Meg Mac, K-pop Dominates ARIA Albums Chart – Billboard

For Meg Mac, it really was only a matter of time before she was crowned on Australia’s charts.

The Sydney-raised singer and songwriter bows at No. 1 with Matter of Time, her third album and first leader.

That’s one better than the No. 2 best for her 2017 debut full length album Low Blow, which peaked at No. 2. Mac enjoyed a breakthrough with her platinum-certified debut EP from 2014 MegMac, which earned ARIA Award nominations for best female artist and breakthrough artist of the year.

Matter of Time had a turbulent path to the top. Mac’s third album was in the can and ready for release at the beginning of 2020, when the artist had what she now describes as “a bit of a meltdown,” according to her label, EMI. A “creative” meltdown.

Just one recording survive the cull — the title track, written by Mac and co-writer Sam De Jong (Jacob Banks, Muse, Maisie Peters).

With her newly minted crown, Mac shouldn’t lose any sleep over her decision.

“It’s so exciting to see an incredible local artist like Meg Mac take out No. 1,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “particularly in a week as hotly contested as this one, it’s a real triumph. Congratulations to Meg and her team from everyone at ARIA. Two Australian No. 1 debuts in a row is serious reason to celebrate.”

That hotly-contested week saw Mac reach the finish line ahead of a pair of K-pop heavyweights in Blackpink’s Born Pink, new at No. 2, and NCT 127’s 2 Baddies – The Fourth Album, the NCT sub-unit’s latest effort, which arrives at No. 3.

Blackpink, which has an Australian connection through bandmate Rosé, also makes a splash on the ARIA Singles Chart with “Shut Down,” at No. 5, for the highest debut of the week. Also, the first release from the album, former No. 1 “Pink Venom,” rebounds into the top 20 at No. 18.

At the crest of the national singles survey for a second consecutive cycle is David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue).” Fueled by TikTok, “I’m Good” leads an unchanged top 3, ahead of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” and OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried,” respectively.