now continues with the highly anticipated Welcome To The Madhouse, featuring singles ‘Fly Away’ (#4 Feb. ’21) and ‘Cloudy Day’ (#31 Jul. ’21).
Tones And I says: “Wow wow wow! Thank you so much Australia for your ongoing love and support, I am blown away. I can’t bloody believe it, I will not be quitting any time soon. Haha!”
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd says: “This is an incredible result for Tones And I, and for Australian music. As the world’s number one songwriter in 2020 and after ruling the singles charts in 30 countries, Tones epitomises the unbelievable credibility of our home-grown recording industry. The chart-topping Welcome to the Madhouse continues an incredible string of successes that we are proud to champion.”
American singer-songwriter John Mayer returns to the chart with Sob Rock, his first album in four years. The follow-up to The Search For Everything (#5 Apr. ’17) is Mayer’s eighth studio album and becomes is seventh release to hit the ARIA Top Ten. John Mayer has his #1 with the albums Born And Raised (#1 Jun. ’12) and Paradise Valley (#1 Sept. ’13). Sob Rock tops this week’s ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart.
The late rapper Pop Smoke scores his second Top Ten album as he hits the chart at #4 with his second posthumous album, Faith. Coming a year on from Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon (#1 Jul. ’20), the album includes a host of guest contributors including Kanye West, Pusha T, The Neptunes, Rick Ross, Quavo, Dua Lipa and Kid Cudi.
British hip hop artist and YouTuber KSI takes out his second Top Ten album in just over a year as he releases second album, All Over The Place. The follow-up to Dissimulation (#4 Jun. ’20) includes the single ‘Holiday’ (#24 Jun. ’21) and guest appearances by the likes of Future, 21 Savage, Yungblud, Polo G, Anne-Marie and Craig David.
ARIA Award-winner Nick Murphy returns to his most famous moniker, releasing the second Chet Faker album, Hotel Surrender. Between Built On Glass (#1 Apr. ’14) and the new release, Murphy put out two albums under his own name: Run Fast Sleep Naked (2019) and Music for Silence (2020). He announced his return to the Chet Faker name in October 2020.
Diesel pays tribute to blues greats of the past with 15th studio album, Alone With Blues. It’s his second album in under a year, following Sunset Suburbia (#10 Sept. ’20). Featuring a mix of originals and covers of tracks by John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon, among others, Diesel played everything on the album himself.
American rockers the Foo Fighters take out their second chart entry for 2021 as they debut at #31 with Hail Satin. Released under the name Dee Gees, the album first hit shelves on 17 July for Record Store Day, before being released digitally two days later. It consists of five disco covers on its a-side - four originally by the Bee Gees and one originally by their brother Andy Gibb - and five live versions of songs from the Foo Fighters' album Medicine At Midnight (#1 Feb. ’21) on its b-side.
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