triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs has already been a big hit, generating lots of chat about Australian music, as people vote for their favourite homegrown hits.

Voting closes at 5 pm this Thursday, with the Hottest 100 to be unveiled on July 26.

But Ben Lee believes triple j could – and should – be doing more to promote Australian music.

“I’ve been getting a lot of very nice notifications of people voting for my songs in this triple j Hottest 100 Australian Songs of all time,” the artist said in an Instagram post.

“And that’s lovely, thank you. It’s always nice to have my songs appreciated.”

Ben Lee has twice been runner-up in triple j’s annual poll. In 1998, Cigarettes Will Kill You came second to The Offspring’s Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), while Catch My Disease was bested by Bernard Fanning’s Wish You Well in the 2005 poll.

“But I can’t help but feel that this initiative, this Hottest 100 Australian Songs of all time, is a little bit of a band-aid for a deeper conversation we need to be having about what role triple j should be playing in fostering Australian music culture and supporting new Australian talent,” Ben Lee believes.

“So, I’ve got an idea, I’ve got an actual idea. A lot of people aren’t gonna like it, but here it is.

“I reckon the Hottest 100 every year, it should only be eligible to vote for Australian songs.

“There’s enough platforms out there, around the world for international music. I reckon the Hottest 100 on triple j should be only Australian music.

“This is an idea that would be deeply unpopular with major labels in Australia, and that’s okay, but it would force the hand of, for the rest of the year, the programming to really get behind and expose a huge amount of Australian music to triple j listeners.

“So, there’s my idea, what do you think?”

The first triple j Hottest 100 countdown was held in March 1989. The annual poll allows listeners from across the country to vote for their favourite Australian songs, or the most popular international artists that also get spins on the national youth broadcaster.

Until February 1998, the countdown was held on different days in January, eventually settling on the Australia Day public holiday. Since 2017, the Hottest 100 has occurred on the fourth weekend of January and no longer happens on Australia Day.

In 2019, the Hottest 100 amassed its largest-ever collection of votes, with 3.9 million votes counted. Chappell Roan’s worldwide hit, Good Luck, Babe! won the most recent Hottest 100.

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