Sydney’s most popular songs on Spotify

Sydney and greater NSW are turning to ballads, classic rock and local hip hop for pandemic comfort listening. See the list for where you live.

New South Wales music fans are turning to a diet of ballads, classic rock and local hip hop for pandemic comfort listening.

Streaming service Spotify polling of users last month has uncovered the state is overall listening to a lot of Lewis Capaldi, Fleetwood Mac, Dua Lipa and Tones And I.

However drilling down on the most distinctive songs being uniquely streamed in each city shows Western Sydney smashing local hip hop from Hooligan Heffs and ONEFOUR, while the Central Coast are feeling Matt Corby, Thelma Plum and Daryl Braithwaite’s classic The Horses.

Newcastle are opting for triple j favourites Spacey Jane, Azure Ryder, Holy Holy and Ball Park Music. 

Alicia Sburgnera, Head of Music at Spotify said the data highlights distinctive trends across the country.

Matt Corby is doing big streaming business on the Central Coast. Pic: Supplied

“Sydney continues to be the centre of hip hop with western Sydney in particular, a breeding ground for artists such as Hooligan Hefs and ONEFOUR. In contrast, there is a real love for classic catalogue music in Cairns who are listening to tracks from all the way back to 1971. The one thing that was consistent across the data was that we are proudly listening to local artists, with the large proportion of these distinctive tracks coming from home grown talent.”

Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, released in 1977, has enjoyed a new life thanks to being included in a Tik Tok video last October.

The song, which originally peaked at No. 19 upon release, soared to No. 4 on the ARIA charts last year. Continued high streaming from a new generation means the song has remained in the ARIA Top 40 since October.

Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit Dreams has been resurrected by Tik Tok. Pic: Supplied

Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi’s breakthrough hit Someone You Loved has now spent a remarkable over two years in the ARIA Top 100, originally released in 2019.

Another Capaldi ballad, Before You Go, has now spent a year in the ARIA Top 50.

Sburgnera said the streaming platform had noticed changes in listening behaviour over the pandemic.

“Nostalgia and catalogue music has been a huge theme of popular culture over the last twelve months. Australians are looking for relief given the turbulent time everyone has had with Covid and the subsequent lockdowns. It has really elevated a trend we have seen for listeners to soundtrack their day, which can be reflected by moods and moments, not genres.”   

Other highly streamed songs across Australia are Tones And I’s monster hit Dance Monkey, which spent 98 weeks in the ARIA Top 50 and Dua Lipa’s Don’t Stop Now.

Australian singer/songwriter Tones and I. Pic: Supplied

Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi. Pic: Universal

The listening habits were pulled at the end of June, just as much of Australia was heading into lockdown or dealing with border closures. Apple Music have also launched daily city charts from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. New music from Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran and Doja Cat dominate the top five listening habits on the East Coast, as well as Eurovision winners Maneskin.

SYDNEY MOST STREAMED CATALOGUE SONGS

Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi

Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

Don’t Start Now – Dua Lipa

Dance Monkey – Tones and I

Arcade – Duncan Lawrence

CENTRAL COAST MOST DISTINCTIVE SONGS

Brother – Matt Corby

Eshays – Sydney Yungins

Plans – Birds of Tokyo

Homecoming Queen – Thelma Plum

The Horses – Daryl Braithwaite

NEWCASTLE MOST DISTINCTIVE SONGS

Dizzy – Azure Ryder

Cherub – Ball Park Music

Weightless – Spacey Jane

Between You & I – Kita Alexander

True Lovers – Holy Holy

SYDNEY MOST DISTINCTIVE SONGS

Take Off – Hooligan Heffs

Riot – Open Till L8 fet Hooligan Hefs

Shisha Chick – Day 1

Breaks & Caddy’s – ONEFOUR

Feels like Summer – Brothers

APPLE MUSIC SYDNEY TOP 5

Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo

Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran

Kiss Me More – Doja Cat ft SZA

Beggin – Manskin

You Right – Doja Cat ft The Weeknd

Originally published as Sydney’s most popular songs on Spotify