JJJ Hottest 100 2025 Winner: Olivia Dean Tops Countdown

Olivia Dean, a UK artist, claimed the top spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2025 with “Man I Need,” breaking a pattern that had leaned heavily on Australian acts and dominating the voting in a way few tracks manage. The result marks a notable shift in the annual countdown, which has historically championed local talent. Here’s what we know about the 2025 countdown, what the results say about Australian music taste, and when to tune in next year.

2025 Winner: Olivia Dean · #1 Song: Man I Need · Votes Cast: Over 2 million · Event Date: 24 January 2026 · Next Edition: Hottest 100 2026

The table below summarizes the key facts about the 2025 Hottest 100 results.

Who Won Hottest 100 Triple J?

Olivia Dean took the top spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2025 with her track “Man I Need,” marking the first time since 2022 that a non-Australian artist claimed the number one position. The result surprised some voters who expected Australian acts to dominate given the station’s long history of championing local talent. Dean’s win wasn’t a fluke — her song resonated across age groups and genres, drawing votes from listeners who rarely agree on a single favourite.

Olivia Dean’s Victory

Olivia Dean’s rise to the top of the Hottest 100 wasn’t just about a single hit. She tied with Spacey Jane for the most entries in the countdown, with five songs appearing across the list. “Nice To Each Other” landed at number 7, and other Dean tracks scattered through the rankings, showing a depth of fan support that few artists achieve in a single year.

• #1: Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
• #7: Olivia Dean – “Nice To Each Other”

Fan Reactions

Social media lit up immediately after the winner was announced, with reactions ranging from enthusiastic celebration to claims that Keli Holiday’s “Dancing2” deserved the top spot. The debate over international versus Australian winners has surfaced before — Chappell Roan (2024) and Doja Cat (2023) also came from outside Australia — but Dean’s win felt different to some listeners because her sound leans more toward indie soul than the guitar-driven tracks that typically dominate Australian alternative radio.

What Song Was Number 1 in JJJ Hottest 100?

“Man I Need” by Olivia Dean claimed the number one position in the Hottest 100 of 2025, as confirmed by the official triple j YouTube announcement and their Spotify playlist. The track’s placement wasn’t close — it built a commanding lead early in the countdown broadcast and held through to the final reveal. The song had been a consistent presence on triple j’s playlists throughout 2025, giving it the exposure that often translates to votes.

Top Track Details

The top ten reads like a snapshot of alternative music’s current moment: Australian acts like Tame Impala, Spacey Jane, and Ball Park Music sit alongside international names including RAYE and Olivia Dean. The complete top five establishes a clear hierarchy of fan favourite.

• #1: Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
• #2: Keli Holiday – “Dancing2”
• #3: Tame Impala – “Dracula”
• #4: Playlunch – “Keith”
• #5: RAYE – “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”

Previous Winners

Olivia Dean joins an exclusive list of Hottest 100 champions, though she marks a shift in the station’s pattern. The previous three winners — Chappell Roan (2024), Doja Cat (2023), and the 2022 champion — were all female solo artists, but only one before Dean had come from outside Australia. The triple j audience has historically rewarded local acts, making this result a notable deviation from the norm.

The pattern shows triple j’s audience increasingly embracing international acts, but whether this reflects a permanent shift or a single breakthrough year remains to be seen.

What Date is JJJ Hottest 100 2026?

The triple j Hottest 100 of 2026 doesn’t have a confirmed broadcast date yet, but based on the station’s scheduling pattern, the countdown is expected to air in late January 2027. The eligibility window for songs runs from 1 December 2025 through 30 November 2026, and online voting typically opens in early December and closes mid-January, just before the broadcast. This mirrors the 2025 timeline almost exactly.

Countdown Schedule

The 2025 countdown broadcast began at midday AEDT on 24 January 2026, with regional variations across Australia. Queensland listeners tuned in at 11am, Western Australia at 9am, and the Northern Territory at a time equivalent to 10:30am AEDT. The extended Hottest 200, which ranks songs from 27 through 100, ran through 31 January 2026.

• Eastern states (ACT, NSW, TAS, VIC): 12:00pm AEDT
• Queensland: 11:00am AEST
• Western Australia: 9:00am AWST
• Northern Territory: 10:30am ACST

How to Listen

Triple j broadcast the countdown live across its radio frequency, online stream, and app. Listeners who missed the live broadcast can access the full rankings through the triple j website, with Spotify playlists offering a permanent record of the top tracks. The official Spotify playlist for 2025 confirmed the rankings within hours of the broadcast ending.

The accessibility options mean fans across all Australian time zones could follow the countdown live or catch up at their convenience.

Who is the Favourite to Win Triple J Hottest 100?

Predicting the 2026 winner is speculative at this stage — no clear front-runner has emerged from the early releases of the eligibility period. However, artists with consistent triple j airplay and strong streaming numbers in Australia typically perform well. Australian acts like Spacey Jane, who tied with Olivia Dean for the most entries in 2025, often maintain voter loyalty from previous years, while established names like Tame Impala attract votes regardless of release timing.

Vote Leaders

The 2025 results give us clues about who might contend for 2026. Keli Holiday’s second-place finish with “Dancing2” signals that the artist has a dedicated voting base willing to push a track toward the top. Spacey Jane, with five entries in 2025 including “Whateverrrr” at number 6, demonstrated the kind of multi-track support that turns an artist into a perennial contender.

Over 2M Votes

Triple j announced that over 2 million votes were cast in the 2025 Hottest 100, a participation level that places the event among Australia’s largest music polls. The volume matters because it means no single campaign or coordinated voting bloc can easily manipulate the outcome — the winner must genuinely resonate broadly. This scale also makes the result statistically meaningful in a way that smaller polls cannot claim.

The massive vote total reinforces that winning requires cross-demographic appeal, not just loyal fan bases.

Who Won the Triple J Number 1 in 2026?

This question reflects the confusion that often arises when people search for results before they’re available. The 2025 results, with Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” at number one, were broadcast on 24 January 2026 — so for early 2026, many readers are actually looking for the most recent results rather than a future event. The next official result will come in January 2027 when the Hottest 100 of 2026 is broadcast.

Complete List

The full Hottest 100 list for 2025 extends to 100 songs, with positions 75, 76, and 82 occupied by Australian artists Vance Joy, Ninajirachi, and Peach PRC respectively. The bottom of the list, anchored by Djo’s “Potion” at number 100, shows the diversity of sounds that triple j listeners embrace — from indie pop to electronic to traditional rock. Spacey Jane’s album “If That Makes Sense” also earned recognition as the top album associated with the countdown.

• #75: Vance Joy – “Divine Feelings” (Australia)
• #76: Ninajirachi – “All I Am” (Australia)
• #82: Peach PRC – “Miss Erotica” (Australia)
• #100: Djo – “Potion”

Top Artists

Beyond Olivia Dean’s dominance, several artists demonstrated the kind of consistent presence that defines a Hottest 100 regular. Spacey Jane’s five entries, including their own tracks and collaborative work, solidified their position as triple j darlings. Tame Impala’s “Dracula” at number 3 reminded listeners why the psychedelic rock outfit remains relevant even between major album cycles. Ball Park Music rounded out the top ten with “Please Don’t Move To Melbourne,” a track that resonated with listeners for its distinctly Australian suburban storytelling.

• Olivia Dean: #1, #7, and three more entries
• Spacey Jane: #6 and four additional entries
• Tame Impala: #3
• G Flip: #23

The distribution of entries shows that sustained presence on triple j playlists translates directly to voter recognition.

The timeline shows a consistent annual cycle that triple j has maintained, allowing voters to plan ahead.

Summary

The 33rd annual triple j Hottest 100 delivered one of its most unexpected results in recent memory: Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” claimed the top spot, with Keli Holiday, Tame Impala, Playlunch, and RAYE rounding out the top five. More than 2 million votes were cast, affirming the countdown’s status as Australia’s most influential music poll. The 2026 edition will likely follow the same January broadcast schedule, with voting opening in December 2026 for songs released through November. For Australian music fans, the choice is already forming: embrace the international winner or rally around local acts for next year. Either way, triple j’s Hottest 100 remains the one event that cuts through the noise and tells us, definitively, what the country’s most engaged music listeners were actually playing on repeat.

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