Doja Cat took the top spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2023 with “Paint the Town Red,” a song that samples Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By.” The countdown ran on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from midday to just before 7.30pm. She is the first woman of colour to win it and, The Age noted, the first female rapper.
The race was tight. Only one vote separated two songs in the top five, and the leaders shifted through the final days of voting. G Flip finished second with “The Worst Person Alive.”
Seven for G Flip
G Flip, the Melbourne singer and drummer whose real name is Georgia Claire Flipo, still made history. By about 5pm it was clear they would at least match the old record of six songs in one countdown, held by Wolfmother and Spacey Jane. A seventh song settled it. Those seven tracks make up more than half of the songs on their second studio album, “Drummer,” and also set a record for a solo artist, passing the five Billie Eilish had in 2019.
Speaking by phone from London to hosts Bryce Mills and Concetta Caristo, G Flip was close to tears. “I can’t thank you enough for getting round me,” they said.
The rest of the countdown
Dom Dolla had two songs in the top five: “Saving Up” at No. 3 and “Rhyme Dust,” with MK, at No. 4. Cassö, D-Block Europe and Raye placed “Prada” fifth. Fred Again’s “Adore You,” with Obongjayar, who became the first Nigerian act in the countdown, also made the top 10. Eilish took No. 7 with “What Was I Made For” from the Barbie soundtrack, Post Malone placed “Chemical” at No. 10, and Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” reached No. 9. Troye Sivan was widely tipped to win with “Rush” but it landed in the top 10 below that.
Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” came in at No. 48. It was her first appearance since “Did It Again” in 1997, a 26-year gap that beat the old record of 19 years, held by Slipknot. Fred Again and Olivia Rodrigo each had four songs, and Budjerah’s “Therapy” reached No. 19, his first entry in the Hottest 100.
The Perth duo Old Mervs, whose “Sweetheart” placed 47th, swore four times within seconds in an on-air interview. The Age counted 109 F-bombs across the countdown.
TikTok left a mark but did not dominate. PinkPantheress was the second most played artist on Triple J in 2023, yet her Ice Spice collaboration “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” finished at No. 36.
The annual charity drive for the youth mental health foundation Headspace raised more than $502,000 through T-shirt sales and donations. Hosts Mills and Caristo had threatened to “just say the word ‘vibes’ over and over again” until the total reached $500,000.
Sources
- Triple J Hottest 100: Doja Cat tops poll with Paint the Town Red as G Flip breaks record for most entries
- Doja Cat tops Hottest 100, G Flip breaks countdown record
