Loyal readers of TDA’s Good Newsletter will know that each Sunday, co-founder Zara shares a feel-good song of the week.

I’m jumping the gun with a recommendation of my own today: ‘Dancing2’ by Keli Holiday. It’s a blissful love letter of a song, and it also happens to be number one on the Australian Single Charts right now.

The track is the first to take out the top spot since the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) rolled out major changes to the way it calculates the charts, clearing out older tracks to spotlight new music.

Adam Hyde – the artist behind Keli Holiday (and one half of Peking Duck) – called the shakeup a “large step in the right direction.”

“There are so many great artists, and for a long time this country has been caught up in the old guard of it all… it ain't moving things forward.”

I sat down with Hyde to discuss what these changes mean for Aussie music and how it feels to have a number one song.

The music business is just that: a business.

Charts are an integral part of it, giving us a snapshot of global tastes and listening trends.

On home soil, the ARIA charts provide insight into the music soundtracking Australian life.

While a chart-topping track can signify major validation for established artists, it has (historically) been much harder for up-and-comers to break through. ARIA has been grappling with this problem recently.

It tracks the most popular albums and songs across Australia. ARIAs' weekly charts are compiled based on a combination of physical sales, digital downloads, and streaming data.

Until now, older singles and albums have been included on ARIA charts, often outranking newer releases due to their unwavering popularity.

Following a year of testing and modelling, ARIA announced several changes to how the charts are calculated, which took effect from 1 September.

The ARIA singles, albums, and Australian charts now “focus exclusively on music released within the last two years.”

Older releases are now tracked on the newly launched “On Replay” charts.

It’s worth noting that special provisions were included in the new rules, allowing older titles to re-enter the main charts in light of notably viral moments. Think of the cultural resurgence of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ after it was featured in the Netflix hit ‘Stranger Things’.

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd told TDA this change “gives us a much clearer and more nuanced picture of how Australians are listening.”

To understand the impact of these changes, let’s take a look at the first charts released under the new rules.

International releases still dominated the overall singles chart, but the Aussie singles chart saw a much bigger swing.

Last month, this chart (which includes songs released by and/or featuring Australian artists) was flooded with throwback hits from the likes of AC/DC, Vance Joy, and the Hilltop Hoods. Only two of the top ten songs were released this decade.

With songs older than two years now excluded, 40% of the songs on this chart are completely new entries.

Among the winners on the Australian Singles Chart was Adam Hyde’s solo project Keli Holiday, who jumped to number one with ‘Dancing2’ following weeks of growing momentum online.

Herd told TDA: “That’s exactly the kind of breakthrough these changes were designed to make more visible.”

Hyde has become a mainstay of the Aussie music industry as one half of electronic duo Peking Duk, and now, with his solo project Keli Holiday.

He described the chart success of his independent release ‘Dancing2’ as an “incredible thing.”

Hyde welcomed ARIA's new chart rules, which he said make more room for unknown artists and independent music.

“ In this day and age, it's quite hard to make a song connect in any way… and to see [Dancing2] resonate in this way, but then carry its own kind of steam and become its own thing…   I'm sitting back and watching the ride.”

The song has found a significant audience on social media, particularly on TikTok, where it is being used to soundtrack videos of life’s highs and lows, from births to marriages and loss and everything in between.

For his part, Hyde has jumped on board by posting videos dancing to the song with his signature “hip shimmy” (his words, not mine).

“It’s nice to see some wholesome positivity and joy on social media,” he told TDA.

Hyde describes a culture within the Australian music industry that romanticises legacy and nostalgia. There’s “nothing wrong” with looking back, he says, but the chart-topper warns “ we're so caught up on the past that we're not looking at what's happening on our doorstep right now”.

With ARIA’s chart transformation now in full swing, he hopes more Aussie artists will now get their chance to shine.

Hyde’s advice for the next generation considering a career in music and aspiring for chart success?

“It sounds so corny, but the actual journey of the creation itself is the pleasant part. That's where you get all the joy and all the beauty out of,” he said.

“Once you've done that, it's out of your control.”

On that note, if you need me this weekend, you can find me twirling in a field, listening to ‘Dancing2’.

To hear Adam Hyde aka Keli Holiday’s full interview with TDA, listen to the podcast here, or watch on YouTube here.

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