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.
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.
