Will Taylor Swift win the Triple J Hottest 100 this Australia Day? This is the question that has had plenty of Australians talking.
In case you missed it, this Australian music world has been taken over this week by the #TayforHottest100 campaign, led by Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed journalist Mark di Stefano implored his audience to vote for her hit Shake It Off, and the campaign to catapult Swift to the top of the Hottest 100 list grew from there.
Swift’s latest album 1989 took the globe by storm last year, and has been heralded by critics the world over as one of the best pop records of our generation. So what’s the problem, you might ask. Doesn’t Swift seem like a pretty obvious candidate? Apparently not.
Initially, it was suggested that the reason Swift should not be crowned the Hottest 100 winner is because the number one song has to be one that has been played on the station that year, which Swifts’ haven’t. This theory was debunked quickly, however, because commercially popular bands like Green Day and U2 have previously won the poll without ever having been played on Triple J.
According to Triple J, the problem is that Swift doesn’t qualify for nomination in the Hottest 100 because her songs were promoted by Buzzfeed. According to the Hottest 100 rules, songs or artists that have been backed by a commercial campaign are deemed ineligible.
“Triple J reserves the right to remove artists from the list who have benefited from competitions or commercial campaigns that incentivise fans to vote for them,” the rules read.
To add to the drama, KFC Australia also endorsed Swift via Facebook this week, saying, “Swift’s got our vote”.
Some have suggested that the real problem is that Swift’s music is too commercial – too “mainstream” – and that it does not fit with the station’s image.
The station has not yet confirmed whether Swift will be disqualified from the competition.
The Hottest 100 poll has been the subject of controversy once before. Five years ago, two Hack journalists released a report claiming the station’s managers had manipulated the results of the 2009 Hottest 100 of All Time poll.
The ABC defended the integrity of the poll and denied any foul play had taken place.
Interestingly, the main reason rumours began to fly about the poll being rigged back in 2009 was because there was not a single woman included in the entire list. To Hack journalists Kate O Toole and James West, it seemed implausible that the list would organically exclude all female artists.
It seems this problem didn’t begin or end with the 2009 list, which is another reason a Taylor Swift Hottest 100 win would be significant – it would make her the first female solo artist to ever top the list.
Swift’s close friend Lorde came close last year, finishing second. Prior to that, female artists have only ever approached the top spot as members of bands or duos and never for their own solo work.
So, for that reason alone (especially if the 2009 accusations have any merit), I for one sincerely hope that Swift is crowned Australia’s first ever Hottest 100 queen on Monday.