Generation Z round out this decade’s Official Music Charts

Media release
19 December 2019

Generation Z round out this decade’s Official NZ Music Charts

Welcoming a new entrant to the Top Album of the Year spot

Move over Sheeran and Swift, this year’s NZ Music Charts belong to Generation Z. The three big chart-toppers for 2019 – Benee, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X – have an average age of just 18.

Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish managed to do what nobody else could in the last two years and kept Ed Sheeran from the top spot on the End of Year Albums Chart.

Her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? entered the Top40 at #1 in March this year and has not left the Top10 since.

Sheeran held to second place with his No. 6 Collaborations Project album while Ariana Grande took the third spot with thank u, next.

On the Singles Chart, 20-year old Lil Nas X tops the list with what was probably the biggest viral hit of 2019, the genre-defying ‘Old Town Road’.

The fusion of hip hop and country enjoyed an unbroken 11-week run at #1, helped along the way by the release of several remixes – including features with Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo and Korean boy band BTS member RM.

After winning four Tui at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards in November, the breakthrough local star of 2019 was 19-year-old Benee.

Her single ‘Soaked’ entered the Top20 NZ Singles Chart at #20 in November 2018, before slowly climbing to the top of the charts and – ultimately – spending 22 weeks in the main Top40 Singles.

As a result, she managed to top the annual NZ Singles list ahead of a Top20 featuring Six60, DRAX Project, Kings, Songs Of Zion, Mitch James and Church & AP.

They may have missed the top spot in the Singles front, but there was no stopping Six60 when it came to the Top20 NZ Albums for 2019.

With four of the Top Five NZ Album spots, Six60 well and truly dominated the New Zealand album charts this year.

Recorded Music NZ Chart Compiler Paul Kennedy says the prominence of new young artists is a sign of innovation in the local music scene.

“It’s really pleasing to see new artists like our own Benee and Church & AP as well as global newcomers like Billie Eilish, Tones And I, Halsey and Lewis Capaldi making their mark.

“In the streaming world, up against the combined repertoire of every legacy superstar to ever grace the stage, being able cut through and top the charts is no mean feat.”

Recorded Music NZ CEO Damian Vaughan shared this sentiment, pointing to the innovation and creativity displayed by local artists to compete with international talent.

“As a country, we can always rely on our up-and-coming musicians to experiment with genre and sound. The local and global success of our artists is a testament to the quality and calibre of Kiwi music in 2019. I can’t wait to see what our creative musicians create in the next decade,” says Vaughan.

About The Chart:
The Chart is produced by Recorded Music New Zealand from statistics gathered from data collection agency RadioScope. For more information on the Official NZ Top40 Chart, please see:

– www.nztop40.co.nz

– www.facebook.com/officialnzmusicchart

– www.twitter.com/officialnzchart

– www.instagram.com/officialnzmusicchart

#officialnzmusicchart

YouTube

Top Singles:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ7xFcQsgX3w0ARGWUGnGw_7-BjptnJ4r

Top NZ Singles:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ7xFcQsgX3wrN_lRrEtG1L6JpFhdEDBw

Spotify

Top Singles: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GAasuKM0FBLtjlMPs9JXE?si=3dcp5LBoQvmFL5YLdPWm9Q

Top NZ Singles:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GAasuKM0FBLtjlMPs9JXE?si=vo6JYd8TRny6YncuXc_dfw

Apple Music

Top Singles:
https://music.apple.com/nz/playlist/singles-of-2019/pl.u-2aoqXgvINYmeo1E

Top NZ Singles:
https://music.apple.com/nz/playlist/nz-singles-of-2019/pl.u-kv9lbyVF7Gj6pkx

Ends

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