Canberran Jack Biilmann's album Full Circle tops blues and jazz charts

The Canberra musician's latest album, Full Circle is hovering around the top of the jazz and blues ARIA charts, with only those international music juggernauts standing between him and number one.

"It's pretty crazy," Biilmann says.

"I actually set myself a goal before I released the album to get on the charts. I did my research and had a look at who else had been on there and I thought, 'Well, the records were fantastic, but if they can do it, why can't I'?

"So I really put my head down and put a bit of a strategy together and and it's just paid dividends."

Full Circle debuted at number six on the charts - and was one of only two Australian records in the top 20.

But Biilmann almost missed his chance to see his debut on the charts. The musician originally checked the charts a week too early. It was only when a friend pointed out the listing the next week that the musician realise the accomplishment.

That's just one of the highs that Biilmann has experienced on what has been a rollercoaster of emotion since the release of Full Circle.

"It's really been such a wave of emotion because the day the album came out, I had to put down one of my dogs," he says.

"And I was doing an interview later that day, holding back tears, trying to talk and they were like, 'You must be so excited' and I'm going, 'Yeah, not really'. It was really hard.

"So to have the chart ranking come through was a really bittersweet moment, after all that."

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Full Circle is a product of COVID-19. The musician had just released an album with side project, BIILMANN, which "went down the drain" as soon as the pandemic hit and the national tour was cancelled.

Biilmann says it left him a dark place, and it was him actively finding connection with his fan base, that helped him get through the pandemic.

"I had this realisation that I've built this amazing community around my music," he says.

"I recognised this and realised I shouldn't worry about all this dark stuff and concentrate on what I've done, and what I've built and be grateful for it.

"I found ways to engage with the community by doing some live gigs on social media and basically getting to know them."

This journey is reflected in the release, with a mix of tracks showing both the darker side of the Biilmann's pandemic experience and others that reflect the acceptance of what was happening in the world.

"I'm not trying to say that COVID is a positive thing, but for me, a bit of perspective sometimes can really help you out," he says.

"You think you have the poor buggers in India at the moment, and even in Australia, when it was bad I could still walk my dog, I could still go and get a coffee if I wanted one. The privileges we have here compared with the rest of the world - music aside - I just put it all in perspective. And it came out with the writing."

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