Features
Swift Disqualified From Hottest 100 List
Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” was disqualified from Australian youth radio network triple j’s annual Hottest 100 list at the last minute.
Photo: Evan Agostini / Invision / AP
"Z100 Jingle Ball," Madison Square Garden Arena, New York City
This followed weeks of social media debate about the inclusion of the Swift track that triple j had not played, more so when media company Buzzfeed and food brand KFC independently began urging music fans to vote for Swift.
On the Jan. 26 broadcast of the Hottest 100, on the Australia Day public holiday, the network declared that corporate involvement contravened the rules.
Rising Aussie rapper Tkay Maidza’s “Switch Lanes,” which was at No. 101, moved into the Hottest 100.
The list is an important snapshot of the coolest mostly alt-rock and hip-hop tracks from each year. It drew 2 million votes, cast by 258,762 fans from 188 countries, with 3,000 listening parties registered.
It was topped by Chet Faker’s “Talk Is Cheap” and featured a record 59 Australian tracks.