Flume has capped a massive year by taking-out Triple J’s Hottest 100 poll, one of the world’s biggest fan-voted annual music competitions, with his hit “Never Be Like You.”
Flume’s sweeping song which layers orchestral arrangements and Canadian Kai’s haunting vocals over fractured beats, came in at No. 1 on the countdown, which coincides each year with Australia Day (Jan. 26), the country’s national celebration when hundreds of thousands of Aussies typically flock to water and tune in to Triple J.
The Sydney-raised electronic music producer (real name Harley Streten) had a bonafide hit on his hands with “Never Be Like You” well before its Hottest 100 victory.
The track reached No. 1 on Australia’s weekly sales chart last February (the first singles chart-topper for his label Future Classic) and finished as the most popular single Down Under in the first half of 2016, based on radio plays, streams and sales.
The song finished the year as the year’s fourth best-seller in the market, with four-times platinum sales (280,000 units), and managed No. 60 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Year-End Chart. Flume and Sia were the only Australian acts to crack the U.S. survey.
The producer also bagged eight categories at last year’s ARIA Awards, including album of the year for Skin and best pop and best dance release for his newly-crowned Hottest 100 champ.
“It’s rare that a song released back in January will end up in the Hottest 100, let alone at the very top, but ‘Never Be Like You’ just kept growing,” says triple j’s music director Richard Kingsmill of the song. He adds, “The melody line alone was strong and the lyrics were heartfelt without being clichéd. But by adding that surprising rhythm track with some pretty abrasive percussion, then throwing those swirling synths on top, he produced a song that only got more powerful over repeated listens.”
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“Never Be Like You” beat out Amy Shark’s “Adore,” Tash Sultana’s “Jungle,” Hilltop Hoods’ “1955” and Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” for this year’s title Flume landed four songs in the poll, described by Triple J as the “world’s biggest music democracy.” Only Violent Soho did better, with five.
A new record of 2,255,110 votes, up 7%, were cast on the latest countdown, which asked listeners of the state-funded broadcaster to decide on the most popular songs for 2016.
Click here for the complete Hottest 100.