Words by Amar Gera January 21, 2021

One of the closest years yet…

Okay, no one has made a point of properly saying this, so I’m gonna bite the bullet and be the voice of the people. Making a Hot 100 shortlist is fucking hard man. Actually, hard isn’t an apt enough word for this. It destroys your soul five times over, leaving you a shell of your former self as you’re forced to choose your favourite tunes of the year, and leave the unlucky runners up on the cutting room floor. It doesn’t help that every year there are countless quality tracks released as well, dropped by kick ass local artists and global superstars that span across all genres and moods. It’s literally impossible keeping up with it all, but alas, this is what you sign up for when you’re a music fan in Australia, and it’s that special, anxiety-inducing time of year again.

A time where we have to rack our brains and make lists upon lists, desperately whittling the releases over the past year to a meagre ten tracks. Picture one of those whiteboards from a Hollywood heist-film with the red string all over it; that’s essentially the effort required when voting in triple j’s annual popularity contest.

But voting is closed, and all we can do is wait. Naturally, speculation is in the air, bookies and music fans alike racking their brains to try and crack the code of the Aussie music scene. Will it be a homegrown hero? A Los Angeles megastar that doesn’t give a flying fuck about the countdown? Or, a complete random that literally no one is counting on? There are endless possibilities, so we figured, why not ask the very people who we’re voting for? Why not quiz them on their predictions, hopes and dreams for the countdown? So that’s what we did.

Usually we just stick to past Hottest 100 alumni for these sorts of lists, but after the absolute ridiculousness the Aussie music scene has been through over the past year, we figured to hell with that, lets get the opinions of all our musos slugging it out. Some of them you’ll be used to hearing on Hot 100 day, and others could be making their countdown debut this Saturday.

Check it below.

Ocean Alley

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Mitch: My pick is Spacey Jane’s ‘Booster Seat’. The group spent most of the year touring WA while others were locked down so I think that exposure coupled with the fact it’s a masterfully written song has me tipping it to take the cake.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Angus: ‘Rockstar’ by Mallrat at number one would be awesome. It’s an awesome song that is gonna be many people’s top pick and it’s always great to see people voting for Aussie talent.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Tom: G-Flip could do it with ‘Hyperfine’. It’s sitting at longer odds now but it’s a super catchy tune that should get a lot of votes.

Eves Karydas

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Glass Animals with ‘Heat Waves.’

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I’d love to see Ball Park Music win with ‘Cherub.”

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Is Cardi B considered an outsider? WAP WAP WAP WAP!

Crooked Colours

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Glass Animals – ‘Heat Waves.’

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

North East Party House – ‘Shelf Life.’

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

The Jungle Giants – ‘Sending Me Ur Loving.’

Tim from Cub Sport

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I feel like this could be Ball Park Music’s year! I’d love to see ‘Cherub’ take it out.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I’m gunning for Mallrat ‘Rockstar,’ Eves Karydas ‘Complicated,’ Sycco ‘Dribble’ and Tkay Maidza ‘Shook.’ I’d also be so happy if ‘WAP’ got #1!

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Northeast Party House were robbed last year so I reckon they could be the dark horse this year.

Novak from Polish Club

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I have no clue but I just googled that Warm Tunas site and apparently it’s Glass Animals. So there you go.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

It’d really help us out if it were us, that’d be really swell. Like super cool. I’d love that. Us or Billie Eilish ‘My Future.’

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

I mean, if we won that’d be just about as outside as you can get. We won’t but yeah.

Essie Holt

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Flume ft Toro y Moi – ‘The Difference’

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

E^ST – ‘I WANNA BE HERE’

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Mallrat – ‘Rockstar’

Torren Foot

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Tame Impala – ‘Lost in Yesterday’! This record was so amazing, the only thing that will hurt it’s chances, are that there were 11 other hits on the album haha

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Mac Miller – ‘Good News’ .. I love him so much, I listen to a Mac album a week, and to see him take out the top spot posthumously would be such a moment. Big ups Aus music, but if someone not from Aus was going to win it, my vote is Mac.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

My boys Dom & Sonny, ‘Moving Blind’!!! Dom recently dyed his hair blue .. If ‘Moving Blind’ goes #1, I’ll dye my locks blue too!! Haha

Muki

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I think probably Lime Cordiale. They cleaned up at the ARIA’s.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I hope Briggs will win, or Jaguar Jonze.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

I think Glass Animals or Benee have a good chance of winning. They both have made really amazing records and had a really good year.

Hockey Dad

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I think our hot pick to take out the hottest 100 this year would have to be Spacey Jane with their song ‘Booster Seat’. Every post I’ve seen with everybody’s votes has had their name written all over it. It would be great to see an Aus band take it out too!

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I hope we win it Hahahah. Our favourite artist this year was Tkay Maidza so hopefully she can take it out with any of her hits from her latest record.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

There’s a few that could make a hot run at the title! DMA’s, Ocean Alley, Thelma Plum all had huge years and could maybe sneakily take it out!

Alex The Astronaut

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Ball Park Music

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Ball Park Music

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

‘WAP’

Tyne James Organ

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I recon Spacey Jane’s ‘Booster Seat’ will take it this year. I don’t think I know one person who doesn’t like it.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I’d love to see Ballpark Music take it out. ‘Cherub’ is such a beautiful song, and I know how much it would mean to them if they were to take the top spot!

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

With the year Lime Cordiale had it wouldn’t surprise me to see them take it. Bloody well deserved too.

ASHWARYA

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I honestly couldn’t tell you…there’s a lot of artists in the mix but my best bet is Cardi B – ‘WAP’

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

The koolest, BENEE.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Sycco – ‘Dribble’

MID CITY

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Lime Cordiale

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

DMA’S

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Cardi B

Thomas Headon

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

Spacey Jane with ‘Booster Seat,’ it’s either that or Glass Animals with ‘Heat Waves’. If it’s neither of them and it’s like DJ Khaled I’m giving up my passport.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I’d be really happy with a Spacey Jane win, but at the same time I’m always a fan of the underdog so hoping somebody completely unknown from unearthed just breezes on through and everyones like yeah sick.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

Ball Park Music with ‘Cherub’ has a good chance I think, or ‘Lost in Yesterday’ by Tame Impala. Really could see it being Tame Impala.

Sycco

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I think it will be the lovely Spacey Jane with ‘Booster Seat’! The Australian sweethearts that soundtracked our 2020 IT HAS TO BE!!

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I hope and I hope and I hope it’s Spacey’s because that would be epic and they deserve it and it would just be so beautiful hearing that guitar play at #1!

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

I think ‘Heatwaves’ by Glass Animals could definitely do it, that was on high rotation for a lot of humans last year so I think it will be right up there!

Budjerah

Who do you think will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I think Kid Laroi will win. He had a massive year, and everyone really loves that dude.

Who do you hope will win Triple J’s Hottest 100?

I wish it was me haha, but I hope May-a, I really like all of her songs. She’s one of my favourite artists of 2020.

Who is an outsider that you think could sneak up and win?

I think Jk47 might sneak in there, I think his album was one of the best from 2020. I’ve also been seeing a lot of people voting for him on Instagram.