MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian bands haven't topped the charts in their own country in more than three years, but young upstarts Killing Heidi finally broke the losing streak.

Their second single, "Mascara" (RealAudio excerpt), hit #1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association's National Singles Chart this year, making Killing Heidi the first Australian act to do so since Savage Garden topped the chart with "Truly Madly Deeply" in early 1997. "Mascara" also reached #1 on ARIA's Alternative Top 20 and was voted #2 by fans in the Triple J Radio Top 100 of 1999 poll.

The pop-rock band's first record, Reflector, debuted at #1 when it was released March 6. The group is so popular Down Under that it played in front of thousands of fans at Melbourne's Big Day Out concert in January. During the show, lead singer Ella Hooper celebrated her 17th birthday, complete with cake.

But the celebrations for her band's phenomenal success are likely to continue for months. The band's first single, "Weir" (RealAudio excerpt), distributed through Roadshow Music, sold more than 75,000 units, according to Michael Matthews, national label manager for Roadshow.

"It could have gone close to 100,000," Matthews said, but the company deleted "Weir" as a single in December. "From a marketing point of view, it was better that the second single also achieve good business, and that's well and truly on its way to platinum (70,000 units shipped) now."

Asked how three years have passed without an Australian band reaching #1, Matthews said, "I mean there's been a great deal of great Australian music released and it's just, like, it really comes down to a matter of luck and timing."

But it's more than just luck and timing. Roadshow deleted the "Weir" single at the height of its popularity, and made it available only as a B-side to the "Mascara" single.

"So in other words," Matthews said, "if you go into a shop and say, 'I'd like a copy of "Weir," ' they'll tell you, 'You'll get it but it'll be actually on the "Mascara" single.' Therefore, the chart points and the sales points are going to 'Mascara.' So it's obviously helped it, but it's also helped drive the day airplay situation, which has been incredibly important."

When "Weir" proved too raucous for daytime play on some of the more conservative rock radio stations, an acoustic version was recorded. The popularity of the acoustic "Weir" and the current single have led to the acceptance of the original "Weir" and "Mascara" in daytime programming.

"There was some very straight commercial radio that said, 'We will never play this song,' " Killing Heidi's producer and manager Paul Kosky said, "and I turn on the radio [now] and I hear that station play it and do you know what I think? I feel overjoyed. I don't feel negative at all. I feel like we've educated. We've made a difference, and we've educated them for it to be OK."

Kosky said he and the band spent more than two and a half years working on the album and developing the band's material and live show. Hooper said she's eager for people to hear the album.

"You'll hear the other side of Killing Heidi when you hear it," she said. "The rock-pop thing is there predominantly, but there are so many other things creeping through in different songs, our influences — from our old folk roots to really heavy guitar."

American audiences may be the next to develop a crush on Killing Heidi. Reflector will hit U.S. stores Sept. 19. It will be released on 3:33 Music Group, a new label run by filmmaker Tom Shadyac.

"Once we break America, then I'll sit back and have a little break," Kosky said. "If it's set up well, there's no reason why we can't [break there], because they are so talented and this is a great record and it's a great band."