But he’s no diva yet. 

The Melbourne-born singer-songwriter – real name James Keogh, beat New Zealand 17-year-old Lorde by less than 1500 votes to top the annual fan-decided honour with his single Riptide. 

On denying the hugely popular teen Kiwi victory Joy said simply he was “grateful for having written it” .

As pointed out by Triple J’s music director Richard Kingsmill after the winning track was played, Joy can lay claim to being the first artist to top the Australia Day list without having released an album. 

“It’s also the first to have been written on a ukulele,” Kingsmill added. 

 

Joy has just two tracks in circulation from his debut EP God Loves You When You’re Dancing,  which was released in March last year – the other, Play With Fire, opened the countdown at number 100. 

For those saying Vance who? he’s an arts-law graduate from Monash University with some serious backing behind him – he was last year signed to a whopping five-album deal with US giant Atlantic Records, making him labelmates with the likes of Matchbox Twenty and Bruno Mars.

The story goes that his manager Jadden Comerford sent Riptide to an acquaintance at hard rock label Roadrunner for some feedback and it ended up on the stereo of an Atlantic talent spotter who liked what he heard. 

Despite not taking top spot, Lorde became the youngest solo artist to make the Hottest 100, with her Royals finishing second. Her breadth of hits this year may have split her fans’ votes, as he Tennis Court can in at number 12 and Team was 15th. 

The 2013 Hottest 100, decided by 1.49million votes, had tracks from seven countries, with 43 per cent of acts Australian and 42 debut artists.

Royals finished ahead of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, The Arctic Monkeys’ Do I Wanna Know? and Flume and Chet Faker’s Drop The Game.  

TRIPLE J’s HOTTEST 100 – Top 10

1 Riptide, Vance Joy

2 Royals, Lorde 

3 Get Lucky, Daft Punk 

4 Do I Wanna Know, Arctic Monkeys 

5 Drop The Game, Flume & Chet Faker 

6 Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? Arctic Monkeys

7 Young and Beautiful, Lana Del Rey

8 Resolution, Matt Corby

9 Is This How You Feel, The Preatures 

10 Strong, London Grammar 

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