Ariana Grande Lights up Australia’s Albums Chart With ‘Eternal Sunshine’

Ariana Grande shines over Australia’s albums chart for a second consecutive week with Eternal Sunshine, as Benson Boone extends his reign over the national singles survey with “Beautiful Things.”

Eternal Sunshine (via Universal) last week became Grande’s fifth No. 1 when it bowed at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart.

On the latest tally, published Friday, March 22, Grande’s seventh studio album leads a trio of Taylor Swift titles, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Lover and Folklore (all via Universal), respectively.

The top debut on the latest frame belongs to Peter Garrett, frontman with ARIA Hall of Fame inducted rock legends Midnight Oil, who checks in at No. 17 with his second solo album, The True North (Sony). Its predecessor, A Version Of Now, peaked at No. 3 in 2016. As frontman with the Oils, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, Garrett landed seven No. 1 albums, from Red Sails In The Sunset in 1984 to Resist in 2022.

Further down the list, Justin Timberlake drops in with his sixth album, Everything I Thought I Was (RCA/Sony), new No. 23. All of JT’s five previous albums reached the top 10 in Australia, with FutureSex/LoveSounds logging one week at No. 1 in 2006 and The 20/20 Experience leading the chart for two weeks in 2013, ARIA reports. EITIW is the followup to 2018’s Man Of The Woods, which peaked at No. 2.

Also making a top 40 appearance is U.S. country star Kacey Musgraves with Deeper Well (Mercury/Universal). It’s new at No. 26. Deeper Well is her fifth non-seasonal studio album, four of which have charted here, with her most LP, 2021’s Star-Crossed, becoming her first top 10 album in Australia, with a No. 9 peak.

Meanwhile, Benson Boone enters a third week at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart with “Beautiful Things” (Warner) ahead of Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine cut “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” and Djo’s “End Of Beginning” (AWAL).

The top new release belongs to Dasha, as her independently-released viral track “Austin” opens its account at No. 23. Based in Nashville, via San Luis Obispo, Calif., Dasha is behind a line-dance trend that has turned the song into a U.S. country — and now ARIA Chart — hit.

Finally, “Fri(end)s” (BigHit/Universal) by BTS’s V (real name: Kim Tae-hyung) cracks the ARIA Top 50 at No. 49. With that effort, he becomes the fourth member of BTS to enjoy a solo hit in Australia, following Jimin, Jin and Jung Kook.

Lars Brandle

Billboard