Olivia Dean Claims The Top Spot As Australian Artists Dominate The Year’s Defining Countdown
by Paul Cashmere
The votes are locked in, the speakers have cooled, and another chapter of Australian music history has been written. Triple J’s Hottest 100 2026 has officially crowned Olivia Dean at number one, with Man I Need taking out the country’s most influential annual music poll. Backed by 2.1 million votes, the result confirms Dean as the artist who soundtracked the year for a generation of listeners and places her at the centre of one of the strongest local showings the countdown has ever seen.
Australian music emerged as the clear winner across the day, with 54 homegrown tracks featured in the Top 100. That is a stark difference to how the ARIA Top 100 of 2025 ended up this year. That figure reinforces the continuing strength of the domestic scene, a hallmark of the Hottest 100 since its beginnings in the late 1980s when the poll evolved from a staff-curated list into a listener-driven cultural event. More than three decades later, the countdown remains a barometer of what matters to Australian audiences right now.
Dean’s victory also carries historical weight. It marks the third consecutive year that a female artist has claimed the top spot, extending a significant shift in the countdown’s recent narrative. Across the list, Olivia Dean appeared five times, ranging from Lady Lady at number 62 through to the winning track. Her consistency across the voting reflects a year in which her music resonated broadly, both emotionally and stylistically, with Triple J’s core audience.
Finishing at number two was Keli Holiday with Dancing2, a track that became ubiquitous across airwaves and playlists over the past year. At number three, Western Australian mainstay Tame Impala reaffirmed Kevin Parker’s enduring relevance with Dracula, continuing a Hottest 100 legacy that stretches back more than a decade. One of the most talked-about moments of the countdown arrived at number four, where Melbourne act Playlunch surged from Triple J Unearthed into national consciousness with Keith, a result that underscores the station’s long-running role in breaking new Australian talent.
Beyond the top end of the list, the 2026 countdown told a broader story about participation and diversity. Twenty-six acts made their Hottest 100 debut, including eight Australian artists, signalling an ongoing renewal of the scene. Hilltop Hoods further cemented their place in Hottest 100 history by reclaiming the record for the most songs featured overall, now standing at 27 entries since their first appearance in 2003, a testament to their longevity and sustained audience connection.
Olivia Dean and Spacey Jane tied for the most appearances this year, each placing five tracks in the Top 100. Spacey Jane also secured another notable achievement, with If That Makes Sense recognised as the most represented album across the countdown. Demographically, voters aged 18 to 29 formed the largest cohort, while close to 40,000 individual tracks received votes, illustrating both the scale and breadth of listener engagement.
Like A Version once again left its mark, with four covers landing in the Top 100, all performed by Australian artists. This outcome continues the segment’s tradition of transforming reinterpretations into defining moments within the countdown itself.
As the Hottest 100 concludes, attention now turns to the broader celebration across the Triple J and Double J networks. Double J will revisit the Hottest 100 from 20 years ago, followed by the broadcast of the Hottest 200 across the week, culminating in the full replay next Saturday.
For now, Olivia Dean’s Man I Need stands as the song that defined the year, anchored within a countdown that showcased both the strength of Australian music and the evolving tastes of its audience.
Triple J Hottest 100 2025 Full List
1. Olivia Dean – Man I Need
2. Keli Holiday – ‘Dancing2’
3. Tame Impala – ‘Dracula’
4. Playlunch – Keith
5. RAYE – WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!.
6. Spacey Jane – Whateverrrr
7. Olivia Dean – Nice To Each Other
8. sombr – 12 to 12
9. Disco Lines & Tinashe – No Broke Boys
10. Ball Park Music – Please Don’t Move To Melbourne
11. Olivia Dean – So Easy (To Fall In Love)
12. Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax – Victory Lap
13. ROLE MODEL – Sally, When The Wine Runs Out
14. Sam Fender. – Rein Me In [with Olivia Dean]
15. Chappell Roan – The Subway
16. Dom Dolla – Dreamin [Ft. Daya]
17. Ocean Alley – Love Balloon
18. sombr – undressed
19. sombr – back to friends
20. Addison Rae – Fame is a Gun
21. Royel Otis – car
22. Lorde – What Was That
23. G Flip – Disco Cowgirl
24. Tyler, The Creator – Sugar On My Tongue
25. Spacey Jane – All The Noise
26. Tate McRae – Sports car
27. Ninajirachi – Ipod Touch
28. Tame Impala – Loser
29. Doechii – Anxiety
30. Djo – Basic Being Basic
31. Spacey Jane – Through My Teeth
32. FISHER – Stay
33. Fred again.. & Amyl and The Sniffers – you’re a star
34. Royel Otis – moody
35. Royel Otis – who’s your boyfriend
36. Tame Impala – End Of Summer
37. Chappell Roan – The Giver
38. Lily Allen – Pussy Palace
39. Spacey Jane – Estimated Delivery
40. Tame Impala – My Old Ways
41. Keli Holiday – I’m On Fire (triple j Like A Version 2025)
42. Spacey Jane – How To Kill Houseplants
43. Ocean Alley – First Blush
44. Ocean Alley – Drenched
45. Tate McRae – Tit For Tat
46. KETTAMA & Interplanetary Criminal – Yosemite
47. Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer
48. KETTAMA – It Gets Better (Forever Mix)
49. Beddy Rays – Khe Sahn (triple j Like A Version 2025)
50. G Flip – In Another Life
52. Fred again.., Sammy Virji & Reggie – Talk of the Town
52. Tate McRae – Revolving Door
53. Lime Cordiale & Ruel – Melodramatic Fanatic
54. Royal Otis – say something
55. The Terrys – Catalonia Dreams
56. Parcels – Yougotmefeeling
57. Lola Young – One Thing
58. Balu Brigada – Backseat
59. Drake – Nokia
60. Lola Young – d£aler
61. Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – Balcony
62. Olivia Dean – Lady Lady
63. Dominic Fike – White Keys
64. PinkPantheress – Illegal
65. Addison Rae – Headphones On
66. Djo – Delete Ya
67. Hilltop Hoods – Don’t Happy, Be Worry
68. Fontaines D.C. – It’s Amazing To Be Young
69. The Rions – Shut You Out
70. The Dreggs – Take On Me (triple j Like A Version 2025)
71. Lorde – David
72. The Kid LAROI – A Cold Play
73. Playlunch – It’s Raining Men (triple j Like A Version 2025)
74. G Flip – Bed on Fire
75. Vance Joy – Divine Feelings
76. Ninajirachi – All I Am
77. Reneé Rapp – Leave Me Alone
78. Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
79. Sam Fender – Arm’s Length
80. Wet Leg – mangetout
81. Hayley Williams – Parachute
82. Peach PRC – Miss Erotica
83. Old Mervs – Everyone Will See It
84. Don West – Send It Back
85. Hilltop Hoods feat. SIX60 – Never Coming Home
86. Hilltop Hoods – Something Bigger Than This
87. Ocean Alley – Left Of The Dealer
88. Lily Allen – West End Girl
89. FISHER & bbyclose – Blackberries
90. The Rions – Tonight’s Entertainment
91. The Dreggs – We Don’t Talk
92. Laufey – Lover Girl
93. Confidence Man & JADE – gossip
94. Bad Bunny – DtMF
95. Sleep Token – Caramel
96. Keli Holiday – Ecstasy
97. The Tullamarines – Running on Empty
98. Old Mervs – Don’t Go
99. Ninajirachi – Delete
100. Djo – Potion
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