Could frog calls overtake Taylor Swift on the Australian charts?
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It's been a mega year for superstar Taylor Swift.
Her latest album Midnights, which came out in October, broke multiple Spotify records shortly after its release.
Last month was another big win for the singer, after she became the first artist in history to have her songs make up the entire US top ten.
Taylor Swift's newest music offering has had huge success in countries all over the world so far, including in Australia.
Her song Anti-Hero currently tops the Australian music chart's (ARIA) list of top 50 singles.
The song has remained in pole position for the last six weeks, but an album of frog calls could kick Taylor's popular track off the top spot!
Scientists want to raise awareness of the declining frog population in Australia by releasing an album of frog sounds.
It's a collaboration between several organisations including the Australian Museum, FrogID and the Bowerbird Collective.
The 50-minute long album, called The Songs of Disappearance, is made up of frog calls collected by researchers and citizen scientists.
There were more than 17,000 submissions put forward for the album and it features over 40 of the most threatened frogs in Australia.
Scientists say the unusual album aims to raise awareness of the declining frog population in the country, with species like the spotted tree frog and the green-thighed frog affected.
Listeners will be able to hear unusual gurgles, growls and even screams according to Dr Rowley, who is a scientist in the field and a lead on the FrogID project.
"I'm hoping the frogs can do it," Dr Rowley said when asked if the frogs could Taylor Swift's top position in the charts on ABC Australia Radio Canberra.
"It's an amazing album for a really good cause and we've had a really good response so far. So, my fingers are crossed.
"I'm really hoping these calls, particularly these threatened species, actually, ignite the spark in people to make sure that future generations can hear these calls and we don't rob them of that opportunity."
This isn't the first time an album of this kind has been put out by scientists.
Last year, an album of bird calls saw success in Australia after it entered the ARIA charts at No 5 just a week after its release.
It beat several big artists whose songs are hugely popular around Christmas time, including Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé and Abba.
- Published26 April 2022
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