Shania Twain’s ‘Queen of Me’ Debuts In Top 5 on Australia’s Albums Chart

Shania Twain’s long-overdue return to music has been warmly received in Australia, where Queen of Me cracks the top 5 on debut.

Queen of Me is Twain’s six studio LP and first album of new material since Now in 2017, and 2002’s Up before that.

With its No. 5 debut on the ARIA Chart, published Feb. 10, the Canadian country star bags her sixth top 20 in the land Down Under, a feat that includes three leaders — Come On Over (1997), Up, and Now.

The national albums chart is led by Taylor Swift’s Midnights, up 2-1; with SZA’s SOS (up 3-2) and Harry StylesHarry’s House — which enjoys a post-Grammys lift (up 6-3) — filling the podium positions respectively.

Meanwhile, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recent stadium tour of these parts has seen fans tune in to the California rockers’ classics, and latest. RHCP’s Greatest Hits from 2003 vaults 22 places to break into the top 10 at No. 10, while 2022’s Return Of The Dream Canteen roars 152-31.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” beds down for a fourth consecutive week at No. 1, ahead of SZA’s “Kill Bill” (unchanged at No. 2), and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” which enjoys a post-Grammy Awards bump, up 5-3. Also noteworthy is Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” which climbs 15-9 after his winning ways at the Grammys.  

The Kid Laroi makes a chart leap with “Love Again,” up 14-6 in its second week. It’s the Sydney-raised singer and rapper’s sixth top 10 single in Australia, a tally that includes leaders “Stay” and “Without You.”

“Love Again” is lifted from his forthcoming debut studio album, The First Time, due out later this year.  

Finally, British producer Fred Again created a lot of frenzy in Australia in recent days with a string of “secret” shows which sold out in minutes and had fans scrambling for tickets. The buzz behind those gigs have translated to a new chart peak for “Delilah (pull me out of this),” up 69-37. 

Lars Brandle

Billboard