Triple J’s Hottest 100 underway with 21 Aussie artists making the cut

Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown is done for another year with a beloved band taking out the top prize – but not everyone is happy.

One the most anticipated days of the year for music fans — Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown — is done and dusted with Australian band Ocean Alley taking out the coveted top spot with their undeniable banger Confidence.

Aussie artists Amy Shark, Dean Lewis and Ruby Fields all featured in the top 10, in what’s often called the biggest democratic exercise in Australian music.

Compton’s hip-hop demigod Kendrick Lamar took out the competition with Humble last year but the four years before that the number one spot was claimed by local artists.

In terms of votes, this was the biggest Hottest 100 countdown of all time with more than 2.7 million votes cast, and it installed the band from the northern beaches of Sydney as Australia’s undisputed kings of music.

Here’s how it all played out.

THE COUNTDOWN

100: Happy Sad — Ocean Alley

99: Polygraph Eyes — YUNGBLUD

98: Ghost Town — Kanye West

97: Do I Need You Now? — DMA’s

96: Take It To The Heart — Odette

95: Four Out Of Five — Arctic Monkeys

94: Ivy (Doomsday) — The Amity Affliction

93: You Can Count On Me — Trophy Eyes

92: Everybody But You — Thundamentals

91: Sundress — A$AP Rocky

90: Psycho — Post Malone

89: Dazed and Confused — Ruel

88: Labrador — WAAX

87: Younger — Ruel

86: Dirt Cheap — Lime Cordiale

85: Bubblin’ — Anderson. Paak

84: Cigarettes —Tash Sultana

Tash Sultana came in at number 84. Picture: Claudia Baxter

83: 1999 WILDFIRE — Brockhampton

82: Hunger — Florence + The Machine

81: Ballroom — Jack River

80: Nothing Breaks Like A Heart {Ft. Miley Cyrus} — Mark Ronson

79: Clumsy Love — Thelma Plum

78: Better Together {Ft. Running Touch} — Hayden James

77: Miracle — CHVRCHES

76: Clarity — Polish Club

75: Molotov — Kira Puru

74: Pussy Is God — King Princess

73: Sweet Release — Hockey Dad

Hockey Dad, from Windang, New South Wales, have made the list twice. Credit Joseph Crackett

72: What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out {triple j Like A Version 2018} — Nothing But Thieves

71: Smogged Out — Skegss

70: UFO {Ft. Allday} — Mallrat

69: Cheetah Tongue — The Wombats

68: Eastside {Ft. Halsey/Khalid} — benny blanco

67: Tints {Ft. Kendrick Lamar} — Anderson .Paak

66: Need You {Ft. NÏKA} — Flight Facilities

65: Scream Whole — Methyl Ethel

64: Mistake — Middle Kids

63: BOOGIE — Brockhampton

62: Killing My Time — G Flip

61: I Wanna Be Everybody — Hockey Dad

60: The End — DMA’S

Brit pop revivalists DMA’s have made a mark on this year’s countdown.

59: Give Me My Name Back — Meg Mac

58: Soaked — Bene

57: Martini —The Presets

56: Without Me — Halsey

55: Wasted — Peking Duk

54: Saturday Sun — Vance Joy

53: We’re Going Home — Vance Joy

52: Better — Khalid

51: Mr La Di Da Di — Baker Boy

50: No Place —RÜFÜS DU SOL

49: Missing Me —Angie McMahon

48: When I Dream —San Cisco

47: Like People — DZ Deathrays

46: you should see me in a crown — Billie Eilish

45: MANTRA — Bring Me The Horizon

44: Clark Griswold {Ft. Adrian Eagle} — Hilltop Hoods

South Australian hip-hoppers Hilltop Hoods are one of 21 Aussie artist’s on the list. Picture: Tim Hunter.

43: God’s Plan – Drake

42: Laps Around The Sun – Ziggy Alberts

41: In The Air – DMA’S

40: Nice For What – Drake

39: The Perfect Life Does Not Exist – Ball Park Music

38: About You – G Flip

37: Love Me Now – Ziggy Alberts

36: All Loved Up – Amy Shark

35: Ladders – Mac Miller

US rapper Mac Miller passed away earlier this year. Picture: Kevin Winter

34: 1950 – King Princess

33: Better Now – Post Malone

32: God Forgot – The Rubens

31: Church – Alison Wonderland

30: Sometimes – Cub Sport

29: Fire – Peking Duk

28: All The Stars – Kendrick Lamar.

27: Sunflower – Post Malone & Swae Lee

26: All The Pretty Girls – Vera Blue

25: I Miss You – Thundamentals

24: Leave Me Lonely – Hilltop Hoods

23: Treat You Better – RÜFÜS DU SOL

22: Underwater – RÜFÜS DU SOL

21: Never Ever (ft. Sarah) – The Rubens

20: Waiting – KIAN

19: Peach – Broods

18: Join The Club – Hockey Dad

17: Lovely (with Khalid) – Billie Eilish

16: Baby Come Back (triple j Like A Version 2018) – Ocean Alley

15: Just Friends – Hayden James

14: I’m Good – Wafia

Wafia is a singer who straddles multiple cultural identities: based in Australia, she was born in the Netherlands and also has Iraqi and Syrian heritage.

13: Praise The Lord (Da Shine) (ft. Skepta) – A$AP Rocky

12: Turn – The Wombats

11: Up In The Clouds – Skegss

TOP 10

10: Knees – Ocean Alley

9: Dinosaurs – Ruby Fields

8: When the party’s over – Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish performs at the Laneway Festival at Footscray. She had three songs in the top 50. Picture: David Crosling

7: Groceries – Mallrat

6: Be Alright – Dean Lewis

5: I Said Hi – Amy Shark

4: This Is America – Childish Gambino

3: SICKO MODE – Travis Scott

2: Losing It – FISHER

1: Confidence – Ocean Alley

Ocean Alley got the countdown started coming in at 100 and finished it off with the most voted for song of the year. The result wouldn’t have surprised too many with most bookmakers having Confidence as the shortest odds favourite to claim the top spot. It’s the 15th time an Aussie song has been crowned number one.

The band also had the most songs in the countdown with four making it in, including a Like a Version cover.

HATERS GONNA HATE

While clearly popular, not everyone was a fan of Australia’s number one choice.

The Triple J Facebook page was quickly swamped with music fans who were disappointed by the result.

“Don’t get me wrong. I like the funk and groove and that an Aussie band got it, but number 1?”, wrote Tristan Taylor.

“First time was bad enough, please don’t hurt our ears by an encore!” wrote Bec Hinson, referring to the fact that the number one song gets instantly replayed for listeners.

“In case you didn’t fall asleep the first time. This will send you off,” Andrew Kariko chimed in.

While some were hell-bent on complaining, others were psyched for the local band.

“Been following you guys from the beginning, so freakin proud, feel like a proud mum,” wrote Georgia Routley, a violin music teacher from Sydney.

Triple J’s Music Director Nick Findlay is a fan. “Dripping with a level of sun-drenched soul that’s straight out of a ‘70s surf flick, Confidence proved to be such an earworm,” he said.

“It’s a song that led the votes from day one of polling and never stopped.”

WHY IS THE COUNTDOWN TODAY?

It’s the second year Triple J has held the countdown on January 27 — after the station moved it from Australia Day last year.

You can listen on the radio, online or via the Triple J app.

Kendrick Lamar took last year’s title with Humble. Picture: Ian Laidlaw

The Hottest 200 will start at 10am local time wherever you are in Australia on Monday and nostalgic listeners can tune into Double J from 12pm to hear the Hottest 100 of 1998.

WHY ARE PEOPLE UPSET ABOUT THE DATE CHANGE?

Over many years, Triple J faced a growing backlash from listeners who see Australia Day as “Invasion Day” and wanted the iconic countdown to move to a more inclusive and less controversial date.

Under sustained pressure, it was moved to January 27 for the first time ever last year — a move that angered some traditionalists.

Dad rock station Triple M hit back at the move by hosting its own “The Ozzest 100” countdown — which was prompted prominent indigenous rapper Briggs to call the station “redneck scum” and accused it of pandering to “white nationalists and racists”.

Sixty per cent of Triple J listeners were in favour of the date change.

Childish Gambino is one of the favourites to win this year. Picture: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

The decision was applauded by indigenous Australians but shortly after the announcement, communications minister Mitch Fifield said it was “bewildering”.

“The ABC have legislated independence when it comes to programming decisions but as Minister I’m making clear to the ABC my view that they shouldn’t mess with Australia Day and they shouldn’t mess with the Hottest 100,” he told Channel 9.

“I know that is the view of many of my parliamentary colleagues and it’s also a widely-held view in the community that the ABC just shouldn’t be making political statements.”