It’s ABBA-Mania once more in the land Down Under, as the reunited pop legends blast to No. 1 on the national albums chart with Voyage (Universal).
ABBA’s first studio LP in 40 years is an immediate hit in Australia, bowing at the summit of the ARIA Albums Chart.
It’s the second ABBA album (and first studio set) to top the ARIA chart following the ABBA Gold compilation, which logged four straight weeks at No. 1 in December 1992.
Prior to the launch of the ARIA Charts in 1983, ABBA had leaders here with ABBA (11 weeks, December 1975 to February 1976), The Best of ABBA (16 weeks, March 1976 to July 1976) and Arrival (8 weeks, November 1976 to January 1977), the charts compiler reports.
Also, in 2018, the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, a collection of ABBA covers, hit No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Australia has a deep connection with ABBA which dates back to the ‘70s, when Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid toured these parts at the height of their popularity. The Melbourne-originated tribute brand Bjorn Again has been giving ABBA fans their fix since the late ‘80s and, in the ‘90s, the Aussie indie film Muriel’s Wedding introduced a new generation to the supergroup’s catalog.
Voyage is also expected to blast to No. 1 in the U.K., where, at the midweek stage, it was outselling the rest of the Top 40 combined.
With ABBA’s comeback effort enjoying a fast start, Ed Sheeran’s = (equals via Atlantic/Warner) drops 1-2, while Radiohead’s Kid A Mnesia, a repackaged release of Kid A (from 2000) and Amnesia (2001), along with a third bonus disc of previously-unreleased goods, starts at No. 3. Kid A Mnesia (XL/Inertia) is the week’s best-selling vinyl album in Australia.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart” (Warner/Universal), remixed by Sydney trio Pnau, enters a second week at No. 1 while the top new entry belongs to Post Malone and The Weeknd, with their collaborative track “One Right Now” (Universal), new at No. 9. It’s Posty’s tenth Top 10 on the ARIA Chart, and Abel Tesfaye’s 12th, including three in 2021.