Billie Eilish Powers to No. 1 In Australia With ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’
Billie Eilish is on top in the land Down Under with Hit Me Hard And Soft, while 10 tracks from it impact the ARIA Top 50 Singles chart.
Hit Me Hard And Soft (via Interscope/Universal) debuts at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, May 24, giving Eilish a perfect three-from-three. The U.S. pop phenomenon’s debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? logged eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2019-20, and followup Happier Than Ever spent two weeks at the top in 2021.
Eilish dines out with album track “Lunch,” which arrives at No. 5 on the national singles survey for the top debut of the week. It’s her 15th top five hit spot in Australia, a tally that includes two No. 1s (“Bad Guy” in 2019 and “What Was I Made For?” in 2023).
Eilish’s third LP knocks overs Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (Universal), down 2-1, while Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts (Geffen/Universal) completes the ARIA Chart podium, holding at No. 3.
Much-loved Australian rock act Hoodoo Gurus returns to the survey with Stoneage Romeos (Universal), their debut album which enjoys the 40th anniversary treatment. Stoneage Romeos reenters the ARIA Chart at No. 8, besting its original peak position of No. 29 back in 1984. That’s the ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted band’s seventh top 10 appearance. Hoodoo Gurus will play the classic album in full when they return to the road this November and December for the national Back to the Stoneage Tour, produced by Empire Touring.
Meanwhile, new releases from Slash (Orgy Of The Damned at No. 14 via Gibson/Sony) and Zayn (Room Under The Stairs at No. 16 via Universal) crack the top 20.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Tommy Richman bags his first leader on the Australian singles with “Million Dollar Baby” (Conc), up 2-1. The singer and songwriter is the fourth act to score their first No. 1 this year, following Noah Kahan, Benson Boone and Sabrina Carpenter, ARIA reports.
Country cuts round out the top three, with Post Malone and Morgan Wallen‘s “I Had Some Help” (Universal), down 1-2, and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (EMP), holding at No. 3.
Lars Brandle
Billboard