Olivia Dean’s  ‘Man I Need’ is number one in triple j’s 2025 Hottest 100. A Melbourne-band named Playlunch jumped from Unearthed obscurity straight to number four in this year’s exercise in music democracy.

2.1 million votes were submitted for this year’s countdown, 18–29-year-olds were the biggest voting demographic.

Australian music can claim a huge win in this year’s countdown, with 54 Australian songs making this year’s list.

Olivia Dean appeared five times across the countdown, from #62 with ‘Lady Lady’ all the way to #1. The win marks a history-making hat-trick for women, who have now taking the top spot in the countdown three years in a row.
Landing at #2 was Keli Holiday with ‘Dancing2’, Western Australian band Tame Impala came in at #3 with ‘Dracula.’

In a moment that will go down in Hottest 100 history, Melbourne-band Playlunch scored #4 with their self-described ‘bogan-funk’ hit ‘Keith.’ Raye‘s ‘Where is my Husband’ came in at #5.

Forged in a share house home-studio somewhere in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs over two years of lockdown, Playlunch is the brainchild and passion project of Liam Bell. Creating a cocktail of late 90s and early 2000s Aussie nostalgia, and taking inspiration from retro dance music icons, Playlunch is pioneering a new trend: ‘Bogan Funk’.

triple j’s Manager of Music Programming Nick Findlay said: “It’s no secret Olivia Dean has owned 2025. When ‘Man I Need’ dropped in August, it immediately won us over and wrapped up everything we love about Olivia Dean in a neat package: dance ready soul that instantly warms your heart mixed with lyrics that uplift and empower, all driven by her stunning, flawless voice.

“It’s been so great to see so much support pouring in for local artists this year. Off the back of the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs, a sold out One Night Stand, and triple j 50th gigs all around the country, we knew our music loving audience would show up and show a lot of love for their local faves. Congratulations to all of the Australian acts who made the Hottest 100 of 2025.” 

Countdown facts and figures:
• 26 acts made their Hottest 100 debuts, including 8 Australian artists
• Australian hip hop band Hilltop Hoods reclaimed the record for the most songs featured in the Hottest 100, with 27 placements of their tracks since they debuted in 2003
• Olivia Dean & Spacey Jane tied for the most appearances (5 songs each)
• Spacey Jane’s If That Makes Sense marked the top album of the countdown
• Almost 40,000 individual tracks were voted for in this year’s Hottest 100
• Four triple j Like A Version covers landed across the Hottest 100 of 2025, and in a big flex, all of them were performances by Australian acts

Today, Double J relives the Hottest 100 from 20 years ago, starting 12pm Local Time. Then, from Tuesday-Friday, triple j will be running through the Hottest 200, with the full Hottest 200 to be played out next Saturday 31 January from 10am Local Time.

_{Images: Supplied, Triple J}