AC/DC are always hard to beat. As it turned out, nothing could stand in their way as Power Up charges straight to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The iconic Aussie rock outfit now have a sixth chart leader in their homeland, and they set a unique record as the only Australian group to have No. 1 albums at least once over five decades.
AC/DC topped Australia’s albums chart in the pre-ARIA era with Back In Black back in March 1981, then during the ARIA era (1983 onwards) with Live (November 1992), Ballbreaker (October 1995), Black Ice (October 2008) and Rock Or Bust (December 2014).
With six No. 1s, they draw equal with Hilltop Hoods for the most leaders among Australian groups.
On hearing the news, founding guitarist Angus Young commented, “A very big thank you to Denis (Handlin), and all at Sony Music Australia, and everyone else in Australia who’ve put in their time, effort and creativity to get PWR/UP to No. 1. Also a big shout out to all our fans, old and new. You are, and always have been, our guiding inspiration.”
It’s the 16th homegrown No. 1 album on the ARIA Charts in 2020, and Power Up this week powers all the way to No. 1 in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere.
Also new to the ARIA albums survey is Delta Goodrem’s Only Santa Knows, at No. 5. The holiday themed LP features 11 covers and two originals and is Delta’s first studio set in four years. The Sydney pop artist will host the 2020 ARIA Awards this Wednesday (Nov. 25), and she’s just announced a national arena tour for next April and May.
Also, Sydney hip-hop outfit Onefour make their ARIA Albums Chart debut with Against All Odds, new at No. 7, while homegrown roots artists Josh Teskey and Ash Grunwald are close behind with Push The Blues Away, new at No. 8.
Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu makes first Top 10 appearance in seven years with Jolly Holiday, new at No. 10.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, 24kGoldn’s “Mood” featuring Iann Dior enters a sixth week at No. 1, following the release of a remix featuring Justin Bieber and J Balvin. Billie Eilish has the week’s highest debut with “Therefore I Am,” new at No. 3. It’s the Californian teen singer’s eighth career Top 5 single in Australia. Eilish will perform the song “Therefore I Am” from Los Angeles for the ARIA Awards.
Finally, Tones And I impacts the Top 50 with “Fly Away,” her third chart entry of the year.
It’s new at No. 21. At the 2020 ARIA Awards, Tones And I is nominated for song of the year, best female artist and best video. Earlier in the year, she shattered the record for the longest streak atop the chart for any artist, as her hit “Dance Monkey” cruised to 24 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1.