It's Been A Long Time Since Aussie Acts Held #1 On Both ARIA Albums & Singles Charts

Sheppard's #1 debut on the ARIA Albums chart this past weekend with Watching The Sky is a big deal for a few reasons. 

Not only are they the fifth Australian act to produce a top-charting album from an independent label this year, but their win, as well as 5 Seconds Of Summer's Youngblood topping the Singles chart for a fourth-straight week, is the first time local artists have held #1 on both charts in almost two years. 

The last time the feat was achieved was in July 2016 when The Avalanches held #1 on the Albums chart with Wildflower and The Veronicas on the Singles chart with In My Blood.

read more:

• Sheppard Score First-ever #1 Album On ARIA Chart With 'Watching The Sky'

• An Australian Song Just Topped The ARIA Singles Chart For The First Time In Nearly Two Years

It comes only weeks after 5SOS' hit track reached #1, making it the first Australian song to reach the top of the list since In My Blood that same month. 

It is also the first Australian song to hold top spot for the longest period of time since Justice Crew's Que Sera which stayed at #1 for nine weeks in 2014.

Meanwhile, Sheppard's Watching The Sky (Chugg Music) joins a big-name list of Australian acts to hit #1 in 2018, all from independent labels — Vance Joy's ​Nation Of Two​ (Liberation), Kylie Minogue's Golden (Mushroom), Dr G Yunupingu's Djarimirri (Skinnyfish) and Parkway Drive's Reverence (Resist).

"It is great to see so many Aussie acts topping the ARIA Albums Chart," ARIA CEO Dan Rosen told The Music.

"In a world that is increasingly dominated by streaming, it shows that our local acts and local labels are not just competing but thriving in this new era. And I’m sure there will be more Aussie Number Ones to come before this year is out!"