Ruby Fields has become the latest Aussie artist to top the ARIA Albums chart this year, beating out the likes of Drake, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo to take out the #1 spot with her debut album, Been Doin’ It For A Bit.
Released last Friday, Ruby’s debut album was many years in the making, with the New South Wales artist first formally launching her career with the release of “I Want” back in 2017. In September of 2018, Ruby shared her biggest song to date, with “Dinosaurs” not only going Platinum, but also reaching #9 in triple j’s Hottest 100.
With two EPs under her belt by the start of 2019, last year was set to see Ruby release her debut album, having escaped to New Zealand in March of 2020 to record the album at Revolver Studio. Wrapping things up with producer Chris Collins at Byron Bay’s Music Farm Studios, Ruby had been sitting on the album for a while, sharing first single “Pretty Grim” a full year before the release of its accompanying album.
Officially released in late September, the 11-track record is a half-hour exploration of the sounds that Ruby has been honing for over a decade, paired with the sort of introspective songwriting that has found itself becoming more prominent in her work in recent years.
Ruby’s chart-topping record is undeniably a major success story for local, independent music. The first local number one since 5 Seconds Of Summer’s Luke Hemmings topped the chart with his solo debut back in August, this recent effort is all the more impressive considering that recent weeks have seen world-renowned acts such as Vika & Linda and Amyl and The Sniffers relegated to the silver-medal position thanks to international heavyweights such as Lil Nas X and Drake, respectively.
“We wanna say a huge thanks to everyone that’s supported us in love or streams or buying we’re beyond stoked to be #1,” Ruby said in a statement this afternoon. “From a little band I started with my friends to this.
“Thanks to Space 44 for believing in me as a grom and so proud to have a great team behind me in every way.”
“A huge congratulations to Ruby Fields on debuting at #1 on this week’s ARIA Albums Chart,” added ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “The continuing success of our local artists on the charts has been one of the brighter spots of an otherwise tough year for Australian music.
“It will be fantastic when Ruby and all our other chart-toppers can celebrate with their fans at some killer live shows when things open up.”
In addition to topping the ARIA Albums chart (the 13th Australian to do so this year), Been Doin’ It For A Bit also topped the ARIA Vinyl charts too, becoming the 24th Aussie artist to achieve the feat in 2021.
Ruby Fields’ debut album, Been Doin’ It For A Bit, is out now via Space 44.
