Illy Breaks Australian Chart Record With His First #1 Album

ARIA Award-winning, platinum-selling Australian hip-hop hot shot Illy has nabbed his first Number 1 album on the ARIA chart with his critically acclaimed fifth studio album, Two Degrees, which includes the double platinum Number 2 single ‘Papercuts’, a collaboration with fellow Aussie Vera Blue.

As we’ve previously noted her at Tone Deaf, the Australian singles chart is notoriously hard to crack for most Australian artists, as it is dominated by international pop stars who command colossal streaming numbers, effectively shutting out any Australian artists without an international profile.

‘Papercuts’ is an outlier in that respect. One of the few Australian singles to crack the Top 10 of the ARIA Singles chart this year and the follow-up single, ‘Catch 22’, featuring Anne-Marie, has likewise been soaring up the charts, currently sitting in the top 10.

Illy, whose first ARIA Number 1 album comes the same week as he is set to perform at the 2016 ARIA Awards, is understandably chuffed by the big news. “There are so many people that share this with me, and I’m happy for everyone involved that we’ve managed to achieve this,” he said.

The rapper has been nominated for six ARIA Awards this year, including Best Male Artist and Song of the Year for ‘Papercuts’. And with a string of sold-out launch shows behind him, the summer is looking to be a busy one for Illy – he’s got performances lined up for Falls Festival and NYE Street Party in Newcastle.

Two Degrees is also the latest Australian album to smash the record for the highest number of Australian Number 1 albums in a single year this year, a record that had previously been broken by Nick Cave and continues to be smashed each month. Yes, it’s a very good year for Aussie music.