Back in December, Tone Deaf wrote about a young Melbourne singer-songwriter who goes by the moniker Vance Joy, shortly after the 27-year-old received his big break in the highly coveted US market with an appearance on late-night staple Conan.
We weren’t just being hyperbolic. Since then, the Hottest 100-topping songwriter has gone from strength to strength, propelled by his inescapable hit ‘Riptide’ and a very handy nod of approval from none other than Queen of the Universe Taylor Swift.
Earlier this month, Vance Joy, real name James Keogh, made Australian music history when he reclaimed the title of longest-lasting song in the ARIA top 100 singles chart from the US, beating out Lady Gaga with his staggering 108-week run.
However, it’s overseas where Keogh has just achieved his latest remarkable feat. Sure, we all know Australian artists are killing it overseas right now, but Vance Joy has just given ‘killing it’ a new meaning by sending his breakthrough hit to double platinum.
As Noise11 reports, ‘Riptide’ has just been awarded Double platinum certification in the US. For those playing at home, this means that Vance Joy has sold an incredible 2 million copies of the ukelele-driven hit. In Australia, platinum is awarded after 70,000 units are sold.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced Vance Joy’s incredible achievement two years to the week after the song was released in the US. This makes ‘Riptide’ the biggest selling Aussie song since Gotye sent ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ to number one in the US back in 2011.
For comparison, ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, the Melbourne songwriter’s collaboration with Kimbra went an incredible 8x platinum, with sales of just under 8 million, while fellow Aussie Sia’s mega-hit ‘Chandelier’ has achieved platinum certification.
Keogh isn’t the only Aussie act to have tasted that sweet, sweet platinum recently. ARIA Award winners Sheppard have been awarded platinum certification for their own breakthrough single, ‘Geronimo’, which has achieved digital sales and streams in excess of 1 million.
It’s just the latest in a series of accolades to be bestowed upon the Brisbane outfit, who’ve been nominated for seven ARIA awards, winning for ‘Best Group’. ‘Geronimo’ was also the highest selling single of 2014 in Australia, where it’s been certified five times platinum.
