I’ve decided to rank each album that appeared on the ARIA top 50 for this year based on how well they did on my albums of the 2010’s list from last year, although I should point out that I’ve included albums on this list that were a hit earlier in the decade to show just how reductive the year end lists and indeed the ARIA charts had become throughout the decade here in Australia.
This is the most successful album of all time not just in Australia but worldwide, at least it's never-ending chart run will have you believe that due to its refusal to die on the charts.
Peak position #1x27
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Shape of you #1
Castle on the hill #2
Drive #5
Galway girl #2
How would you feel #2
Supermarket flowers #19
Perfect #1
Happier #16
This is one of the most recent albums that will appear on this list, suffice to say that Billie's popularity exploded worldwide once news of her debut album reached the mainstream outside her diehard fanbase.
Peak position #1x8
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
You should see me in a crown #16
When the party's over #7
Bury a friend #3
Wish you were gay #5
All the good girls go to hell #8
Bad guy #1
I love you #20
My strange addiction #12
Xanny #10
Everything I wanted #2
One of the biggest mistakes I made on my old site was listing every time this second album from Ed Sheeran recharted here in Australia, suffice to say, I won't be making that mistake again and will only be including its success upon its initial release on this ranking.
Peak position #1x8
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Sing #1
Don't #4
Thinking out loud #1
Make it rain #26
Bloodstream #7
Photograph #9
This will forever be Taylor Swift's magnum opus, mainly because it's the point where she transitioned from a country pop star into a pop diva among the likes of Katy Perry and Rihanna in addition to retaining the critical acclaim that she achieved from her earlier work.
Peak position #1x9
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Shake it off #1
Out of the woods #19
Welcome to new York #23
Blank space #1
Style #8
Bad blood #1
Wildest dreams #3
New romantics #35
The Greatest showman is a film that divides audiences to this day, it's either seen as nonsense made for the Twitter crowd or a heartfelt story meant to highlight the struggles of the minorities exploited for the Barnum's circus which admittedly is a strong telling thanks to the performances from the cast.
Peak position #1x8
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
This is me #10
This is one of those albums that refuses to die on the album charts, heck it's still in the top twenty as we speak now that country music seems to be dominating streaming services (as of this writing.) It was initially a flop for the country singer; however, it quickly grew a fanbase as more and more country fans discovered streaming services in recent times.
Peak position #7
(#2 digital, #6 physical)
There was no escaping Post Malone during the second half of the decade, so much so that his second album proved to be more successful for the rapper/singer than many well-established artists of the decade which of course confirmed him as a household name with its success.
Peak position #1x2
(#2 digital, #6 physical)
Hit singles
Rockstar #1
Candy paint #19
Psycho #1
Better now #2
Paranoid #10
Ball for me #14
Spoil my night #19
This was initially released in 2017 to deafening silence worldwide, although it was given a second chance two years later when it served as the unofficial soundtrack to Elton John's biopic Rocketman (despite the official soundtrack being a massive flop upon the film's release.)
Peak position #3
(#4 digital, #3 physical)
This is one of the more recent entries on this list, naturally there was no stopping Post Malone in the mainstream when he released his third album given that it and many of the singles were a massive success for him exiting the decade.
Peak position #1x6
(#1 digital, #4 physical)
Hit singles
Sunflower #1
Wow #2
Goodbyes #5
Circles #2
Hollywood's bleeding #19
While the film does have its critics for historical accuracy (and OK the editing is bizarre in some scenes) the biopic for Queen was rightfully a critical and commercial success upon its initial release and kickstarted the trend of telling fictionalised events of the rise (and in some cases falls) of popular musicians of yesteryear.
Peak position #1x4
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
We're not even out of the top twenty yet and we've already looked at all four of Ed Sheeran's albums he released this decade, this was his least successful due to it being his duet's album which polarised his fans and the general audience at the time of its release.
Peak position #1x5
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
I don't care #1
Cross me #5
Beautiful people #4
Best part of me #17
South of the border #12
Remember the name #15
Antisocial #11
If I were to redo my comebacks list, this would be a shoe in for the list as Lady Gaga's career was just about dead when she starred in the fourth adaptation of A star is born to critical and commercial success thanks to her love for the source material.
Peak position #1x11
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Shallow #1
Always remember us this way #12
I'll never love again #15
One of the reasons why I won't look over the 2020's on this site is because of how Taylor Swift dominates the music scene, between her venture towards indie music and her rereleasing all of her older albums as "Taylor's" versions, it would get monotonous for me to talk about.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
ME! #2
You need to calm down #3
The archer #19
Lover #3
The man #17
This was a flop upon its initial release, mainly because it only came out due to the band finally calling it quits in 2011 after a long and tumultuous career. It became a massive hit here three years later when their biopic became a success on Australia TV.
Peak position #1x7
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Never tear us apart (reissue) #11
This is another album to be critically panned that was nonetheless a success worldwide this decade, such was the popularity of Taylor Swift that her fans would make this a hit for her over many other bands and artists of the day.
Peak position #1x2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Look what you made me do #1
Ready for it #3
Gorgeous #9
Call it what you want #16
End game #36
Delicate #28
This was initially a flop for Post Malone when it first came out, likely due to audiences not wanting to give the man who broke through with "White Iverson" any success in the music industry. It became a success for him thanks to a live performance of one of the tracks on the album going viral for him.
Peak position #5
(#8 digital, #9 physical)
Hit singles
Congratulations #30
I fall apart #2
I won't comment on how this album managed to become a success worldwide, what I will say is that despite how successful this album was, few if anyone will tell you that it's a good album due to everyone feeling it's a bunch of filler tracks.
Peak position #1x3
(#1 digital, #8 physical)
Hit singles
God's plan #1
Nice for what #1
I'm upset #17
Emotionless #12
In my feelings #1
Nonstop #5
Don't matter to me #3
There was a lot of hype going into this debut album for Dean Lewis, so naturally its success was inevitable for him even if he was an Australian artist on an indie label fighting against all of the big-name artists during the height of streaming.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Waves #12
Be alright #1
7 minutes #10
Stay awake #26
This was originally released in 2017 to deafening silence for Billie Eilish, mainly because it was an E.P that came from a tiny indie label during the height of the streaming age. It finally saw the light of success when she appeared on the 13 reasons why soundtrack with Khalid of all people a year after this first came out.
Peak position #6
(#9 digital)
This is to date Khalid's final album to date (I wonder what's taking him so long to make a third album) it was a more pop friendly album compared to his debut likely to allow him to find success in his native America which this of course did.
Peak position #2
(#2 digital, #5 physical)
Hit singles
Better #4
Talk #4
My bad #14
Outta my head #20
This was an album that Eminem released after the critical disaster that was Revival (which is still to come on this list) it proved to be more of a critical success for him enough to restore his popularity for the second time in his career.
Peak position #1x4
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Greatest #15
Kamikaze #13
The ringer #5
Lucky you #4
Killshot #11
This was an album that Ariana Grande rush released following the success of her album Sweetener (which is still to come on this list) it's an album that seems to be provocative by design given how it lit up the internet in a polarising way upon its initial release.
Peak position #1x5
(#1 digital, #3 physical)
Hit singles
Thank u next #1
Imagine #15
7 rings #1
Bloodline #11
Break up with your girlfriend I'm bored #2
NASA #16
Needy #13
This is the third time that this album became a success for Queen, mainly because of the success of Bohemian rhapsody which did a fantastic job in introducing their back catalogue to a new generation of fans.
Peak position #3
(#2 digital, #2 physical)
This was released to deafening silence in 2000, likely because the world felt there was no need for a third edition of this series of Queen albums given how the second edition came out mere months prior to Freddie's untimely death. It finally became a success thanks to the success of their biopic from earlier on this list.
Peak position #4
(#4 digital, #7 physical)
You'd think with the success of this E.P from Tones and I that her debut album would be a massive success for her when she finally released it in 2021, alas it wasn't as Australian artists haven't been well supported since the turn of the decade.
Peak position #3
(#2 digital, #4 physical)
Hit singles
Johnny run away #12
Dance monkey #1
Never seen the rain #7
This is an album that was mired in controversy since its initial release, it was a modest success upon its initial release but was spiked in popularity when the rapper tragically passed away shortly after its release where it's stuck to the bottom half of the album charts ever since.
Peak position #2
(#5 digital)
Hit singles (pre death)
Sad #9
Changes #47
Hit singles (post death)
Sad #4
Changes #15
This will be the only album to appear on this list from Shawn Mendes, Illuminate was a hit but too much of a sleeper hit to make the cut whilst his other albums were a complete flop here in Australia.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
In my blood #9
Lost in Japan #27
Youth #19
While her popularity is finally beginning to dwindle here in Australia, it's clear that we Aussies still have plenty of love for P!nk given how her most recent album (as of this writing) is among the most popular of the decade down under.
Peak position #1x3
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Walk me home #12
Hurts 2b human #48
This is an album that was extremely lucky to have any amount of success when it did given how Amy Shark was an indie artist who definitely wasn't capable of competing with streaming services when she released her debut album, this might have been one of the biggest of the whole decade had it not been pushed aside for the likes of Drake and Ed Sheeran from earlier on this list.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Adore #3
I said hi #6
Mess her up #29
This will be the only album that will ever be a success for Travis Scott, mainly because of a disastrous event that is named after this album that I won't talk about but has since rightfully gotten this guy cancelled in the music industry.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital)
Hit singles
Sicko mode #6
Stargazing #10
This was meant to be a comeback album for Ariana Grande, not that her previous album was a flop but rather it was mired in controversy due to her displaying public behaviour that was highly contentious throughout the decade. It was a massive hit for her; however, she still felt the need to rush release a follow-up that was far more successful as we've seen on this list.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #3 physical)
Hit singles
No tears left to cry #1
God is a woman #5
Breathin #8
This was a greatest hits album that became a success multiple times this decade, again we're only looking at how well it did initially given how much nostalgic love there's been for the band and its lead singer Jimmy Barnes.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #2 physical)
This is to date the Hilltop Hoods most recent album; it was a big success upon its initial release which is impressive given how it had to deal with all of the streaming services that pushed away any album that wasn't from the big names promoted on Spotify and those other services.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
Hit singles
Clark Griswold #48
Leave me lonely #11
Exit sign #16
This remains Cardi B's only studio album in her catalogue, although she has been fairly controversial since her breakthrough with the lead single for a multitude of different reasons. Let's just say that her comparisons to Nicki Minaj was the least of her problems which is why she struggles for mainstream relevancy nowadays (as of this writing.)
Peak position #5
(#4 digital)
Hit singles
Bodak yellow #33
I like it #14
This is one of the more recent entries on this list, this is due to album sales conveniently being at an all time low coming out of the decade due to streaming pushing aside any incentive for audiences to buy music going into the 2020's. Not bad for an Australian soul group considering how that demographic usually struggles for mainstream success here.
Peak position #2
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
By far the most recent entry on this list, this managed to sneak into the ARIA top 50 for 2019 which is something rare for an album released past October of that year. I guess we Aussies really wanted to allow Robbie Williams to finally make a Christmas album in his catalogue when he did.
Peak position #1x1
(#2 digital)
It appears that Jimmy Barnes can still find modest success here in Australia as recently as 2019 given how his (at the time of writing) most recent album managed to make the cut for this list of mine.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
I'm not entirely sure how this entry from Slipknot managed to become a success by the end of the decade, I guess it was due to the lead singer's appearance in a video that I'm sure will send shivers down the spine of any fan of Pink Floyd.
Peak position #1x1
(#1 digital, #1 physical)
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