Missy Higgins Flies to No. 1 In Australia With ‘The Second Act’

Missy Higgins is back on top with The Second Act (via Eleven/EMI), which debuts at No. 1 on Australia’s albums chart.

Higgins’ first full-length LP in six years, The Second Act opens at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Sept. 13, for her fourth career leader.

The Second Act arrives 20 years after the release of Higgins’ breakthrough debut The Sound Of White, which dominated the tally for seven non-consecutive cycles.

Her sophomore set On A Clear Night (from 2007) and third collection The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle (2012) also led the chart, while Oz (2014), Solastalgia (2018) and Total Control (2022) all cracked the top 3.

“I could not be happier or more grateful. This album was just so important to me and I just want to say a massive thank you to all the fans. I’m so touched,” she comments, as her album hits the ARIA Chart summit. “I wanted this No. 1 more than any other album I think. It’s 20 years since The Sound of White went No. 1 so I feel like the luckiest person alive to still be doing what I do to this day. Thank you guys to much. This means the world to me.”

With that feat, the Melbourne singer and songwriter becomes only the seventh Australian artist in history to have No. 1 albums in at least three consecutive decades.

The Second Act is the fifth homegrown album to hit No. 1 in the past month, a lineup that includes recordings by Lime Cordiale, Tones And I, Amy Shark and Cold Chisel.

Higgins will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, during the annual ARIA Awards, set for Nov. 20 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Also new to the national chart is Ten Days (Atlantic/Warner), by prolific British electronic music producer Fred Again. That’s one better than USB from June this year, which peaked at No. 4. Earlier in 2024, Fred Again embarked on unique tour of Australia – a “pop-up” jaunt, which sold almost one quarter of a million tickets, without any marketing spend.

Further down the tally, legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour lands at No. 6 with Luck and Strange (Leg/Sony), his fifth solo album.

It’s the followup to Rattle That Lock, which reached No. 2 in 2015. As a member of Pink Floyd, ARIA reports, he notched 20 ARIA Top 50 albums, including leaders with Wish You Were Here (in 1975), The Wall (1979), The Division Bell (1994) and Pulse (1995).

As a member of Pink Floyd, he has racked up 20 top 50 albums, hitting the summit with Wish You Were Here in 1975, The Wall in 1979, The Division Bell in 1994 and Pulse in 1995 (their biggest-selling collection, The Dark Side Of The Moon, reached at No. 2 here in 1973).

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” (Island/Universal) holds top spot ahead of Billie Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” (Interscope/Universal) and Lady Gaga’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile” (Warner/Universal), respectively.