Olivia DeanAs triple j wrap up the 33rd annual edition of their Hottest 100 countdown, one act has emerged as the victor, with Olivia Dean taking out the top spot with her chart-topping Man I Need.
Taking place on Saturday, January 24th, 2.1 million votes (the lowest since 2015) were counted for the yearly celebration of music, which saw Aussie music once again return in full force after a disappointing year.
While the English-born Dean scored the #1 track, she was followed closely behind by Keli Holiday, whose Dancing2 is the most fitting silver medallist since Blur hit the same spot with Song 2 back in 1997.
"It's kind of crazy, I feel like this song only just came into my life recently so for it to just be everywhere — it's changed my life," Dean told triple j hosts Concetta and Luka following her win (which makes it three in a row for women in the top spot).
"No other song has ever done what this has done, and I'm just really grateful."
Rounding out the top five was Tame Impala with Dracula, Playlunch’s foul-mouthed Keith, and Raye’s Where Is My Husband!.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
Elsewhere, Spacey Jane scored their fifth appearance for the year with Whateverrrr at #6, while Dean's Nice To Each Other took out #7. Sombr's 12 To 12 featured at #8, Disco Lines' remix of Tinashe's No Broke Boys took out #9, while Ball Park Music featured for the latest time with their ode to wayward friends, Please Don't Move To Melbourne.
This year’s poll was one that was bound to feature plenty of attention, largely thanks to the disappointing showing of local acts in the 2024 poll.
While Chappell Roan topped things with Good Luck, Babe! last year, it was marked by a notable lowlight in that the poll featured only 29 Aussie acts – the worst result since the 1996 countdown.
Overall, it was the third-worst result in an annual countdown, with only the 1993 and 1994 polls faring worse at 24 and 26 Aussie tracks, respectively.
Music lovers across the country found themselves asking what could be done, with answers ranging from the purposeful altering of our listening habits to larger campaigns such as #AUSIFYYourAlgo.
triple j themselves even seemed to get in on the action in the aftermath, launching a special countdown in July in honour of the station’s 50th anniversary, this time focusing exclusively on Australian music. The poll was a massive success, with INXS taking out the top spot with Never Tear Us Apart.
When it came to the voting process for the 2025 poll, triple j helped things along by giving voters the chance to filter the eligible songs by whether they were local or not.
The end result ended up being a net positive for Australian music, with the final tally featuring a total of 54 local tracks. For context, the record for highest amount of Australian tracks in a countdown was 66 back in 2016, with the 2025 result being the equal sixth-best result overall.
The Aussie representation was helped along by artists such as the Hilltop Hoods who were just last year dethroned by Billie Eilish when she took over the record of most appearances in an annual poll with a total of 25.
The Adelaide hip hop icons are now back in control with their three songs this year, bringing their total to an impressive 27 since their first showing back in 2003.
Hilltop Hoods weren't the only ones to feature multiple times. While Spacey Jane and Dean both scored five tracks, Tame Impala, Ocean Alley, Royel Otis, and Ninajirachi all appeared four times each.
Meanwhile, Keli Holiday, Sombr, Fred again.., G Flip, Tate McRae, Djo, and the Hoods featured three times, while Playlunch, Sam Fender, Chappell Roan, Addison Rae, Lorde, FISHER, Lily Allen, Kettama, Lola Young, The Rions, The Dreggs, and Old Mervs each placed twice.
Spacey Jane and Dean’s five appearances came just one year after Billie Eilish and Charli XCX set a new record for most tracks in a countdown, with both artists featuring eight times. This itself came one year after G Flip broke a long-standing record of seven tracks, breaking Wolfmother’s record of six which was set in 2005, and equalled by Spacey Jane back in 2022.
In terms of other notable happenings in the poll, the 2025 edition of the Hottest 100 saw the breaking of another record – the most back-to-back placings in a poll.
Four artists appeared in consecutive positions, including Sombr, Royel Otis, Ocean Alley, and the Hilltop Hoods, breaking 2020’s record of three (though that poll includes the only back-to-back pair of back-to-back placings to date).
Four Like A Version covers made the top 100 this year, after Royel Otis’ cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder On The Dancefloor hit the #2 spot. This time around, the highest-placed was Keli Holiday's rendition of Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire, while Beddy Rays' loving take on Cold Chisel's Khe Sanh sat at #49.
The other two were '80s classics, with The Dreggs' cover of A-ha's Take On Me sitting at #70, while Playlunch's fun-loving version of The Weather Girls' It's Raining Men was at #73.
This year also saw the return of the aforementioned Lily Allen, whose West End Girl album resulted in two tracks featuring (Pussy Palace at #38 and West End Girl at #88), and serving as Allen’s first appearance in a countdown since 2009.
Allen’s lengthy absence is followed closely by Gotye, whose song Somebody That I Used To Know featured in this year’s poll when it was sampled by Docheii for Anxiety – making it Gotye’s first time appearing in the countdown since that song topped the 2011 list.
For the TV lovers amongst us, Allen’s West End Girl was written largely about her split with Stranger Things actor David Harbour, who appeared in the acclaimed show with Joe Keery, otherwise known as Djo, who featured three times in the countdown.
Additionally, Hilltop Hoods’ Never Coming Home also name-checks Harbour and Keery’s fellow co-star, Millie Bobby Brown. Sure, its odd, but hey… stranger things have happened.
For anyone still feeling in the mood for further Hottest 100 action, Double J will be reliving all the action from the 2005 poll on Sunday, January 25th from 12pm local time.
From Tuesday, January 27th until Friday, January 30th, triple j will be counting down the Hottest 200, before running through the whole list from 10am local time on Saturday, January 31st.
triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2025
100. Djo – Potion
99. Ninajirachi – Delete
98. Old Mervs – Don't Go
97. The Tullamarines – Running On Empty
96. Keli Holiday – Ecstasy
95. Sleep Token – Caramel
94. Bad Bunny – DTMF
93. Confidence Man & Jade – Gossip
92. Laufey – Lover Girl
91. The Dreggs – We Don't Talk
90. The Rions – Tonight's Entertainment
89. FISHER & bbyclose – Blackberries
88. Lily Allen – West End Girl
87. Ocean Alley – Left Of The Dealer
86. Hilltop Hoods – Something Bigger Than This
85. Hilltop Hoods – Never Coming Home
84. Don West – Send It Back
83. Old Mervs – Everyone Will See It
82. Peach PRC – Miss Erotica
81. Hayley Williams – Parachute
80. Wet Leg – Mangetout
79. Sam Fender – Arm's Length
78. Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
77. Reneé Rapp – Leave Me Alone
76. Ninajirachi – All I Am
75. Vance Joy – Divine Feelings
74. G Flip – Bed On Fire
73. Playlunch – It's Raining Men (Like A Version)
72. The Kid Laroi – A Cold Play
71. Lorde – David
70. The Dreggs – Take On Me (Like A Version)
69. The Rions – Shut You Out
68. Fontaines D.C. – It's Amazing To Be Young
67. Hilltop Hoods – Don't Happy, Be Worry
66. Djo – Delete Ya
65. Addison Rae – Headphones On
64. PinkPantheress – Illegal
63. Dominic Fike – White Keys
62. Olivia Dean – Lady Lady
61. Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers – Balcony
60. Lola Young – Dealer
59. Drake – Nokia
58. Balu Brigada – Backseat
57. Lola Young – One Thing
56. Parcels – Yougotmefeeling
55. The Terrys – Catalonia Dreams
54. Royel Otis – Say Something
53. Lime Cordiale & Ruel – Melodramatic Fanatic
52. Tate McRae – Revolving Door
51. Fred again.., Sammy Virji & Reggie – Talk Of The Town
50. G Flip – In Another Life
49. Beddy Rays – Khe Sanh (Like A Version)
48. Kettama – It Gets Better
47. Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer
46. Kettama & Interplanetary Criminal – Yosemite
45. Tate McRae – Tit For Tat
44. Ocean Alley – Drenched
43. Ocean Alley – First Blush
42. Spacey Jane – How To Kill Houseplants
41. Keli Holiday – I'm On Fire (Like A Version)
40. Tame Impala – My Old Ways
39. Spacey Jane – Estimated Delivery
38. Lily Allen – Pussy Palace
37. Chappell Roan – The Giver
36. Tame Impala – End Of Summer
35. Royel Otis – Who's Your Boyfriend
34. Royel Otis – Moody
33. Fred again.. & Amyl And The Sniffers – You're A Star
32. Fisher – Stay
31. Spacey Jane – Through My Teeth
30. Djo – Basic Being Basic
29. Doechii – Anxiety
28. Tame Impala – Loser
27. Ninajirachi – iPod Touch
26. Tate McRae – Sports Car
25. Spacey Jane – All The Noise
24. Tyler, The Creator – Sugar On My Tongue
23. G Flip – Disco Cowgirl
22. Lorde – What Was That
21. Royel Otis – Car
20. Addison Rae – Fame Is A Gun
19. Sombr – Back to Friends
18. Sombr – Undressed
17. Ocean Alley – Love Balloon
16. Dom Dolla – Dreamin' (feat. Daya)
15. Chappell Roan – The Subway
14. Sam Fender & Olivia Dean – Rein Me In
13. Role Model – Sally, When The Wine Runs Out
12. Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax – Victory Lap
11. Olivia Dean – So Easy (To Fall In Love)
10. Ball Park Music – Please Don't Move To Melbourne
9. Disco Lines & Tinashe – No Broke Boys
8. Sombr – 12 To 12
7. Olivia Dean – Nice To Each Other
6. Spacey Jane – Whateverrrr
5. Raye – Where Is My Husband!
4. Playlunch – Keith
3. Tame Impala – Dracula
2. Keli Holiday – Dancing2
1. Olivia Dean – Man I Need
