Biggest hits of 2013 NZ

This list will go over what was popular in NZ this year, although my commentary comes from my ranking of the biggest hits of the 2010's so keep that in mind when reading through this list.

Given how the E.P this iconic single came from charted on the album charts in Lorde's homeland, this means that it was a genuine hit in its own right over there compared to over here where it technically wasn't ever released as a single for the indie singer. It's overwhelming success in both countries led to it becoming a massive Billboard chart topper for her which ushered in a new era of music critical of popular trends.

It appears the kiwis were more forgiving of this song and its implications than we Aussies were given that it was a bigger hit over there than it was over here, I'm guessing this is because Robin Thicke already had a massive hit over there with "When I get you alone" exactly a decade prior where it was only a minor success down under around the same time.

It was inevitable that this would be a massive success for Katy Perry over in NZ given how it was inescapable everywhere else in the world for her, it remains her biggest hit to date likely due to it serving as another self-empowerment anthem released at a time where those seemed to be dime a dozen in the mainstream.

Well, this is perhaps the first major surprise on this list of mine given how this was far from one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia and yet it became as such for Ed Sheeran over in NZ, I guess the kiwis really enjoyed his contributions to the Hobbit trilogy with the theme to the second film of the series given how inescapably popular the song was for him.

This is a song whose cultural appeal is more interesting than the song itself, however I covered how this song changed the landscape of mainstream music, so instead I'll focus on its own merits. This was a comedy track parodying the residents of the Gangnam district who he felt were pompous members of his society, the video of course being his way of accentuating his frustrations towards these people that of course amused audiences worldwide.

I'm guessing the kiwis had access to Triple J as a radio station given how they were able to discover the works of Macklemore the same time us Aussies did which would explain how this song became a success for him and Ryan Lewis the same time as it did down under despite it only being a success in their native America after it became a critical darling in both countries.

This was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't quite ready yet to leave Pitbull behind shortly after this came out as he would see a noticeable decline in popularity moving away from the club boom of the early years of the decade. Sadly, this would be the final hit that Kesha had over there as "Praying" was a massive flop for her later in the decade.

The absence of this track on the Australian side of my site might've come as a shock to my readers, apparently ARIA didn't allow it to chart here despite it being quite popular on both the streaming and digital charts given that it wasn't considered an official single upon its initial release. Fortunately, the kiwis didn't have such a restriction which means this song gets to appear on this site of mine at last.

I really wasn't expecting this to be more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because none of P!nk's songs proved to be more popular over there since her second album which was only the case there due to Sony tampering with her release schedule at the time. Perhaps this was bigger over there due to the presence of Nate Neuss as Fun was slightly more popular over there this decade.

This had the exact same trajectory to its success in NZ as it did here in Australia, namely that it wasn't a hit upon its initial release over there and had to wait a full year for it to become a success due to it being a popular choice for reality show contestants to audience with on singing competitions. It wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, however it's popularity was undeniable nonetheless.

This was another song that was only slightly less successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'd honestly be surprised if this wasn't a giant hit for Avicii over there given how popular "Cotton eye joe" remains over there to this day and how this copied the formula that track had of combining EDM with country music.

It makes sense that this wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia given how EDM was always the genre that we Aussies loved over the kiwis, although I would've been shocked if this track bombed over there given how well received it was for the band in question. Evidently, they've since reformed and have tried to recapture the success they had with their final single from their initial run.

This was a massive success over in NZ for Imagine Dragons, although it did come at the expense of the success of the other singles from their debut album over there as they sadly underperformed and thus failed to reappear on this list of mine. Still the fact that this was only slightly less successful than their earlier entry on this list should tell you just how much the kiwis loved this track back in the day.

As I said earlier on this list, James Arthur's career trajectory in NZ was pretty much identical to what it was here in Australia, the only difference is that this victory single from his win on X Factor UK managed to be slightly more successful over there than it was over here likely due to it also being a charity single when it saw an international release.

Although this appears much higher on this list than the one on the Australian side of this site, that's largely due to it charting much higher in NZ for Rihanna given how the kiwis had always loved her music much more than we Aussies did during her time in the spotlight. The overall impact of this song and the album it came from was the same in both countries from the southern hemisphere.

This was about as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Eminem and Rihanna, I guess the kiwis were able to get as on board with these two collaborating together as us Aussies given how their earlier entry on this list wasn't as big over there as it was over here.

There was little surprise this would be even bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, namely because it had Pharrell on vocals and was produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic fame alongside the French duo. That said, this remains as Daft Punk's only hit over there due to the failure of their work up until this point, at least we Aussies took notice of their work from their initial breakthrough in the late 90's.

There's little surprise that this managed to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, mainly because it was also a success over there months prior to it crossing over to the band's native America, proving how much we Aussies and kiwis loved this change in direction that the band had from their previous work. Indeed, their popularity in 2013 in NZ was identical to what it was here in Australia.

This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, this was the case for all of Taylor Swift's music this decade save for her material from 1989 which was less popular over there due to her making the strange decision to pull all of her works from Spotify during the height of that album's success.

Much like here in Australia, this "joke" song about a guy trying to get permission from his girlfriend's father to marry her and failing was a hit in NZ much sooner than it was over in America, mainly because it was released during their summer season like it was over here which allowed it to be declared a summer hit in both countries. It was equally as successful in both countries and even bigger in America for the Canadian band.

This was another hit from Bruno Mars that proved to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, or at least, have most of its success in the upper echelons of their charts as this was more of a sleeper hit here in Australia likely due to it being too reminiscent of his work from his debut album.

Given how this didn't quite reach the number one spot over in NZ, it means that it wasn't quite as popular over there as it was over here or the duo's native America even though it was still a massive hit for them over there regardless. They more than made up for this by having the fourth single from their debut album be a hit over there to the point where it's still to come on this list.

I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with Avicii combining EDM with country music as this second single from his debut album also didn't quite bring in the numbers over there like it did over here, although at least it was a massive hit for the Swedish producer which wasn't the case over in America.

It feels odd that this failed to appear on the Australian side of my site given how this managed to get Lorde out of the one hit wonder bin over in America following the success of her earlier entry on this list, although its appearance on this list isn't a surprise given how the kiwis tended to look after their own up until very recently just like we Aussies did for our local music scene.

This wasn't quite as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm not sure why though given how both Labrinth and Emeli Sande managed to have success over there prior to this song's release. I guess the kiwis knew the hidden meaning of the song as opposed to the rest of the world who found it to be another innocuous love ballad about inner beauty and thus, didn't find it as romantic.

This was also equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I guess it makes sense given how the kiwis didn't seem to love the Police during their heyday as we Aussies did which this song has often been compared to since its release. While there was more of a polarising reception to his debut album, his second album was where everyone in the music industry came together to express their love for his music.

Unlike in Australia where Britney Spears had some success on her own during the first half of the decade, this was the only hit that she had in NZ throughout the entire decade, meaning that this performance is the only indicator of the kiwis love for the princess of pop of the 00's. At least it managed to match its success in both countries, although that might be more because of Will I am's popularity.

This wasn't quite as successful for Of monsters and men over in NZ, likely because its success was more immediate over there as well as it failing to rebound on their charts due to being placed rather high on Triple J's year end list for 2012 like it did on our charts. Still the fact that they had a hit over there was impressive given how Bjork failed to do so during her heyday.

While this was only a success in NZ the same time as it was here in Australia for the Lumineers, it was noticeably more successful over there likely due to the indie scene being stronger over there thanks to the likes of Fun and Gotye. I can only imagine how much bigger it would've been worldwide had streaming been a factor everywhere outside of their native America.

This proved to be slightly less successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Rihanna, likely because this was more of an indie ballad as it contains guest vocals from indie singer Mikky Eko to accentuate how tired Rihanna was in a relationship she was in (and with life in general it seems.)

This was the second single that Lorde released from her debut album, it was a massive success in her homeland given how it continued the theme of her two earlier entries on this list which helped it find an international audience like her other two entries so far. It was a minor hit here in Australia, likely because we Aussies overlooked her singles in favour of her album upon its initial release.

This was more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess their earlier entry on this list was the one exception to the band having more success down under than they did over there given how the rest of their catalogue followed this formula. Up until very recently, this was the final hit that the band had anywhere in the world, however they've since returned to the mainstream in recent years.

This is one of the only hits that Jason Derulo had more success with over in NZ than he did here in Australia this decade, I'm guessing because the kiwis were waiting for him to release a song that showcased his bad boy persona and weren't disappointed once that song finally came to their attention. Like in Australia, this was released as the second single from his third album as opposed it being pushed back in his native America.

This will be the only entry from 1D that has a higher appearance on this list compared to the Australian equivalent as it was their only song to find more success over in NZ than it did here in Australia, this is because the kiwis didn't bother paying attention to any of the other songs they released as the potential lead single to their third album.

I guess the kiwis were also on board with LGBT rights given how this second single from the Heist (at least in the southern hemisphere it was) managed to also become a chart topper for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis upon its initial release. Its success was about the same as it was in both countries, notably more so than in his native America where it didn't even crack the Billboard top ten.

I guess the kiwis didn't find this song about the victims of Pompeii as fascinating as the rest of the world did, I guess it was due to the Gregorian chanting throughout the song as admittedly that did make this the perfect choice for TV execs to shove in every commercial you can think of. At least the kiwis gave this a chance as opposed to "Of the night" which was a massive flop for Bastille over there.

This was more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for JT, I guess the kiwis were more excited for his comeback in 2013 given how he managed to score another hit from the deluxe edition of his 20/20 experience album that's still to come on this list. It's strange that "Suit and tie" bombed in both countries given how big it was in his native America.

I wasn't expecting to see this appear higher on this list than it did on the Australian equivalent, mainly because Flo Rida wasn't as popular this decade over there as he was over here and also due to the second single from Olly's breakthrough album "Dear darling" failing to catch on over there like it did over here. That said, he did score a second hit over there later in the decade with Demi Lovato of all people.

This managed to be Miley Cyrus's biggest hit of the decade in NZ, it's currently second only to "Party in the USA" as her biggest hit even though she's recently seen a resurgence in popularity worldwide, meaning that perhaps that's subject to change over the next few years. I guess it makes sense that this was her only chart topper in NZ given how its success was fueled by the controversy it caused.

This was a much bigger hit for MKTO over in NZ, I'm guessing as penance for their first song not being as big over there as it was over here (it's still to come on this list.) I'm not sure why this was the bigger hit in their native America as it's not like this was a chart topper in either country in the southern hemisphere, however their fellow American's did gravitate towards this once their album dropped.

While this wasn't that much less popular in NZ than their earlier entry on this list, it was far less popular over there than it was here in Australia likely due to the kiwis feeling the song was a bit too on the nose for them when it came to its message about how previous generations had left the current generation (gen Y for the uninitiated) unprepared for the world when they became adults.

This became a success in NZ for similar reasons to why it was big here in Australia, the main difference being that it was an audition that came from 2013 rather than 2012 over there that helped the kiwis to discover the works of Birdy. I guess you can make the argument that this being a year late to finding its success over there compared to over here is why it didn't do as well on their charts.

This was slightly less popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for Miley Cyrus, again you have to keep in mind that streaming didn't come into effect in either country until after its popularity faded worldwide, which means that the video (as shocking and bizarre as it is) played very little part in making the song a success outside of audiences buying the song because of watching it online.

This is the one and only hit from NZ singer/songwriter Ginny Blackmore, apparently it was popular enough in her homeland to be commissioned by international superstars to have her be a songwriter for them even though its rather low placement on this list would suggest it was far from the most popular song of its time over there.

It looks like Sam Smith was always destined for having a better career in NZ than over here in Australia from the very beginning as they managed to score more success over there with their breakthrough performance on this track with British DJ Naughty Boy than they did over here back in the day. It turns out Naughty boy was able to score a second hit in NZ as this won't be their only appearance on this list.

To date, this is the only hit that Frank Ocean has had anywhere in the world, although I guess he's had two hits if you count his appearance on "Slide" with Calvin Harris and Migos from earlier on this list. He was all set to take the prince of RNB crown from Chris Brown given how the two even had a well publicised feud with each other, alas their fellow Americans preferred the more established artist over this guy.

This was another song who saw a massive improvement on this ranking, I guess the kiwis really weren't as offended by the "Take on me" sample that this song uses as the rest of the world was given how this didn't seem to have any special advantage over there compared to over here. It could also be that they were still rooting for Christina Aguilera given how much more popular "Say something" was over there.

Whereas "Young and beautiful" from Lana Del Rey was the big hit off of the Great Gatsby soundtrack here in Australia, this club boom track from Fergie featuring Q-Tip from A tribe called quest proved to be the big hit over in NZ, suggesting that the kiwis still had love for the former BEP member as well as a rising interest in the back catalogue of the hip hop group that the rapper came from.

I think this is the last song to become a hit in NZ and not here in Australia due to high album sales preventing it from being a success over here in a way that never impacted songs like this over there, after all, the Heist was a highly successful album from the duo and this was a fan favourite from the album even if Macklemore went a little over the top in the video by dressing up in a sombrero.

This was chosen for the BBC's charity campaign Children in need in Ellie's native UK where it predictably became a hit for her over there, I'm guessing the kiwis were in a charitable mood in 2013 as this became the second single to become a hit over there to be based on a charity following James Arthur's victory single "Impossible" from earlier in the year.

OK I think it's obvious from my profile avatar that I'm a fox furry, even so, I have to admit that this joke song about what foxes do when they communicate (they yiff if you didn't know) is fairly annoying and only a success due to people finding this song to be hilarious upon its initial release. I guess this was the first song to fail to appear on the Australian side of my site due to its popularity coming from streaming rather than sales.

This was another huge success for Stan Walker in his homeland this decade, it's hard to say if he was trying to recreate the success he had when he won the final season of Australian Idol or if he was catering to his fellow kiwis, however it's clear that he was far more successful at home than he was over here.

There were no signs of Stan Walker slowing down during the first half of the decade in his homeland, as such we have another huge hit he had over there that naturally failed to become a hit in the country that made him a household name to begin with.

There weren't any popular rappers from NZ this decade, the exception being David Dallas who managed to score a massive hit with this gem likely due to how we Aussies were supporting our local hip hop scene and the kiwis hoping that this would catch on over here. Alas, it didn't despite there being a resurgence in popularity for Savage of all people over here around the time of its release.

If you want to know why Ellie Goulding's second album Halcyon was a huge flop upon its initial release worldwide, it might have something to do with her incorporating dubstep into her sound which made it seem more instantly dated compared to her debut album from the start of the decade. It appears that the kiwis were the only people in the world who could tolerate it if the success of this lead single is anything to go by.

Given how they saw massive success in NZ with their earlier entry on this list, I suppose it isn't too surprising that this proved to be far less popular over there than it was over here for Karmin as the song has been widely criticised by reviewers who weren't sure if this was meant to be taken seriously or not. True they've had this issue with their entire discography, but at least their earlier entry wasn't as panned as this was.

This barely missed the cut on the Australian side of my site, mainly because it did have the disadvantage of being released during the second series of the Voice Australia which while not as omnipresent as its first season here, did push aside tracks like this in favour of live performances from the show to chart. Fortunately, this wasn't an issue in NZ where this managed to be a huge hit for Bruno Mars.

This is the only song from Ellie Goulding which saw a massive decrease in the rankings on this list compared to its Australian equivalent, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't that interested in this track from her album Halcyon days, although they appeared to make up for this not being as successful by having her cover of the Waterboys track from earlier be a success over there where it wasn't over here.

While this was still more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for Drake, it will be his lowest entry on this list as opposed to the previous entry of his with Rihanna we looked at which was his lowest entry here in Australia. Either way, both of these songs saw much less success than what he would go on to achieve once streaming services began taking over the music industry.

This was way more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis were bigger fans of Ella Eyre's vocals on here than we Aussies were given how "Feel the love" was less popular over there than it was over here for the EDM duo. This will be their final entry on this list as they didn't score any other success over there throughout the decade.

Although he failed to win on his season of the X factor NZ, Benne Tipene was nonetheless able to score a massive hit in his homeland in the form of this ballad which resonated with his fellow kiwis upon its initial release.

It's not every day where the remix of a song is considered to be the original version of it, yet that's exactly the case when it comes to this song from Sia as before it served as the second single from her album 1000 forms of fear, it was originally the theme song to the second Hunger games film that included production from Diplo and a guest verse from the Weeknd long before he became a household name worldwide.

Even though this was the fourth single to come from their debut album in NZ as opposed to it being the third single here in Australia, it appears that Imagine dragons still managed to find more success over there than they did over here with this entry just like their other entry from that album that I've featured on this list of mine.

If you couldn't tell from the cover art, Jackie Thomas was the winner of the first season of X factor NZ which of course led to her having minor success in her homeland with this victory single before she was promptly forgotten about by the end of that year.

I'm honestly shocked that this was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, not by much mind you as it only appears higher on this list due to how fewer hits there were over there this decade compared to over here, however it was noticeably more successful overall.

This may have failed to appear on the Australian side of my site due to how thoroughly unimpressed we Aussies were with this change in direction Lady Gaga made with her sound, however the kiwis had enough love for this new direction for it to become a modest success for her at the time of its release.

From what I can gather, the Kin are an Australian trio who are based in America who scored their one and only hit over in NZ with this folk track, I wish I could tell you more about this but that's the best I could do with my research.