News September 27, 2017

ARIA Predictions: The Killers & Macklemore to duke it out on the Albums Chart

Charts & New Music Editor

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With their first studio album in five years, UK post-punk revivalists The Killers’ are tipped to blast to the top of the ARIA Albums Chart. They’ve been there once before when debut album Hot Fuss hit the summit in 2004. Now, the group’s latest effort Wonderful Wonderful will look to better previous album Battle Born’s #2 peak.

Macklemore’s second full-length LP Gemini, the first without Ryan Lewis since his first solo album, is also in contention for #1 according to early data. But will a last-minute push thanks toan upcomingappearance at the NRL Grand Final this weekend be enough to get the Seattle star across the line? Only time will tell.

After scoring their sixth consecutive debut ARIA #1 album last week, Foo Fighters’ Concrete and Gold is still receiving some love and may well stick around the top tier for another week, especially with a six-date Aussie tour on the horizons in 2018.

Other debuts joining the chart include British India’s Forgetting The Future and Van Morrison’s Roll With The Punches. Both are likely to drop in the lower half of the Top 10.

As Sam Smith’s ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’ makes its way up the Australian radio ranks, it’s stay at #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart may be in jeopardy this week thanks to strong upward pushes from Post Malone’s ‘rockstar’ ft. 21 Savage and Macklemore’s ‘Glorious’ ft. Skylar Grey.

‘Rockstar’ debuted at #1 across all streaming platforms with 65 million streams globally in its first week and will pose an massive threat to Smith’s reign.

OVERSEAS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

The Killers need no introduction in the UK. Every one of their four previous albums have gone straight to #1 in the country and collectively boast 17x Platinum certifications between them. To say Wonderful Wonderful is tracking #1 is an understatement.

Cardi B has become the first female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US with no other billed artists since Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ made it to the top in 1998.

Her debut hit ‘Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)’ rises from #2 to #1 on the latest chart, knocking off Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ which drops to #3. Post Malone’s ‘Rockstar’ ft. nestles in between at #2 and marks the rapper’s second Top 10 single.

Niall Horan has become the second One Direction member (after ZAYN) to record a #1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs Radio Airplay Chart. Liam Payne’s ‘Strip That Down’ is edging closer to the top as well. However, as a collective entity, One Direction has never made it to #1. Debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ managed a peak of #3 in 2012.