Luke Hemmings
Luke Hemmings’ solo career is off to a blazing start in his homeland.
After scoring four No. 1s with his 5 Seconds of Summer, the singer snags his first solo leader in Australia with When Facing The Things We Turn Away From (Sony).
“Wow. Debuting No. 1 on the ARIA charts on my first solo release means more than I could ever express,” Hemmings says in a statement. “Thank you to my friends, family, and my entire team for making this possible and being patient while I changed my mind a million times.”
Written and recorded during the 2020 lockdown, When Facing The Things We Turn AwayFrom opens at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and is the 12th domestic leader on the national survey this year.
In a statement, ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd pays tribute to Hemmings and the “immense contribution” he’s made to “the Australian music landscape.”
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Also powering into the top tier this week is The Killers’ Pressure Machine (Island/Universal). It’s new at No. 6, for the Las Vegas alternative rock outfit’s ninth appearance in the Top Ten. Pressure Machine is the followup to Imploding The Mirage, which hit No. 1 in Australia just a year ago, in August 2020.
Sydney indie rock outfit Polish Club cook up their first Top 10 appearance with their third studio album, Now We’re Cookin’ (Island/Universal). It arrives at No. 8.
British electronic duo Jungle land a new ARIA Chart peak with Loving In Stereo (AWAL/Inertia), which drops in at No. 10, eclipsing the No. 20 best for their self-titled debut from 2014. Loving In Stereo is Australia’s best-selling vinyl album for the latest chart cycle.
Meanwhile, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber stay at No. 1 with their hit collaboration. “Stay” (Columbia/Sony) enters a sixth week atop the ARIA Singles Chart, holding off Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” (Atlantic/Warner).
The highest new entry on the national singles survey is a joint effort, as “Cold Heart” (EMI/Universal) warms up at No 7.
Featuring vocals from Elton John and Dua Lipa, the song incorporates lines from several classic songs from the Rocket Man, mashed-up by Sydney trio Pnau. Elton and Pnau previously collaborated on the remix project Good Morning to the Night, which led the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2012.
