The day that Aussie musicians and their fans spend all year waiting for almost as much as that other day they spend all year waiting for arrived over the weekend.
The Hottest 200-101 was still packed with talent (much of it local, woo-hooh!) and it was great to spend a day listening to some awesome tunes without all that nail-biting and nervous anticipation.
With the full results out, we decided to go ahead and run the numbers and take a look at what lessons can be learnt from this year’s triple j Hottest 200-101.
1. Aussies Are Still Killing It
Much like the Hottest 100, the ‘Hottest 200’ was topped by an Aussie artist (an Unearthed High winner no less, but we’ll get to that) and a total of 48 of the songs included in the bottom 100 are by Australian artists or bands.
2. Oh, And Unearthed Is Killing It Too
Keep an eye on Mosquito Coast, because that pair is definitely going places. Having won Unearthed High last year, their single ‘Call My Name’ received high rotation on triple j and they’re not the only Unearthed success story. 30 of the songs in the top 100 were from artists we first heard on Unearthed.
3. The Hottest 200 Not Kind To Female Artists Either
37 of the songs in the Hottest 100 had female vocals, including 33 with lead female vocals and four with both male and female. Going even further down the list, things don’t get much better. There’s only 15 songs featuring just female vocals and 12 featuring both, giving us a grand total of 27.
4. More Than Half The Songs Were By Male Acts
57 of the bottom 100 songs in this year’s poll were by male artists or all-male bands. The underwhelming level of female representation in this year’s poll has sparked a new conversation about whether the Aussie music industry is doing enough to support female musicians.
5. Loving Like A Version
The Hottest 200-101 featured a grand total of four entries that were Like A Version covers. The highest ranking was Childish Gambino’s ‘So Into You’ at #108, while Catfish & The Bottlemen’s ‘Read My Mind’ was the lowest ranking at #192. #1 Dads’ cover of ‘Two Weeks’ and One Day’s cover of ‘Not Many’ were also given some love.
6. Lots Of Repeat Offenders
The bottom 100 featured many multiple entries from artists, including Alison Wonderland, who nabbed three spots with ‘You Don’t Know’ (113), ‘Take It To Reality’ (136), and ‘Games’ (142), and Mumford & Sons also with three – ‘The Wolf’ (128), ‘Believe’ (145), and ‘Ditmas’ (180).
7. Hip-Hop Dominated
If the Hottest 200-101 proved anything, it’s that Australia’s hip-hop-loving community may be small, but it’s passionate. Hip-hop and R&B dominated the bottom 100, with entries from Childish Gambino, Joey Bada$$, Seth Sentry, Hermitude & Young Tapz, Drapht, The Internet, Kendrick Lamar, Tuka, Tkay Maidza, Action Bronson, and more.
8. A Little Top-Heavy?
Quite a few artists that got a good showing in the Hottest 100 (two or more entries) didn’t fare as well in the Hottest 200, nabbing just one entry (pathetic, right?). These artists include Courtney Barnett, Tame Impala, Parkway Drive, The Weeknd, Disclosure, and CHVRCHES.
9. Like An Animal (Name)
No matter what, we absolutely love a band or artist named after an animal. Though there were only five animal names in last year’s poll, there were 12 in this year’s Hottest 100, and a few in the Hottest 200 as well. There’s a grand total of eight in the bottom 100, including Mosquito Coast, Foals, The Wombats, Catfish & The Bottlemen, and Last Dinosaurs.
