It appears that the kiwis weren't quite ready to exile Chris Brown from their good graces following an infamous incident that occurred this year that I won't go into detail about, perhaps it was due to him expressing his love of the Transformers franchise with this track or maybe that it came complete with a guest verse from Lil Wayne or maybe another reason that I definitely won't share with my readers.
#46 for 2009
This proved to be slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, it really is a shame how Britney saw far less success over in NZ this decade than she did down under even if many people (me included) felt that the quality of her music dramatically dropped when she released her album Blackout two years prior. This is the last song in her career that those people will tell you is decent.
#56 for 2009
Given how this song never even touched the number one spot in NZ (nor did it even come close to doing so) this meant that its success was more spread out during its chart run which allowed it to be placed in a much better position on this new list of mine even if it still feels relatively low compared to how unavoidable the song was back in the day.
#46 for 2000
It appears that the kiwis had much more love for Christina Aguilera during her time with Disney than we Aussies did as the second single from her debut album managed to be way more popular over there at the start of the decade and even give her a number one hit which is something that didn't happen here in Australia until "Beautiful" from her second album.
#30 for 2000 (#32 website)
This was a girl group that was put together by P Diddy, I'm guessing so that he could enter the girl band wars that was far less prevalent worldwide given how they mostly took place in the UK where the Spice Girls were the clear winners despite pulling out of the competition early on compared to their rivals. Dream managed to score a hit with their debut single in NZ and their native America and nowhere else in the world.
#62 for 2001 (#41 website)
While this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia (as was the case with all of her singles this decade baring the ones from her second album) it proved to be a huge hit for P!nk over there regardless thanks to the double meaning it has as it can be about overcoming a literal drug/alcohol addiction or about her "sobering up" to how toxic her current relationship is.
#56 for 2008
#64 for 2009
I did mention that this was more of a hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for N sync, it was the only song of theirs to do better over there for some reason as it's not like album sales had any impact on a song's success when it came to teen pop from around this time. It could also be due to the bizarre video which showcases them in a shopping mall that naturally went against the norm for boy band music.
#54 for 2000 (#31 website)
This was such an amazing year for Akon in NZ that this managed to go straight to number one over there despite having so many entries on this list that failed to do so outrank it, indeed it being a chart topper over there is the main reason why it performed slightly better on this list than on the Australian equivalent.
#55 for 2007 (#12 website)
While this didn't quite get to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, the fact it wasn't pulled from shelves over there like it was over here (to encourage album sales of course) meant that this was able to retain its placement on this side of my site that it had on that side. It's a song that many will tell you is among the worst on this list, however I don't think I'd go that far even if I weren't a fan of hers.
#43 for 2005 (#19 website)
This was also a massive success in NZ for JoJo which is to be expected given that she arguably saw more success from her first album over there than she did over here, indeed it appears the kiwis were also disappointed that this would be the last they would hear from her due to that awful contract she was in which prevented her from releasing any new music in her career for over a decade.
#47 for 2007
Brooke Fraser was on a roll this year as she managed to score a third hit from her debut album (well actually this was the fourth but "Saving the world" won't be appearing on this list) proving how well loved the NZ singer/songwriter was in her homeland with her album. She would come back two years later with her second album that while not as successful, still kept her in the A-leagues of the NZ music scene.
#61 for 2004
I don't think anyone was expecting to see a song calling out domestic violence appear on this list, that was the subject matter for this one and only hit from the Red Jumpsuit apparatus who scored a massive hit in NZ with this track as well as having it be a modest success in their native America. I'm not sure why this didn't even chart here in Australia other than its subject matter being a bit too heavy for us Aussies.
#42 for 2007 (#44 website)
Well at least this second single from Outkast's double album managed to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia if only because it wasn't pulled from shelves over there like it was over here, although it still wasn't among the biggest hits of the year over there suggesting that it wasn't as popular in the southern hemisphere overall as it was in their native America.
#69 for 2004 (#50 website)
Given how Snoop Dogg already achieved massive success in NZ with his earlier entry on this list this year, I guess it isn't too surprising that his first chart topper in Australia wasn't as such over there despite it finding equal amounts of success in both countries. Again, I feel that this was more due to JT's presence as he felt like a cheat code when it came to artists wanting to make it big this decade.
#46 for 2005 (#24 website)
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Eminem, I'm guessing audiences in general were happy to see him back even if the album was just as poorly received by fans and critics alike as his previous effort from five years prior.
#42 for 2009 (#27 website)
Given the success these guys had in Australia and their native NZ with their second album from earlier in the decade, it makes sense that this would find equal amounts of success in both countries as each other which suggests that the band would go on to have massive success in the 2010's given how popular they were at this point in time. You'd be wrong as with most rock artists who made it big this decade.
#52 for 2009 (#48 website)
This was more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for 50 Cent, presumably due to it benefitting from digital sales even though it came out before we Aussies even began tracking digital sales so I'm not entirely sure if that's the reason why for its success over there. Like I said on that side of my site, this was clearly meant to be the "Lose yourself" to his own biopic Get rich or die trying.
#50 for 2006
It looks like this second single from Destiny's Child's final album Destiny fulfilled was the big hit off the album in NZ in lieu of "Lose my breath" although we did look at that song on my previous list whilst "Girl" is still to come on this list. I guess the kiwis are familiar with the version that has T.I and Lil Wayne given how both men had more success over there later in the decade.
#40 for 2005 (#35 website)
Given how Britney's earlier entry on this list wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia, there was no chance of this being more popular than that track over there like it was over here (at least according to ARIA) which feels right given how this has fallen into semi obscurity by the masses. It remains a fan favourite due to how personal it felt coming from her, but it's not instantly recognisable outside her fanbase.
#43 for 2000 (#35 website)
Following the success she had from High school musical, Vanessa Hudgeons decided to embark focus more on her singing career which was off to a good start in NZ with this teen pop number that even managed to briefly chart here in Australia, suggesting we Aussies were willing to give her solo career a chance as well. Alas, she never saw any other success outside of this and her role in the Disney franchise.
#57 for 2006
#59 for 2007
This is another song I remember hearing on the radio quite a bit back in the day, evidently it was written for the Pink Panther remake which had Beyonce costar with Steve Martin that divides audiences to this day (I like it but understand why people don't.) Apparently, there was a version with a rap verse from Slim Thug that became popular in NZ and her native America that was released on Destiny's Child's greatest hits album.
#48 for 2006
Apart from her earlier appearance on this list, this will be the only entry from Kelly Clarkson to appear on this side of my site which is fitting given how it was the one hit of hers that failed to do so likely due to strong album sales preventing it from being a hit over here despite it being easily one of her most recognisable (and my personal favourite) songs in her catalogue.
#62 for 2005
This wasn't quite as successful over in NZ as it was here in Australia for Sara Bareilles, likely because the kiwis were more interested in the hip hop and RNB scene rather than the singer/songwriter scene like we Aussies were this year. While she didn't have as much success over there with her singles as she did over here, at least she had both of her hits here become a success over there for the exact same reasons.
#50 for 2008
This was only a modest success here in Australia back in the day, I'm guessing because we Aussies weren't that interested in this song that's a tonal whiplash of JoJo's debut single from the previous year given how she's expressing her love to presumably the same person she chastises on "Leave." Here she recruits Bow Wow to provide her a hip-hop verse that no doubt led to his popularity skyrocketing this year.
#51 for 2005 (#41 website)
This will be one of two entries from the alternative rock band Zed to appear on this list, it naturally was their biggest hit over there likely due to how anthemic the song is compared to a lot of the other entries on this list. Their other hit this year was released first and was arguably more successful as it charted longer than this did, however it also had a much lower peak position which is why this is higher.
#52 for 2000 (#33 website)
Given how Australian idol had a song like this the previous year that was a hit here in Australia, it only makes sense that the NZ equivalent would follow suit where it also became a massive success in its homeland. A part of why this was more popular over there than "Rise up" was over here is that this is a cover of Mark Williams debut single from 1975, meaning this was seen as a tribute to the former teen idol.
#52 for 2004 (#19 website)
This proved to be far more popular in Australia than it was in NZ much like the other track that this shares its name with from the 80's, I'm guessing the kiwis weren't that fond with the female perspective of the Hall and Oates classic which didn't seem to be much of a hamper towards the album's success over there. Indeed, the album was way more popular over there than it was over here even if the singles weren't.
#74 for 2006
This is a song I definitely remember receiving a ton of flack for back in the day, keep in mind it only barely charted here in Australia and even we Aussies were making fun of this track back in the day (thankfully this was back before this type of engagement counted towards a song's popularity.) I guess the kiwis got more ironic enjoyment out of this track which would explain its success over there.
#41 for 2008 (#32 website)
This will be the first of two appearances from the Game on this list, both of which has his former mentor 50 Cent provide a guest verse for him which no doubt allowed both of these songs to see a massive worldwide audience from those who made the older rapper's debut album from two years prior a huge success. This no doubt also led to the success of the Game's own album this year for better or worse.
#42 for 2005 (#21 website)
This was the only hit single from American rapper Jibbs to become a hit for him, even then it was only a hit in his native America as well as over in NZ likely due to international audiences not vibing with the song built on a children's nursery rhyme. Given how it's ultimately about him having long pieces of jewellery (chains to be exact) it made it impossible for anyone to take seriously at the time.
#45 for 2006
Much like here in Australia, this was the final hit that Gwen Stefani managed to achieve in NZ even if it proved to be more of a hit over there than it was over here for her. I guess this was meant to be her version of "Big girls don't cry" given how much more serious this is compared to her other two entries on this list, although it wound up having the opposite effect for her in the mainstream than what that song had for Fergie.
#60 for 2007 (#26 website)
This was the third single to be released from K'lee from her one and only album, given how it dropped around the time the album came out, its success was predictable even if most of her fellow kiwis would likely only know her for her cover of the Mr. Mister track from the previous year. Sadly, the album itself was a massive flop for her, leading to her not releasing anymore music in her career.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#54 for 2002 (#33 website)
It was logical that this song would see slightly more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, after all, PCD were on a roll this year and the kiwis seemed to have more enjoyment out of their music than we Aussies did even if this feels like a major outlier to their discography as they proclaim that they don't need the love and support of a man (rather respectably I might add.)
#54 for 2006
Whereas this was the final hit for Ricky Martin in Australia and several parts of the world, in NZ, he had one more hit the following year with Christina Aguilera proving that his time in the spotlight wasn't quite up over there like it was over here once this fell off our charts. I guess the kiwis wanted to keep around a while longer given how they were admittedly late to the party when it came to his popularity.
#28 for 2000 (#50 website)
This is the only song that Blink 182 released in their catalogue to find massive success over in NZ, certainly more so than what it achieved here in Australia despite it not being affected by Sony on our charts like so many entries on this list were. This means that the song was organically more popular over there than it was over here, likely for it displaying a more mature side of the trio than the rest of their catalogue.
#57 for 2004
This was the first of only two big hits that Boh Runga and company managed to achieve in their homeland, although considering this is a song about embracing being a lesbian (despite Boh being straight) it's impressive that it did as well as it did back in the day and understandable how it wasn't chosen as the lead single to their debut album given how different LGBT rights were back then.
#64 for 2000 (#36 website)
This was another song that managed to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, although it does feel odd this was the case given how Daft Punk managed to achieve success over there around this time here in Australia and yet the French duo failed to replicate that success over there like this fellow French duo did.
#41 for 2000
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, mainly because it did chart as high over there as it did over here which suggests that we Aussies were more interested in having Busta Rhymes be an RNB singer than the kiwis were. There is rapping on this track, however it's nowhere near as intense as what fans of Busta are used, which could be another reason for its lack of success over there.
#56 for 2003 (#31 website)
Given how this managed to become a massive hit the following year here in Australia for P Money and Scribe, it only makes sense that this was a huge chart topper in their homeland this year even though it appears the song quickly fell off the charts going into the new year likely due to it peaking during the Christmas period of this year and thus giving off the impression it was pulled from shelves over there.
#32 for 2004 (#12 website)
This is one of the few singles from No Doubt to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, it also serves as a comeback single for them over there given how their second international album from earlier in the decade was a complete flop for them as opposed to being a mere modest success down under. I guess the kiwis came around for this track due to the reggae influence as well as the hip hop verse.
#59 for 2002 (#35 website)
I guess one way of ensuring the success of the fourth single from your debut album was to have it be a "sequel" to the album version which is exactly what Blue did with this track, although it appears that only us Aussies and their fellow Brits saw any value to this remix as this predictably bombed everywhere else in the world for the boy band.
#74 for 2002 (#36 website)
It feels weird that the one hit that Christina Milian has in NZ and her native America would be one that wasn't as such here in Australia, although at least it was a hit for her in the UK like the rest of her discography this decade. Here we have a sex jam from the RNB singer similar to Beyonce's "Naughty girl" which was far less popular over there than it was over here (we'll still be looking at it in a bit.)
#54 for 2004 (#40 website)
Although neither of their hits from their second album managed to rise up to the ranks of those from their first album, Nesian Mystik was nonetheless able to score two big hits from said album over there with this being the first of them. I guess you can argue that this would've been even bigger were it not for all of the stiff competition it had with all of the other entries on this list.
#69 for 2005
This was much more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because Fever didn't do as well over there as it did here which meant that the kiwis were more interested in the singles from the album rather than the album itself even though both "In your eyes" and "Come into my world" failed to appear on this list of mine. I guess it's fitting that the best song on the album (in my opinion) was a big hit over there.
#65 for 2002 (#37 website)
It's a bit of a surprise to see this not any higher on this list given how Silverchair greatly benefitted from digital sales here in Australia and how that format had been well and truly established in NZ by this point in time, although at least it does make an appearance on here and hey, it's low placement on here is more due to it being a sleeper hit over there than anything else.
#75 for 2007 (#43 website)
At least the one good song from Encore (in my and many others opinion) managed to be more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it serves as a profound take on what audiences felt was going to be inevitable as tensions in the world government led to theories that there would be a return of mandatory conscription in most parts of the world which thankfully turned out to be false.
#57 for 2005 (#34 website)
Just a fair warning that there won't be as many appearances from Miley Cyrus on this side of my site as there were on the Australian side, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't that impressed with the Disney star at least when she initially broke through as they were more interested in her Hannah Montana persona due to how well those albums did over her own work.
#58 for 2008 (#43 website)
This managed to be equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the British duo, again I have to assume this was due to the 80's nostalgia that the song was clearly going for given how both the lyrics and especially the sound seem to be ripped straight from the synthpop era of music that audiences were longing for throughout the decade. It's a shame this passion they had for 80's nostalgia died out in the 2010's.
#57 for 2009
Following their victory on Popstars UK, Hear'say managed to score a massive hit in their homeland as well as NZ of all places with this cover of the obscure girl group err.... Girl thing. Girl thing did have a minor hit here in Australia with "Last one standing" the previous year, so it is surprising that this cover didn't crossover here in Australia as well, however British music in general wasn't doing to well down under this decade.
#57 for 2001 (#44 website)
It appears the kiwis had the same love/hate relationship with this song as we Aussies did upon its initial release, namely that they loved the track enough to make it a hit for J-lo but likely found it too irritating to make it among the biggest hits of the decade (despite being one of her bigger hits over there regardless.) As such, it's little surprise this was the last they heard from her until her 2011 comeback.
#45 for 2005 (#28 website)
Well, it appears the kiwis found this surprisingly juvenile side of Andre 3000 to be equally as amusing as we Aussies did this year given how it retains roughly the same position on this side of my site as it does on the Australian equivalent. It's interesting that none of the singles from their double album managed to see more success over there than they did over here save for the second single.
#65 for 2004 (#42 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as big of fans as Bad Boys II as we Aussies were, either that or they felt that the theme song to the film didn't stack up to the multiple hits that the first film spawned over there eight years prior given how much lower this posse cut appears on this list compared to the Australian equivalent. You can't even say it's because of the rappers as they were immensely popular over there as well.
#48 for 2003 (#34 website)
Given how the digital charts were fully incorporated by the kiwis by this point in time, it means that My Chemical Romance managed to score massive success over there with the singles from their album beginning with their earlier entry on this list but also includes the third single from the album which only barely missed the cut from appearing on the Australian side of my site due to not charting high enough here.
#63 for 2007 (#35 website)
I guess having the digital charts in full swing did Maroon 5 very little favours in NZ this year as this somehow managed to be less popular over there than it was over here in Australia even with our lack of digital sales handicapping this song's success, this just goes to show how the band's popularity was fading over there which would make their comeback in the early 2010's that much more surprising.
#73 for 2007 (#36 website)
This was the third single to come from Nickelback's magnum opus All the right reasons, it's a song that reuses the melody from "How you remind me" and "Someday" which has led many to accuse them of being a one trick pony when it comes to their compositions despite the other singles from this album proving otherwise. This was a minor hit here in Australia, likely it had its success eaten up by strong album sales.
#62 for 2006
This is the last hit that Robbie Williams had over in NZ as his popularity would quickly dwindle during the second half of the decade for whatever reason, indeed this song came from Escapology which was far less successful over there than it was over here which suggests that this ballad was a success over there from an album that they didn't otherwise jive with.
#65 for 2003 (#35 website)
Now before you clutch your pearls and wonder how the charity organisation Greenpeace managed to score a hit in NZ this year, I should point out that this is actually a supergroup comprising of a bunch of big-name celebrities from NZ who named themselves after a ship that was brutally destroyed in 1985. The group decided to cover a track from the Mutton Birds to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of that disaster.
#47 for 2005 (#37 website)
Unlike in Australia where this was released specifically as the second single from Nelly's two albums Suit and Sweat, in NZ it was released simultaneously with "Over and over" which means the kiwis preferred this collaboration with Christina Aguilera than they did with his collaboration with Tim McGraw, showing the kind of music they wanted from the rapper/RNB singer from around this time.
#53 for 2004
#48 for 2005
I think we can all agree that this is a far more respectable position for this folk ballad about how Sandi Thom wishes she were around during the height of the punk movement which she seems to have confused with the hippy movement of the 60's given how she would've likely been blacklisted from the punk scene had she worn flowers in her hair at the time.
#53 for 2006 (#19 website)
Well at least this was released on time in NZ even if it had to work its way up to its success over there as opposed to it being an instant success over here, I guess the kiwis were still on the fence on whether or not they should allow these guys to be among the biggest names in music as opposed to us Aussies who knew that these guys were the future of rock and roll by making them inescapably popular here.
#70 for 2003 (#49 website)
I was shocked when I found out this was a flop here in Australia given how much radio airplay it received back in the day, needless to say this made it a massive success in NZ given how the kiwis did incorporate airplay onto their main charts by this point in time. Still, the fact this was featured in every teen drama at the time surely must have played a part in how it's endeared over the years.
#72 for 2000 (#39 website)
I'm surprised this wasn't a hit here in Australia back in the day considering how they used to flog this on the radio as with many of the entries on this list that didn't appear on the Australian side of this site, fortunately the kiwis seemed to have made it a success over there which got her out of the one hit wonder bin that "Torn" threatened to trap her in four years prior.
#72 for 2002 (#39 website)
Sandwiched between their two earlier entries was this second single from Adeaze, it was a cover of the Bee Gees classic making this the second cover to be a success over there following Portrait's take on the ballad from nine years prior. It wasn't quite as big over there as their earlier entries likely because of the lack of originality this song had compared to the rest of their album.
#55 for 2004 (#41 website)
This was more of a hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing this was due to the single not being affected by the album's strong sales as I can see how "Paparazzi" and "Lovegame" wouldn't be affected by this here in Australia due to how much they both stand out on the album. That's not to say this song has no legacy, but rather how ordinary it is compared to the rest of the songs in her catalogue.
#62 for 2009
I would say that the kiwis were more on board with this endorsement of the Holiday in hotel chain except that the more likely explanation for this song's success over there was due to it coming from Chingy, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg who were all on a roll this year with their respective careers. Sadly, for Chingy himself, his popularity would die out once "Balla baby" fell off the charts worldwide.
#58 for 2004 (#23 website)
This proved to be equally as successful for P!nk in NZ as it was here in Australia, then again, this ballad about P!nk coping with her parents' divorce (presumably written at a young age) was the only song of hers from her second album to not be pulled from shelves here in Australia given how Sony had finally got the message that we Aussies weren't going to by her album by making the song unavailable to us.
#55 for 2002
#52 for 2003
This was the third single to be released from Ronan Keating's solo debut album, it was a mere modest success here in Australia and charted too low for it to appear on the Australian side of my site likely due to the album sales eating up its success. It was naturally more of a hit in NZ for the former Boyzone singer, proving how much the kiwis loved his solo work following the departure of his group.
#69 for 2001
This is the only hit that the Darkness were able to achieve outside of their native UK, it happens to be their most recognisable song given how it was their big breakthrough in America this year thanks to its over-the-top music video that easily would've qualified for my weird video list had it been a hit here in Australia. Speaking of, I have no idea why this flopped down under even taking into account Australian Idol's monopoly of our charts.
#67 for 2004 (#49 website)
This was released slightly earlier in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis had fully incorporated their digital charts onto their main charts when it first came out which would explain why the song was also slightly more popular over there for Eminem as I can imagine him being popular on that format during the early phases of its existence.
#36 for 2005
#40 for 2006
Even though Kasey Chambers never found any success with any of her albums in NZ, at least she managed to score a huge hit with her breakthrough single over there likely due to it fitting in with all of the female singer/songwriter ballads that managed to be popular over there this year. Indeed, I'm surprised that Kasey didn't find more success down under with that in mind.
#64 for 2002 (#41 website)
This was the final hit that Ciara had in NZ as was the case everywhere else in the world, I guess like many rock legends of the decade, she too was barred from finding any success throughout the 2010's likely in favour of not being able to compete with the club boom that exploded this year. JT would also struggle for mainstream relevancy after this; however, he did score the occasional hit here and there.
#51 for 2009
This is another song to become a hit over in NZ from the female singer/songwriter trend of the late 90's, this time it comes to us from American musician Beth Hart who connected with the kiwis in a way similar to how Lene Marlin and Emilia did by having a serious topic (in this case, suicide prevention) performed in a down to earth way that doesn't feel patronising to the listener.
#66 for 2000 (#47 website)
Given how this was more of a hit on our digital charts (from what I can gather at least) it only makes sense that this managed to become even more popular for the Sugababes in NZ especially considering how their other two entries that appeared on the Australian side of my site found more success over there throughout the decade already. Like in Australia, this was the final hit that the trio had over there.
#61 for 2006
Given how Talk Talk managed to achieve minor success in NZ throughout the 80's, I guess it makes sense that this cover of one of their most iconic tracks from No doubt would see more success over in NZ even if that success came a bit late over there compared to over here where it was a hit upon its initial release. This is likely what eased the kiwis into accepting Gwen's solo career from earlier on this list.
#44 for 2003
#49 for 2004
This wasn't released in NZ that long after it was here in Australia, meaning that the kiwis would've recognised Natalie Bassingthwaighte from her work on Neighbours this year and yet it was still far less popular over there than it was over here. This would eventually see a UK release the following year where it was a hit over there, again likely for the Brits recognising her as Izzy Hoyland from the series.
#64 for 2005
He may have only come in fourth place on the fifth season of American Idol, however that didn't prevent Chris Daughtry from finding success worldwide with a band he formed after losing on the reality series months later. Indeed, this was a minor sleeper hit here in Australia for the post grunge band and likely would've been a hit like it was in NZ had we better incorporated our digital data onto the main charts.
#64 for 2007
This was the third hit to come from Blue's debut album as well as the first to make it big in NZ and not here in Australia given how these guys were a two-hit wonder down under with their two entries on my previous list. This was slightly overshadowed by "Fly by" (which is still to come on this list) due to that receiving a radio edit to make it seem like a sequel to the album version.
#66 for 2002 (#43 website)
This was the final hit that Savage was able to achieve in his homeland as a lead artist, although he did score a comeback five years later when a remix of his debut single became a massive hit over here in Australia. Here he recruits Baby Bash who manages to score a third hit over there following his two collaborations with Frankie J from earlier in the decade.
#53 for 2009 (#34 website)
Although this collaboration between J-Lo and LL Cool J wasn't as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, at least their reunion from later in the decade was a hit over there where it wasn't over here, meaning that the kiwis did have some investment into the storyline of these two being together in their respective music careers.
#49 for 2003 (#37 website)
I guess the kiwis were massive fans of American Idol this year (this is strange because of Kelly Clarkson's noticeable absence on this list) as such we have the victory single from the runner up of the second season of the show Clay Aiken who decided to bundle it up with a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel classic to boost his chances of having a worldwide smash hit.
#61 for 2003 (#38 website)
It may surprise you to learn that Destiny's Child didn't have as much success in NZ as they did here in Australia, this title track from their third album being one of the rare exceptions of them finding more success over there than they did over here likely due to the kiwis being bigger fans of the show that it was named after. Indeed, the girls didn't have any more success over there as solo artists than they did here either.
#61 for 2001 (#47 website)
This is a hip-hop quintet that's best known for its member Juicy J given how he went on to have massive success in their native America as an in demand featured rapper (most notably for the likes of Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.) Here the group score their one and only hit in their career with another song that compares sex to candy, I'm guessing because audiences incorrectly assumed that T-Pain was on the chorus.
#43 for 2008 (#33 website)
This was the other collaboration that the Game had with 50 cent this year; it was the first of the two collaborations they released which no doubt led to the success of their earlier entry on this list as well as the Game's own album. While they were taking the world by storm with these songs, they were fighting with each other over who was more popular in the mainstream due to both their albums being released at the same time.
#53 for 2005 (#26 website)
Following his failure in breaking into the girl band market with Dream, P Diddy decided to try his chances at making an RNB star out of Cassie Ventura which was off to a good start worldwide including in NZ where this was a bigger hit for her than it was here in Australia. Like Dream however, Cassie would be a one hit wonder with her debut single as she wasn't given much worthwhile material to work with.
#58 for 2006
There were no signs of Bic Runga slowing down in her homeland this year as the second single from her highly acclaimed album Beautiful collision proved to be a massive success for her over there, it makes you wonder why she was unable to have some of this success translate over to Australia given how both entries on from the album were bigger hits over there than her big hit over here "Sway."
#57 for 2002
#55 for 2003
Unlike here in Australia where it was obvious that both versions of this track charted back in the day for J-Lo due to the "remix" causing the song to rise up on our charts the following year, it's hard to say which version was the big hit in NZ as its chart run over there suggests that only one of them was successful. I've included both versions on this list to ensure that the correct versions is represented regardless.
#48 for 2001
This was the second and final hit that Mareko managed to achieve in his homeland, I'm guessing he wanted to be the king of NZ hip hop but had that ambition taken away from him by Scribe who achieved infinitely more success over there than he did. Still, having two massive hits to open your career wasn't bad, he just had the bad luck of having stiff competition in the NZ hip hop game.
#41 for 2003
#43 for 2004 (#46 website)
This was the one and only hit from Pretty Ricky, one of the many RNB groups from America to find success with only one song with this being one of the lucky few to find success outside of the Billboard charts back in the day. I guess this was deemed too sexually provocative for us Aussies to make a success this year, either that or this was one of the earliest songs to become a success thanks to digital downloads in NZ.
#60 for 2005 (#45 website)
This proved to be more of a success for Celine Dion in NZ than it was here in Australia, this is interesting given how all of her other hits were far less successful over there than they were over here throughout the 90's even though this is admittedly more in line with the teen pop that was dominating the worldwide charts at the time than her brand of diva pop.
#73 for 2000
This was too much of a sleeper hit to appear on the Australian side of my site, although believe me, this was indeed a huge hit here given how it refused to drop out of our charts for the pseudo country band. It was more of mainstream hit over in NZ, although it certainly wasn't an immediate success given how it was released the previous year to deafening silence even in their native America.
#82 for 2000 (#44 website)
Given that this was far more popular on our digital charts and that they had yet to be incorporated to the main charts during this song's initial release, you'd think this would've been much bigger in NZ given how the kiwis had incorporated their digital sales onto their main charts from the start of this year. The fact that this wasn't more popular over there suggests they were a bit more wary of Christina being a throwback artist.
#65 for 2006
I guess these guys were a one hit wonder in both countries in the southern hemisphere albeit with a different song in each country, we Aussies gave them a hit with "Why does it always rain on me" from the previous year whilst the kiwis saddled them with this lead single to their third album which also proved to be their biggest hit in their native UK rather coincidentally.
#67 for 2001 (#48 website)
This was the only hit that Belgian singer Lara Fabian was able to achieve outside of Europe, it was only a success in NZ likely due to us Aussies feeling that this was too much of a Celine Dion rip-off for it to be a success down under back in the day. Indeed, I get the feeling the kiwis only gravitated towards this due to the optimism of the lyrics rather than any traits affiliated with the singer herself.
#80 for 2000 (#46 website)
I guess this was meant to be the male equivalent of "Beautiful liar" given how both R Kelly and Usher realise that they were both dating the same woman at the same time and them trying to figure out what to do about the situation. It proved to be the more popular track over there than its female counterpart (which is still to come on this list) although this was only the case in NZ and nowhere else in the world.
#43 for 2007 (#20 website)
This was only slightly less successful in NZ for Destiny's child than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the shock had worn off from the kiwis that the quartet had replaced two of the members from earlier on this list without telling them they had been fired. I'm surprised this wasn't more of a hit worldwide considering how much more of a bop this is than their earlier entry.
#51 for 2000 (#41 website)
This was the only major hit that Plies had over in NZ, likely because it has a chorus from Akon who was unstoppable over there this year as well as the rapper having some buzz over there following the success of "Shawty" he had in his native America. He would have one more hit in his homeland with "Bust it baby" before he faded into obscurity as did the entire crunk genre in his homeland.
#52 for 2007
Given how this has a similar placement on this list as it does on the Australian side of this site, this means that the third single from Enrique's second English language album was slightly more popular over there due to having stiffer competition than on the Australian counterpart. Once again, this is due to this coming from a highly successful album that didn't affect its popularity over there like it did over here.
#67 for 2002 (#46 website)
This is the only other song from Mariah Carey's comeback album to appear on this list, it saw a bit of an improvement in the rankings which suggests that the kiwis were gradually becoming more open to the idea of welcoming her back into the mainstream for the first time this century after a very public meltdown she had at the start of the decade no doubt scared them off from her catalogue.
#58 for 2005
This is the other hit from JT's solo debut album that managed to achieve a higher placement on this list compared to the Australian equivalent, again this was because its success wasn't eaten up by strong album sales over there like it was over here for the former boy band member. It's also possible the kiwis found it more amusing than us Aussies, I remember finding the outro particularly hilarious growing up.
#53 for 2003 (#39 website)
Given the success of their debut single "I got" these guys already received, it only makes sense that their second single would not only become a hit in their homeland but also chart here in Australia, proving how interested we Aussies were in NZ hip hop which likely inspired us to check out our own hip hop scene later in the decade.
#59 for 2004
#56 for 2005
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