Doja Cat’s ‘Paint The Town Red’ Wins Triple J’s Hottest 100 Countdown

Doja Cat sent the records tumbling as her modern classic “Paint The Town Red” leapt to No. 1 on triple j’s Hottest 100 poll for 2023.

When her name was called out late Saturday, Jan. 27, the U.S. artist became the first female rapper and first woman of color to lead the countdown, the 31st edition.

“Paint The Town Red” beat out homegrown multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter G Flip with “The Worst Person Alive” and Aussie EDM star Dom Dolla with “Saving Up,” respectively, to take the title.

“When we first heard ‘Paint The Town Red’ back in August, there was little doubt that we’d see it appear at the pointy end of this year’s countdown,” explains triple j music director Nick Findlay.

“Over an iconic sample of Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk On By’, ‘Paint The Town Red’ shows Doja Cat in her truest form: effortlessly shaking off the haters while flexing her uncanny ability at executing pure pop perfection.”

During its ARIA Chart run last year, “Paint The Town Red” clocked up 10 weeks at No. 1, and is now certified double-platinum in these parts.

The Hottest 100 poll is an institution Down Under, one that triple j, a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), has, in the past, called the “world’s biggest musical democracy.”

Though it no longer coincides with Australia Day, on Jan. 26 — a controversial date in the minds of a growing number of Australians — 2,355,870 votes were cast for the countdown, down slightly from more than 2.4 million votes last year (the all-time record is the 3.2 million votes cast for the 2019 edition). Also, the annual event raised A$500,000 ($330,000) for triple j’s charity partner, headspace.

Though G Flip came off second-best to Doja Cat’s champ, the Australian artist established a new Hottest 100 record with seven titles in the countdown. That shatters the mark previously held by rock trio Wolfmother, which scored six entries back in 2005.

A multiple winner at the 2023 ARIA Awards and a leader on the ARIA Albums Chart last year with Drummer (Future Classic/Universal), G Flip (real name Georgia Claire Flipo) now vaults to 19 career Hottest 100 entries, good enough for equal third all-time with Tame Impala and Kanye West. Adelaide hip-hop favorites Hilltop Hoods are the kings, with 24 all-time entries, while Powderfinger and Foo Fighters are equal second with 22 each.

Australia’s own princess of pop Kylie Minogue establishes a new mark, with her U.K. top 10 hit “Padam Padam” making the Hottest 100 list. The last time she did so was in 1997, the 26-year gap between entries a new record.

This year’s pool of 2.335 million-plus votes were predominantly cast by women (61%) and 45% of all voters hailed from triple j’s target audience — 24 years of age, or under.

Also, according to reps for triple j, 52 of those hottest 100 songs were homegrown.

All told, 35 artists made their triple j Hottest 100 debuts over the weekend, including Troye Sivan, Kita Alexander, Dua Lipa, Budjerah, Old Mervs and Royel Otis.

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