Leonard Cohen Set To Challenge For #1 On ARIA Chart Following Iconic Singer's Death

Following his tragic death last Friday, iconic songwriter Leonard Cohen is set to surge straight to the top of the ARIA Albums chart with his fourteenth and final studio album, You Want It Darker.

The acclaimed LP debuted at #6 on the chart late last month, but midweek figures suggest that it is set to crack the top three and challenge for the #1 spot. 

It seems the only thing stopping Cohen from achieving the feat is Aussie hip hop artist Illy, whose fifth LP, Two Degrees, is primed for a top three debut. 

If the Melbourne rapper does clinch top spot, it will mark his first-ever #1 album in the country. 

Cohen's 2002 compilation album, The Essential Leonard Cohen, is also likely to re-enter the chart and place in the top 15. 

Elsewhere on the chart, it's clear Christmas is on the way because Aussie legends John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John's holiday album, Friends For Christmas, is aiming for a top five debut, while Canadian crooner Michael Buble's 2011 Christmas LP is poking its head back in the top five as it always does this time of year. 

Returning UK icon Phil Collins' new compilation album, The Singles, is set to clinch a top ten spot, while fellow Brit Sting shouldn't be too far behind with his latest solo effort, 57th & 9th.

Rounding out the album debuts this week includes Emeli Sande's Long Live The Angels, Cliff Richard's Just… Fabulous Rock 'N' Roll and A Tribe Called Quest's We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service (all top 20) and In Flames' Battles, Archie Roach's Let Love Rule and Olly Murs with 24 Hrs (all top 40).

Over on the Singles chart, Cohen's 1984 classic, Hallelujah, is expected to climb back into the list, while you can also expect to her new tracks from Zara Larsson with I Would Like and Jonas Blue's By Your Side feat. Raye, both likely to debut in the top 50.