Aussies pop to the top of the charts
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Top pop … Sheppard has the third highest selling single in 2014 so far. Picture: David Kelly.
Source: News Corp Australia
POP is no longer a dirty word in Australia with half of the biggest selling singles of the year created by homegrown artists.
While Pharrell Williams and his inescapable anthem Happy dominated the ARIA charts for the first half of 2014, Sheppard’s Geronimo, Justice Crew’s Que Sera, Joel Fletcher’s Swing, Sia’s Chandelier and 5 Seconds Of Summer’s She Looks So Perfect landed in the midyear top 10.
Fletcher, 5 SOS, Taylor Henderson and Justice Crew each ended up with two singles in the top 100.
It is a different story for Australian artists on the album charts this year with rock, electronica and alternative artists holding their own.
INXS redux … The Never Tear Us Apart mini series made the Very Best of INXS the highest selling album so far this year:
Source: Supplied
The highest selling album so far this year was The Very Best of INXS, the band’s musical legacy rejuvenated by the Never Tear Us Apart miniseries.
During the first half of 2014, 24 singles and 35 albums from local artists made the ARIA top 100.
This compared to a total of a paltry 13 singles and only 27 albums recorded by Australians for the whole of 2013.
Proving more addictive than sugar and junk food for kids this year has been the Frozen soundtrack, which landed at No. 2 on the ARIA mid year top 100 albums chart. Sorry parents — but you just know they will repackage it for Christmas when means it is likely to remain on high rotation in your car for at least another six months.
Local hitmakers whose latest records made it into the top 30 include Chet Faker’s Built On Glass, Amity Affliction’s Let The Ocean Take Me, the John Butler Trio’s Flesh and Blood, Rufus’ Atlas and Flume’s self-titled debut.
Breakthrough year … Iggy Azalea has surged to the top of the charts worldwide with her single Fancy and record The New Classic. Picture: Tim P. Whitby
Source: Getty Images
The sudden arrival of Iggy Azalea on the international hip pop scene saw her make a strong impression on this year’s music sales with Fancy making it to No. 13 on the singles charts and her debut record The New Classic at No. 40.
Among the international acts who continue to dominate our charts are Jason Derulo, OneRepublic, Avicii and Katy Perry, who each had three singles finish in the top 100.
Rihanna also has the Midas touch teaming with Eminem (The Monster) and Shakira (Can’t Remember To Forget You) for hits as well as enjoying one on her own with Jump.
The first half of 2014 suggest the power ballad is also on its way back in with Say Something by A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera landing at No. 2 and John Legend’s All Of Me at No.8.
Happy days … Pharrell Williams owned the ARIA singles charts with Happy, amassing sales of more than eight times platinum since release.
Source: News Corp Australia
With the exception of INXS and Frozen, the midyear album chart also confirms that Australians support the international acts who regularly visit for promotional or concert tours with Coldplay, Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, Arctic Monkeys and Bruce Springsteen among the top 10 highest selling records this year.
But Australians are buying far fewer albums than they are downloading singles, finally stepping in line with international trends.
The top 10 singles of this year have sold almost 2.5 million copies since released — compared to under one million top 10 albums.
Music sales should receive an even bigger boost in the lead up to Christmas with new records slated by Foo Fighters, Kasey Chambers, Guy Sebastian, Angus and Julia Stone, Kimbra, Vance Joy and possibly Radiohead.
