This is another entry whose placement on this list is a better representation to how popular it was here in Australia back in the day, although we could make the argument that it was because we Aussies checked out Confessions the album rather than its singles given the poor treatment of Usher's earlier entry on this list over here. Somehow, I doubt that's the case as the single managed to become a hit over here and not even chart over there.
#18 for 2004 (#7 website)
It makes sense that Ben Harper was able to score a hit over in NZ given how massively popular his albums were throughout the 90's over there, admittedly this song's popularity over there was likely the reason why the album it came from Burn to shine was a minor success here in Australia despite it failing to chart here back in the day. If that's the case, then that would explain his popularity here throughout the decade.
#10 for 2000 (#5 website)
Much like here in Australia, this was also the final hit that 50 cent had over in NZ likely due to the chorus provided to him by JT who was at the height of his own popularity this year worldwide. At least Curtis managed to score one more chart topper over there before his popularity came to a screeching halt, in fact the less said about what he's been up to since the 2010's the better.
#20 for 2007 (#29 website)
It's worth noting that this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I can only speculate why her earlier entry was even bigger over there than this was, but I think it was due to its popularity over in America and the kiwis appreciating that track more than they did with this debut from her. She managed to score a third hit from the album over there with "On the radio."
#15 for 2001 (#8 website)
It looks like the kiwis were also able to appreciate this cover of the Who classic that Limp Bizkit made for their (at the time) final album Results may vary, it should be noted that this is a very misleading lead single for the album as it was nothing like the nu metal that was found on the album and indeed throughout their previous catalogue.
#12 for 2003
#11 for 2004 (#35 website)
I forgot to mention on the Australian side of this site that this debut single from the Veronicas was pulled from shelves to encourage album sales of their debut album, it didn't really matter too much though because it already had a fairly high ranking on that side of my site even though it only appears on one of these lists as opposed to it appearing on two of them on this side of my site.
#19 for 2005 (#47 website)
#20 for 2006
Although there won't be any other entries form Australian idol contestants on this side of my site, I should bring up that this victory single from Guy Sebastian is a better representation of how well it did here in Australia back in the day given how the kiwis obviously liked this song beyond the reason of its existence. As such, it had a much better chart run over there and no doubt led to the success of NZ idol months later.
#6 for 2003
#6 for 2004 (#21 website)
This was the biggest hit that Che Fu had in his entire career, this includes his run with Supergroove even though those songs provide stiff competition for that title for the rapper/RNB star. The success of this lead single to his second solo album led to said album becoming a massive hit for him during the first half of the decade.
#11 for 2001 (#9 website)
It may surprise you to learn that Outkast never had a chart topper over in NZ, heck this was the only song from their catalogue to have the same amount of success over there as it did here in Australia despite (or likely because) their albums being more successful over there than they were over here. I don't know if it was even possible for this song to fail upon its initial release due to how joyous and happy the melody is despite its lyrics.
#14 for 2003
#12 for 2004 (#47 website)
This is one of only two entries that Matchbox 20 will have on this side of my site, the other entry will come from their greatest hits package from later in the decade as that was fairly popular over there upon its initial release. it makes sense that this would be their biggest hit over there considering A: it was their biggest hit in their native America and B: the subject matter remains endearing to this day.
#51 for 2003 (#8 website)
Much like it was here in Australia, this debut single from Jason Derulo was his biggest hit over in NZ until 2020 when "Savage love" finally took that crown due to his presence on Tik Tok during that songs release. At least this went to number one over there as opposed to it simply lingering around forever in a day over here, although Jason's popularity would see a sharp decline as the 2010's rolled out over there.
#22 for 2009 (#11 website)
This was the third of three hits that Adeaze managed to score from their one and only album in their homeland, this time they recruit RNB singer Aaradhna who can best be described as NZ's answer to Ashanti (who funnily enough never had much success over there) as she would score a few more hits later in the decade both as a lead artist and a featured vocalist.
#13 for 2004 (#22 website)
One thing that I've found annoying since the late 00's is how homogenised the music scene from each country worldwide has become, nowadays there's always several songs from bands and artists that will receive the same amount of success regardless of where in the world you're from such as Katy Perry who saw minimal changes to her success over the years with each of her singles and albums popularity.
#26 for 2008 (#9 website)
It appears the kiwis also found the strange lyrics on this English breakthrough single from Shakira to be charming as this was equally as successful over there as it was over here for the Columbian singer, it's interesting to see how much bigger she was in the southern hemisphere during this phase of her career given how Laundry service didn't do as well in America or throughout Europe this year.
#8 for 2002 (#5 website)
While this had a bit of a delay to its release in NZ, it proved to be worth it as it was more of a success over there than it was over here for Leann Rimes proving that we Aussies and kiwis were on board with her new pop direction moving forward. I get the feeling was meant to be about her moving on from her country roots which admittedly led to her having a lot of bad memories during her time in the genre.
#19 for 2002
#20 for 2003 (#17 website)
I feel this theme from Bridget Jones diary was more a success in NZ due to the sudden rise in popularity Gabrielle had over there rather than it being from the critically acclaimed film, after all, Geri Halliwell failed to make a second appearance on this site with her cover of the Weather girls classic and that's often the song people think of when they think of the franchise. In any case, she's a two-hit wonder over there just like she is over here.
#18 for 2001 (#10 website)
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, although it did have to climb up their charts as opposed to it becoming an instant success over here which balances out its overall success in both countries. It still staggers me to think that these guys wouldn't have this level of success in their native America until the tail end of the decade.
#11 for 2003
#9 for 2004 (#15 website)
This was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because Ne-Yo was well liked over there by the time he released the lead single to his third album Gentleman of the year as opposed to him only having the one hit with "So sick" over here from earlier in the decade.
#25 for 2008 (#20 website)
I'm a bit surprised that this was only a sleeper hit here in Australia given how I remember this being flogged on our radios back in the day, at least it was a more mainstream success in NZ which means I finally get to include it on this site. This was the only hit that Santana had with his second album during his comeback period in the new millennium, this time teaming up with Michelle Branch during the height of her popularity.
#16 for 2002
#17 for 2003
Much like her earlier entry on this list, this wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, again likely because the kiwis weren't as on board with her wishing she was in a Disney story as we Aussies and her fellow Americans were this year. Even though I haven't been that kind to her music on this site, I will say her attempts at being a Disney princess were far better than Disney's own attempts in recent years.
#36 for 2009 (#25 website)
I would've been shocked if this song wasn't a success over in NZ considering A: how inescapably 2Pac was over there throughout the 90's and B: it was produced by Eminem as well as featuring a chorus from Elton John. This remains the rappers final hit to date as it appears that death had finally caught up with his career by this point in time, although he had a good run in the mainstream from the afterlife.
#10 for 2005 (#11 website)
This was a much bigger hit over in NZ for Houston than it was here in Australia, likely because it had both Chingy and Nate Dogg on the track who both saw more success with their respective catalogues over there than they did here in Australia. Apparently, this was used as a McDonald's campaign in the UK as the British cover art mentions the ad where you can download it and other songs using a coupon from the restaurant.
#34 for 2004 (#26 website)
Even though this was an EDM song that came from a band which had one of the members being an Australian, this still managed to be more successful in NZ for the British based duo which goes to show you how much more love the kiwis had for the British music scene that we Aussies did throughout the decade.
#22 for 2005 (#32 website)
This was Bic Runga's biggest hit from her homeland, naturally you'd think this ballad would also be a massive hit here in Australia given how "Sway" became as such from her debut album in lieu of said albums success over here. Alas that wasn't the case as she remains a one hit wonder over here despite her being more popular this decade in her homeland than she was upon her initial breakthrough.
#28 for 2002 (#6 website)
Whereas in Australia where the biggest hit that Green Day had was the song that played during the series finale of Seinfeld, in NZ, that honour goes to this lead single and title track from their politically charged album that would eventually be turned into a musical with said musical continuing to polarise fans to this day. This was so popular over there that it even rebounded on their charts when the second single was released.
#23 for 2004
#24 for 2005
It's interesting that this failed to chart in Australia given how it was a massive success for OneRepublic in NZ and their native America when transitioning from the 00's to the 2010's, I guess we Aussies felt this was more of the same when it came to their catalogue and thus didn't entertain the idea of making it a hit down under. They would eventually score another hit in 2013 with "Counting stars."
#37 for 2009
This was the only and only hit that American girl group Cherish were able to achieve anywhere in the world including their native homeland, I'm guessing it was meant to be their attempts at breaking into the girl group phenomenon that was happening over in the UK with the likes of Atomic Kitten and the Sugababes given how this sounds like something the latter would've put out this year.
#23 for 2006
Well, I did mention that Madonna's remix of Abba's "Gimme gimme gimme" was a massive success everywhere in the world except for her native America, so it's little surprise that the song would reappear on this side of my site given how much the kiwis loved both her and Abba over the years. Even though the song was equally as successful over there as it was over here, the same can't be said about the album.
#15 for 2005 (#39 website)
#14 for 2006
Even though this song appears much lower on this list compared to its Australian counterpart, I feel this song was equally successful in both countries given how its lower placement on this list was more due to having stiffer competition over there this year with a lot of the entries that have improved rankings on this list. For what it's worth, their other big hit from Demon days was much more successful over there.
#23 for 2005 (#18 website)
It looks like Duffy was able to achieve far more success in NZ than she did here in Australia much like many other British artists of the decade, I would say this was because it was featured in the Sex and the city film except this came up months prior to when that film first premiered. The only explanation for this song's success then is that British blue eyed soul singers were very popular over there this decade.
#29 for 2008 (#30 website)
While it was released the same time in NZ as it was here in Australia, this debut single from Chris Brown managed to be twice as successful over there as it was over here likely due to it being popular on their digital charts (I can't tell if it was popular in that regard here as there were no digital charts during its popularity on ARIA.) He did find more success with his debut album over there as a result of this song's popularity.
#12 for 2006 (#5 website)
While this was decently successful here in Australia because of its affiliation with Coyote Ugly, it was a mammoth success over in NZ despite the soundtrack to the film flopping over there compared to it being a massive success over there. I'm guessing this means that the kiwis made this a success due to it being from the post grunge genre which is what made Lifehouse and Creed a success worldwide.
#31 for 2002 (#7 website)
I guess the kiwis were slightly more on board with T.I sampling a popular meme from earlier in the decade than we Aussies were, either that or they were so infatuated with having the rapper collaborate with Rihanna that they didn't care about the circumstances as to how that would happen. Much like here in Australia, this also had to compete with "Whatever you like" due to how closely it was released after that track.
#23 for 2008 (#24 website)
#23 for 2009
You know that the High school musical phenomenon was a smash hit in NZ when the emotional duet between the film's two leading stars becomes one of the biggest hits of the year over there in addition to the soundtrack being a massive success. While Vanessa Hudgeons would have a huge hit over there following the success of this ballad, this would be Zac Efron's only hit over there or anywhere in the world.
#24 for 2006 (#14 website)
This was the one and only hit from Norwegian singer Lene Marlin over in NZ, it was a bit hit for her likely due to it coming off what many have dubbed as the Lilith Fair scene where many female singer/songwriters saw a ton of success during the late 90's and early 00's worldwide. It wasn't a hit here in Australia likely due to the trend losing its steam this year only to regain it later in the decade.
#16 for 2000 (#6 website)
Although this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Matchbox 20, it was nonetheless a huge success over there thanks to it being a bonus track from their greatest hits album they released around this time which was seen as a bit of a comeback for the band given how Rob's solo album wasn't a huge success over there like it was over here.
#45 for 2007
#42 for 2008
If you're surprised at the lack of representation that Miley Cyrus has had on this side of my site, that's because she didn't have much success with her singles during the 00's in NZ compared to how big her albums were which was the opposite case here in Australia. For what it's worth, she would have more success with her singles over there throughout the 2010's like she did everywhere else in the world.
#27 for 2009 (#17 website)
I remember this track receiving a ton of airplay here in Australia back in the day, so my confusion as to how it was only a modest sleeper hit at best is pretty high especially given how it was a huge chart topper for the Finnish band over in NZ and throughout the rest of the world. The remain a one hit wonder in both countries in the southern hemisphere, however they had more success throughout Europe.
#19 for 2004 (#18 website)
This was a bit of a comeback for Nesian Mystik given how their second album didn't produce that inescapable hit that they achieved from their first album from earlier in the decade, in fact this was their biggest hit at the time and was eventually dethroned by the lead single to their next album at the start of the new decade, proving that their popularity was only growing with each new album in their catalogue.
#24 for 2008 (#10 website)
This proved to be a slightly bigger hit for Rihanna over in NZ than the first lead single to the deluxe edition of her third album, I'm guessing because it makes for surprisingly good Halloween music which likely reminded the kiwis of MJ's Thriller given how that album was rereleased this year for its 25th anniversary. I guess this wasn't the case for us Aussies even though it was still a massive hit over here regardless.
#28 for 2008 (#21 website)
This seems like a more fitting placement for Alicia Keys given how it's often regarded as one of the quintessential ballads of the decade worldwide, however I can assure you that this wasn't the case here in Australia where it was only decently successful for the (then) rising star. The kiwis instantly fell in love with this piano ballad which allowed it to live up to the success it achieved in her native America.
#1 for 2001 (#21 website)
#2 for 2002
Incubus were a band never known to make the same album twice given how they followed up their nu metal album from the previous year with an album that's more in line with what RHCP would make from around this time. The album was initially a flop for them worldwide, however it became a success over in NZ thanks to this becoming a surprise hit for the band months after its initial release.
#20 for 2002 (#8 website)
There were no signs of BEP's popularity slowing down during the midpoint of the decade, as such it's little surprise that the lead single to their second album with Fergie managed to be a massive success over in NZ like it was here in Australia thanks to it being a song where the three rappers are seemingly pining over her affection.
#20 for 2005 (#7 website)
It seems strange to me that Daft Punk never had a hit in NZ until "Get lucky" in 2013, mainly because we've now had two of their contemporaries from their homeland featured on these lists of mine to find more success over there than they did over here during their initial heyday. I'm guessing this song's popularity over there was more due to the video which still freaks me out to this day for the record.
#13 for 2001 (#33 website)
#14 for 2002
While I can't confirm it this is what happened, I'm willing to bet that this song was pulled from shelves here in Australia to encourage album sales for Songs about Jane given how quickly it fell from our charts once it reached its peak position over here. Naturally this wasn't the case in NZ where it was their biggest hit of the decade as well as their only reappearance on this side of my site from said decade.
#31 for 2004 (#39 website)
Although One hot minute was a commercial success in NZ, it failed to produce a hit single for them the way Blood sugar sex magik and especially Californication did, meaning that it feels like they simply skipped over that album and picked up where the former left off with the second single from the latter over there. This likely would've been a success here in Australia were it not for the strong album sales that ate it up.
#31 for 2000 (#10 website)
This is another song that was released around the time of MJ's death, meaning that its popularity was somewhat overshadowed at the time by the earth-shattering news which makes it a bittersweet hit for Linkin Park as this would be their final hit in most parts of the world for the band due to rock music being unwelcomed in the 2010's for some unfathomable reason.
#33 for 2009 (#23 website)
This is another song that was slightly less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were ready to move on from PCD given how their second album was far less popular over there than it was over here but found this remix of the theme to Slumdog millionaire too irresistible to make a clean getaway from the group.
#25 for 2009 (#16 website)
I guess the kiwis were also massive fans of Packed to the rafters given how this theme song from the show managed to be an even bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia for Eric Hutchinson. Because of the unique way this became a hit for him in the southern hemisphere, it's since been regarded as something that was commissioned for TV jingles rather than it being a genuine singer/songwriter ballad.
#35 for 2009 (#44 website)
This feels more out of place on this list than it did on the Australian side of my site, mainly because we Aussies at least allowed the like of Jessica Simpson and the Backstreet Boys to have success during the midpoint of the decade where the kiwis didn't. Despite this, this song from Jesse McCartney was somehow even more popular over there than it was over here this year.
#11 for 2005 (#13 website)
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, or more accurately, it charted sooner given how it didn't receive a physical release until the early months of this year in either country. While this did become a hit over there slightly sooner than it did over here, it wound up being more popular here likely due to it dominating our digital charts once it did crossover here.
#34 for 2007 (#38 website)
It turns out this was the biggest hit for JT on his second solo album in NZ, in fact it would've been his biggest hit overall over there were it not for "Can't stop the feeling" from a decade later which goes to show you how much the kiwis loved this song from the former N sync member. I guess it could also be due to the presence of T.I who was quickly rising up the ranks as an in-demand rapper worldwide.
#16 for 2006
#18 for 2007
It turns out this was produced by Shania Twain's (then) husband Robert Mutt Lange, that explains why I and many others always felt this was a Shania Twain track as opposed to something from the Irish family group. It appears this was the reason why this became a massive success over in NZ despite them struggling to score a hit single throughout the 90's over there like they did over here.
#13 for 2000 (#7 website)
This was released on time over in NZ, although it was rather late from the previous year and it didn't peak until the early months of this year, so it's not like that gave it any advantages with how popular it was considering that it was merely delayed here and not pulled from shelves like some of the other entries on this list. Regardless, it was equally as successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere.
#17 for 2004 (#9 website)
It appears the kiwis were sligtly more amused at Gwen Stefani interpolating the Rogers and Hammerstein classic "The lonely goatherd" for a song about "winding up" the love of her life than us Aussies were given how it became the first song in her catalogue to be more popular over there than it was over here. This is a trend that would carry out for the rest of her second album over there.
#35 for 2006
#29 for 2007
This was the first of a string of hits that Brooke Fraser was able to achieve in her homeland, no doubt because she got in during the height of female singer/songwriters in the mainstream worldwide and the kiwis being impressed with what she had to offer compared to her international counterparts.
#22 for 2003 (#10 website)
Given how her earlier entry on this list was a massive success over in NZ, it only seems fitting that Dido was able to score a second hit over there given how this remains one of her most popular singles to this day and that it was a massive hit throughout Europe as well. This did chart here in Australia, although supposedly its success was taken away from it due to how strong the album sales were over here.
#27 for 2001 (#13 website)
Given how much more popular Snoop Dogg was throughout the 90's in NZ than he was here in Australia, it makes sense that this comeback of his proved to be a bigger hit over there than it was over here even though this was the start of what I and many others have dubbed "chill Snoop" where he's laid back and no longer exploitative towards women in his music.
#29 for 2003 (#9 website)
Their big international hit from earlier in the decade might have been far less successful in NZ than it was everywhere else in the world, however at least the kiwis made up for that blunder by giving Alien Ant Farm a second hit over there with this track which wasn't the case anywhere else in the world including their native America. I guess this made it big this year due to the sudden interest in rock music over there.
#46 for 2004
This is the final hit that Lenny Kravitz managed to achieve anywhere in the world, mainly because it came from a highly successful greatest hits album where it was a bonus track from said album. Obviously, this was meant to ensure fans that he was still on top of his A-game, however that wasn't the case in the long run given how he's failed to achieve any success after this.
#25 for 2001 (#31 website)
Given how albums sales don't impact the success of a song in NZ like they do here in Australia (at least that was the case back in the day) this means that this remix of an album track of theirs featuring Snoop Dogg managed to merely be equally as successful over there as it was over here as opposed to the other tracks from the album which were more successful over there because of what I said in this entry.
#29 for 2006 (#8 website)
I should point out that "Stan" was released the previous year in NZ to deafening silence, it's failure over there is perhaps what allowed the song that sampled to become a massive hit over there this year as Dido's label allowed it to be released over there as opposed to here where it wasn't because of the success of that song here. It's weird that this sweet love ballad was chosen for a song about the rapper's toxic fanbase.
#19 for 2001 (#14 website)
This proved to be slightly bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, this means that the kiwis were bigger fans of Two weeks' notice than we Aussies were given how this remains their one and only hit over there and them not having much success with their albums either. There's only one thing good about the film (two if you're fine with this butchering of the Joni Mitchell classic) that being this scene.
#18 for 2003 (#11 website)
Given how Five for fighting's earlier entry on this list was considered as the unofficial anthem for 9/11 in NZ instead of this track from Enrique Iglesias, it meant that it wouldn't have the same impact over there as it did here in Australia which seems to have largely affected the sales of his second English speaking album over there as while it was successful, it won't be appearing on this side of my site.
#49 for 2002 (#26 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as interested in having the older brother of Miley Cyrus dominate their charts with his band's one and only hit like we Aussies did back in the day, either that or they just didn't find this as catchy as we did as it was much more of a sleeper hit over there than it was over here this year. Sadly, they were a one hit wonder over there just like they were internationally with this pop rock jam.
#49 for 2008 (#40 website)
It was no surprise this was the biggest hit to come from the Vengaboys in NZ given how it was the lead single to their second album which proved to be even more successful over there than it was anywhere else in the world. Even though this was a massive hit for the band, it wouldn't be enough to convince them to keep going throughout the decade as they would call it quits two years later.
#8 for 2000 (#8 website)
I forgot to mention on the Australian side of this site that this song was pulled from our shelves in order to encourage the success of Toni Braxton's third album, needless to say, it didn't work as the album was a huge flop for her worldwide likely due to this coming off as a poor man's Destiny's child track when the girl group were making it big with their second album. This obviously wasn't the case over in NZ where it saw massive uninterrupted success.
#17 for 2000 (#9 website)
This is another song that managed to become a hit on time over in NZ as opposed to it being months after its popularity had died out internationally as was the case here in Australia, I'm not sure why we Aussies ignored this ballad from Colbie Caillat this year only to make it a massive hit for her the following year, you can't even say it was due to her releasing this on Myspace as that wasn't an issue for Sandi Thom over here.
#38 for 2007 (#32 website)
I get the feeling these guys were a bit inspired by our own Midnight Oil given how they had a similar sound to the 80's legends in addition to having a similar band name, although they weren't able to crossover to Australia with their material despite it being a massive success in their homeland. Admittedly, many kiwis who found success this decade failed to translate it to Australia.
#45 for 2009 (#49 website)
This wasn't as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, likely because there were a lot more kiwis who felt that this ballad was little more than a shallow attempt at forced positivity than audiences throughout the rest of the world where this song saw more popularity. The song was at its most popular in America the following year where it was the biggest hit of 2006 according to Billboard.
#37 for 2005
This was an easy hit for Atomic Kitten over in NZ given how A: they were among the most successful groups of the decade so far worldwide and B: the Blondie track this interpolates on the chorus was and still remains one of the biggest nostalgia bombs for audiences to this day. These were both factors as to why it did well in Australia, so naturally it would continue their winning streak with the kiwis as well.
#7 for 2002 (#38 website)
#9 for 2003
Although Beyonce had a major hit with the lead single to her second solo album "Check on it" in NZ, it was this third single from the album that made it a household name thanks to it being known as the "to the left, to the left" song by anyone who isn't a diehard fan of hers. Indeed, this is second only to "Sweet dreams" as her biggest hit in NZ both solo and with Destiny's Child. due to how iconic that line remains to this day.
#13 for 2006
#17 for 2007
This managed to be slightly bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly due to it sticking around for slightly longer over there which further proves that juvenile humour was more in vogue throughout the 00's than it was before and especially since (this was the decade where Freidberg and Seltzer thrived after all.) At least Eminem's has clearly moved on from this phase of his career as has all of his fanbase.
#27 for 2004 (#32 website)
#27 for 2005
This is another song I remember being way more popular back in the day than what its success would otherwise suggest here in Australia, as such, its placement on this list is a far better indicator of how popular it was back in the day as it appears that the kiwis didn't grow tired of this track as quickly as we Aussies did at the time. The trade-off is that they never had another hit after this over there like they did here.
#4 for 2000
#6 for 2001
This song's placement on this list feels like a more accurate representation of its popularity back in the day here in Australia, although said popularity went towards Alex Lloyd's album it served as the lead single to as opposed to in NZ where said album flopped in exchange for this being a massive success over there. He didn't have another hit in either country, although this remains a staple in commercials to this day.
#29 for 2002 (#10 website)
This is the only version of the Alphaville classic to become popular in NZ, there was little surprise that it would crossover to NZ this year given how inescapably popular it was here in Australia for Youth group due to its overwhelming sense of nostalgia that connected with audiences upon its initial release. Naturally they remain a one hit wonder over there given how they failed to score a second hit over here as well.
#44 for 2006
You'd think that Mario would've had more success over in NZ given how the rest of his catalogue was the type of RNB that made the likes of Akon and Usher popular worldwide, alas he also remains a one hit wonder over there with this Billboard chart topper which was only as successful there as it was here in Australia for him.
#12 for 2005 (#6 website)
I guess if you wanted to hear a NZ equivalent of KCI and Jo Jo then these two are able to fill that niche as that's the best way I can describe them and their music. Here they scored the first of three massive hits in their homeland with the same formula that their American counterpart did throughout the 90's, although unlike their American counterpart, their success only lasted them for one album in their homeland.
#5 for 2003
#5 for 2004 (#31 website)
Much like Sporty Spice from the previous year, the solo debut single from Baby Spice also managed to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, again likely because British artists had more of an advantage over there than they did over here for some reason. Apart from this being twice as successful over there as it was over here, her solo career trajectory was identical in both countries.
#28 for 2001 (#15 website)
This was naturally more of a hit for T.I in NZ than it was over here in Australia, mainly because he was far more popular over there in general given how he's had several more entries as both a lead artist and featured artist on other people's tracks on this side of my site. The popularity he and JT had the following decade over there mirrored what they achieved over here.
#28 for 2009 (#21 website)
This was about as equally successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Stacie Orrico, although her true popularity wouldn't peak until she released her earlier entry on this list which seemed to resonate better with the kiwis than this did back in the day. I guess this was more of a song about teenage drama which the kiwis felt there was only so much room for at the time.
#35 for 2003 (#12 website)
Even though the album art suggests that this was released from Robbie's (then) latest album Sing when you're winning, that's only the case for the second single as "The road to Mandalay" was tagged onto "Eternity" in order for him to score a hit from an album that already produced three massive hits for him worldwide. It paid off as this double A-side was a massive success in NZ and his native UK.
#20 for 2001 (#16 website)
This is a song that's meant to inspire the listener not to stress out about not achieving everything they want all at once because as the song puts it, Rome wasn't built in a day and thus good things tend to take time to happen. It was a very uplifting song that connect with the kiwis and their fellow Brits back in the day, although it didn't seem to be the case here in Australia despite me hearing it quite a bit back then.
#21 for 2000 (#13 website)
Although her hit from the previous year was massive and allowed her album to go straight to number one, it was this song from the album that allowed it to finally be a massive success for Anika Moa in her homeland which put her in the same leagues as the likes of Bic Runga and her sister Boh when it came to influential female musicians from NZ.
#42 for 2002 (#11 website)
This wound up being the biggest hit from the Backstreet boys from their second album in NZ, I'm guessing because it had far less competition this year than the first two singles from the album did the previous year as well as it likely having stronger airplay given that I do remember this being overplayed back in the day here in Australia. It's little surprise that these guys won the boy band wars over there like they did internationally.
#22 for 2000 (#11 website)
This was the debut single for one of the few openly gay NZ musicians to make it big in their homeland, although it took a while to take off over there likely due to her fellow kiwis being sceptical of her initially when it came to her wanting to be a successful female singer/songwriter. They were eventually won over as this climbed their charts around the time she released her debut album.
#56 for 2001 (#18 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, although this was the only song of theirs where that was the case as Blue managed to score far more success over there during the first half of the decade than they did over here as was the case for most British artists throughout the decade. I guess they wanted to start a third round of the boy band wars which never ended up happening.
#29 for 2001 (#17 website)
Given how 50 cent achieved equal amounts of success in NZ with his first album as he did in Australia, it's a bit surprising to see him find more success with this lead single to his second album over there than he did over here. Granted, the NZ charts weren't nearly as chaotic this year as the Australian charts were, so this song's placement is more due to the lack of competition it had over there at the time.
#18 for 2005 (#12 website)
This wasn't as big a hit for Mika in NZ as it was here in Australia, although at least it was a success over there as opposed to the rest of the songs from his debut album which all failed to find an audience over there like they did over here. I guess the kiwis found his more to be far more niche than us Aussies did even though his album was a massive success over there this year.
#27 for 2007 (#16 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as interested in having Avril Lavigne transform herself from a voice of a generation into the type of mean girl that she rallied against on her first two albums as the rest of the world was given how much lower this lead single to her third album appears on this list compared to its Australian counterpart. At least they gave her one more hit after her debut album over there.
#26 for 2007 (#14 website)
Even though their earlier appearance on this list was less successful over in NZ than it was here in Australia, the kiwis more than made up for that blunder by having the second (and in my opinion better) single from Demon days be much more successful over there than it was over here given how the success of the album didn't hamper its success over there like it clearly did over here.
#31 for 2005 (#33 website)
Keri Hilson was on a roll over in NZ as this became her biggest hit over there thanks to how much good will she had following her breakthrough with Timbaland from two years prior, here she recruits Kanye West and Ne-Yo for this song about how she's fallen for the person she's singing to (likely Ne-Yo since he takes up quite a lot of time on this song.) It would be her final hit outside of her native America.
#24 for 2009 (#10 website)
Although it remains a polarising film to this day, few would argue that the soundtrack to Shark tale was a failure given how its lead single became a massive success for Christina Aguilera and Missy Higgins worldwide. It was a much bigger hit over in NZ largely due to it sticking around for much longer over there than it did over here, I'm guessing because it was a cover of a 70's classic that's fondly remembered to this day.
#24 for 2004
#25 for 2005
It appears the kiwis had enough love for T.I's music that this lead single to his sixth album (damn this guy has an amazing worth ethic) managed to almost be as successful as his earlier entry on this list in NZ as opposed to it only barely qualifying for the Australian equivalent of this list. Even with all of this success, the only time he'll trouble the charts in the 2010's over there was with his verse on "Blurred lines."
#33 for 2008 (#17 website)
Unlike here in Australia where this folk ballad was only a success due to its inclusion on the Devil wears Prada soundtrack, this managed to be a success over in NZ upon its initial release for KT Tunstall which means that the kiwis instantly enjoyed this optimistic ballad about seeing the bright side of things. This naturally led to her having massive success with her album over there that outright flopped over here.
#43 for 2006
There's no surprise that this lead single from Linkin Park's third album was more of a success for them in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it was a song that greatly benefitted from digital sales worldwide given how they were a rock band and that rock musicians saw the biggest benefit from the sales format at the time. It could also be due to the kiwis being bigger fans of the first Transformers film that this serves as the theme to.
#36 for 2007 (#21 website)
Much like his previous appearance on this site, this was also a double entry from Scribe which comprised of "Dreaming" and "So nice" which meant that both songs were able to become his second chart topper over there and no doubt led to the success he achieved here in Australia this year.
#26 for 2004 (#14 website)
This is another entry whose placement on this list is a better representation of how popular it was here in Australia back in the day, I guess this was a huge hit thanks to digital downloads as it came out before ARIA began tracking them which makes it hard for me to definitively say if that was the case. Either way, it was a massive hit in the southern hemisphere almost a full year prior to being released in America.
#27 for 2006
Whereas in Australia this was a huge success for Nickelback upon its initial release the previous year, this only became a success this year in NZ once it became a Billboard chart topper for the band in the early months of the year which prompted the kiwis to finally check out what all the fuss was about with this track. You can say that they tried to not make these guys a household name but caved once they were in America.
#40 for 2002 (#31 website)
This wasn't as big a hit for PCD over in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because it had stiffer competition when it was released over there compared to here in Australia where it dominated all the competition during its lengthy run at number one. For what it's worth, their next four singles proved to be more popular over there throughout the following year for the girls as well as their album.
#21 for 2005 (#5 website)
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