Who do the odds like to take out the 2024 Triple J Hottest 100?

It’s Hottest 100 time! The 2024 count has plenty of new names favoured to land in the top 5: but who do the odds like to win this year’s triple j countdown?

There’s nothing quite like the Triple J Hottest 100. Each year for the past 30+ trips around the sun, it’s been Australia’s biggest celebration of new music. Plenty of Number Ones have been awesome and notable (Spiderbait, QOTSA, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish), some have been wild misses (’A**hole’, ‘Pretty Fly for a White Guy’,), others have been embarrassing in retrospect (The Wiggles), there’s been the odd ‘oh yeah, remember that!?’ moment (Gotye, ‘Thriftshop’) while other have extremely, irreparably ‘meh’ (we’re looking at you, The Rubens and Ocean Alley).

But no matter the result, the Triple J’s Hottest 100 is full of bangers, vibes and definitely a bunch of artists that folks over 30 will be like ‘who?’ while delivering the year’s best snapshot of the past 12 months of music.

In terms of the betting markets, it’s a remarkably tight year, much more so than in 2023, with three songs all priced with a good chance of taking out the top spot, but a couple of smokies easily able to make themselves heard in the countdown.

So… who’s going to win the 2024 Hottest 100?

Troye Sivan at the 2023 ARIA Awards. Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

TRIPLE J HOTTEST 100 2024 - THE FAVOURITES

‘Paint The Town Red’ - Doja Cat

An earworm sing-along opening verse? Check.

Instantly recognisable beat and melody combo that sends people racing to the dancefloor spilling their drinks? Yeah, check.

A chorus so slinky it might end up as a character in a Toy Story short? Sure!

A tune that’s topped charts around the world by an artist with instant name recognition? Of course!

‘Paint the Town Red’ comes in number two.

Yeah, I said what I said.

‘Paint the Town Red’ has all the hallmarks of a hotly tipped number one that ends up just falling short of the Number One spot.

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‘Rush’ - Troye Sivan

‘Rush’ from superstar Aussie Troye Sivan is IT more than a creepy clown scaring the bejeezus out of folks from a drain.

It’s a tune that has it all: summer vibes, a chorus with a bigger hook than Dustin Hoffman and name identity behind the waifish Sivan, making it the perfect choice to top the 2024 countdown.

Sivan has superstar appeal and the voice of a goddamn angel, but also manages to hit the sweet spot of soundtracking the follies of youth AND generating plenty of nostalgic sighs from those remembering the follies of youth.

‘Rush’ would be a worthy winner and should top the count.

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‘Rhyme Dust’ - MK & Dom Dolla

A collab brought to you by the weird machinations of TikTok, if you look up ‘banger that samples Q-Tip’ in the dictionary, it’ll eventually probably show ‘Rhyme Dust’, the result of Aussie producer Dom Dolla and American DJ MK.

EDM, hip-hop, house... it’s all there mixed together and wrapped in pulsing package that feels very 2024... but also something that will have folks scratching their heads at.

That cross-genre appeal but very heavy EDM vibes means it’s relying a lot on to go right to win. Feels like a Top 5 chance, but might not have the voting legs.

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Georgia ‘G Flip’ Flipo. Photo: Supplied.

THE SMOKIES

‘Not Strong Enough’ - boygenius

This absolute ripper from the Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus supergroup is likely the best pick outside the top three shortest priced tunes to actually snag the top spot.

The combo of each of their voices melding perfectly together while also crafting a melody and song that feels genuinely timeless means that it’ll place on plenty of voting cards.

Considering that boygenius is almost a religious experience at this point, don’t underestimate their chances to go top 2-3.

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‘adore u’ - Fred again.. & Obongjayar

An instant club classic, Fred again... did it... well, again. But despite the sugary croon of Obongjayar rooting this song to your brain stem, it will have taken a big late push to get ‘adore u’ in the top 5 let alone the top 3. Last year Fred again... managed to land 14 with ‘Delilah ‘(pull me out of this)’, so it’s tough to see this going 1.

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‘The Worst Person Alive’ - G Flip

The one other Aussie with a really good outside shot at landing Top 3 - or even #1 - is the iconic G Flip with a single that kicks like a mule but is also sweeter than an Illusion shaker.

In a similar fashion to boygenius, G-Flip has crafted a song that has an immediacy that makes it feel timeless, while also being catchier than Covid and possesses a memorable breakdown of “Last year I was the love of your life / Now I’m the worst person alive’ that punches everyone who hears it right in the heart. A good look to go Top 5.

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‘What Was I Made For?’ - Billie Eilish

Former Hottest 100 winner Elisih’s absolute tear-jerker from ‘Barbie’ will be like country electronics store in summer and have plenty of fans.

Eilish’s vocals alone should win some sort of award for jaw-dropping musical moment of the year, but paired with that heart-rending piano it’s enough to bring the world’s Barbies and Kens to life then melt ‘em. An absolutely devastating tune, it’s a good look at a surprise top 5 spot.

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THE LONG SHOTS

‘Rumble’ - Skrillex, Fred Again.. & Flowdan

Skrillex is always thereabouts in countdowns, but hasn’t ever landed higher than #21 in 2011. This is a choon, however, so keep an eye on Sonny’s odds to go top 10 and even Top 5.

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‘Vampire’ - Olivia Rodrigo

Rodrigo has form in Hottest 100s, with ‘good 4 u’ and ‘drivers license’ landing #4 and #13 respectively in 2021 - when she had a remarkable five songs in the countdown.

‘Vampire’ might casually and surreptitiously lift the chord progression from Radiohead’s ‘Creep’, but it’s also not quite as memorable as that song OR ‘good 4 u’ which is an all-time guilty-pleasure banger that cut through the dross like a knife through butter.

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‘Therapy’ - Budjerah

‘Therapy’ is a helluva shot across the bow from young Aussie Budjerah, a sweeping, touching tune that also hits like a Tszyu. It’s the sort of Aussie tune that can make a surprise run off the back of plenty of airplay - another one to keep an eye on for a top 10 spot and maybe even Top 5.

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‘Leaving The Light’ - Genesis Owusu

An absolute cracker from one of the most fun and innovative Aussie artists of the last little while, it would be awesome to see these hurtle headlong into the top 10 after hitting #17 in the 2022 count with ‘Get Inspired’

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TOP AUSSIE?

It’ll be Sivan - ‘Rush’ is an all-quadrant banger and impossible not to like... and it should win the entire count.

TRIPLE J HOTTEST 100 WINNING SONG – ODDS

• ‘Paint The Town Red’ - Doja Cat: $2.05
• ‘Rush’ - Troye Sivan: $2.75
• ‘Rhyme Dust’ - MK & Dom Dolla: $3.75
• ‘Not strong enough’ - boygenius: $9
• ‘The Worst Person Alive’ - G Flip: $11
• ‘adore u’ - Fred again.. & Obongjayar: $15
• ‘What Was I Made For?’ Billie Eilish: $17
• ‘Rumble’ - Skrillex, Fred Again.. & Flowdan: $23
• ‘Vampire’ - Olivia Rodrigo: $23
• ‘Leaving The Light’ - Genesis Owusu: $26
• ‘Therapy’ - Budjerah: $31

WHO WINS THE 2024 HOTTEST 100 - THE PICK:

1- ‘Rush’ - Troye Sivan

2 - ‘Paint The Town Red’ - Doja Cat

3 - ‘Not strong enough’ - boygenius

[first published Jan 23- all odds updated via Ladbrokes as of January 26]

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Originally published as Who do the odds like to take out the 2024 Triple J Hottest 100?