While last week all eyes were on the head-to-head race between former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns and the artists of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, it looks like divine intervention has interceded, with Hillsong United claiming the week’s ARIA Albums Chart #1 spot.
As Noise11 reports, the famous mega-church’s house band unveiled their fourth studio album, Empires, last week. It quickly became the 731st #1 album in Australia, the third for the Hillsong Church, and the third Australian album to top the ARIA Charts in 2015.
Despite a comparatively lukewarm reception to his Aerial Love EP, Johns’ debut solo album, the eagerly anticipated Talk, achieved a very respectable #2 spot, no doubt bolstered by the singer’s recent Opera House appearances as part of Vivid LIVE.
Meanwhile, the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 compilation album was hot on the Silverchair frontman’s heels, coming in at #4 and completing a mighty leap up the charts from #53. The album’s current position puts it just behind the soundtrack to Pitch Perfect 2, which is sitting pretty at #3.
Moving down the ladder it’s not all soundtracks and Hillsong albums. US rapper A$AP Rocky had a strong entrance into the Australian charts, with his latest album, A.L.L.A. (At Long Last A$AP), coming in at an impressive #5.
Besides Johns, there was more action from homegrown artists with The Rules Of Attraction, the collaboration between Australian rock veteran Tim Rogers and local funk masters The Bamboos, making its debut at #26, boosted by strong airplay on Double J.
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Looking across the pond, it seems Hillsong United aren’t just popular at home. As Billboard reports, the band are on track to score their second Top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart. According to the industry bible, Empires is on course for a Top 10 debut this week.
Industry forecasters are suggesting the album could move around 50,000 equivalent album units in the US, making the church group one of Australia’s strongest sellers overseas, albeit one that is rarely talked about. The band has previously tallied 21 entires in the Billboard 200.
