MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 16: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS Taylor Swift performs at … [+]
Taylor Swift’s fan base is massive and global, but at the moment, it’s possible that no segment of her following is supporting her more than her Australian listeners. On this week’s edition of the ARIA singles tally–the ranking of the most-consumed tunes in that nation–the singer-songwriter dominates in spectacular fashion, thanks to a surge in streaming and buying by her Aussie followers.
Three of Swift’s tracks reach new peaks on the current ARIA songs chart. Two of them rise to spots they’ve never approached before, while another cut finally debuts on the tally years after it was first released.
Swift earns another No. 1 in Australia this week as her single “Cruel Summer” finally lifts to the summit. The smash has been reaching the highest rungs on music charts all around the world for more than half a year now, with Australia being perhaps the last country to accept the electro-pop cut as a banger.
“Cruel Summer” marks Swift’s eleventh leader in Australia. With one more winner, she ties Madonna for the third-most No. 1s of all time. She currently sits behind only The Beatles, with 26, and Elvis Presley, with 14. Before this frame, she was on the same level as both Kylie Minogue and Rihanna, who are steady with their 10 champions.
As “Cruel Summer” rules, Swift also sees her song “Don’t Blame Me” reach a new peak. That Reputation track lifts to No. 16, an impressive placement for a title that was never officially spun off as a single. Last week, the cut wasn’t even present inside the top 50, so clearly interest in the top 20 winner was suddenly very high.
Further down on the ARIA songs chart, Swift actually manages to score a debut, even though she hasn’t released anything new. “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” blasts onto the ranking of the most popular songs in Australia at No. 37, instantly becoming another top 40 hit for the singer. The tune is the re-recorded take on one of her earliest wins, “You Belong With Me,” which peaked at No. 5 after it was released in 2009.
“You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” was first unleashed in 2021. The track served as one of the most exciting tunes from Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the first in her series of re-recordings. Swift is in the middle of re-recording and re-releasing her first six albums in an effort to regain some control over her early work, and the ongoing project has been met with incredible commercial success.
Consumption of Swift’s catalog surged recently in Australia as the pop icon brought her The Eras Tour down under. She currently claims both the No. 1 album and single in the nation. In addition to the highest rung on both lists, Swift’s name is all over the charts, with seven top 10 albums and 17 top 50 hits at the moment.
