Fifteen songs from Sia’s artist and songwriting repertoire have passed one billion streams. The Adelaide-born pop star is the primary artist on five of these songs (“Chandelier”, “Elastic Heart,” “The Greatest,” “Cheap Thrills” and “Alive”) and shares credit with David Guetta on three more (“She Wolf [Falling to Pieces],” “Titanium,” and “Flames.”)

The rest are songs co-written by Sia and released by artists such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, ZAYN, Flo Rida, Shakira and Jessie J.

Nat Dunn was the list’s inaugural honouree, claiming a 1,000,000,000 List trophy for her co-writing credit on “FRIENDS” by EDM producer Marshmello and vocalist Anne-Marie. In-demand songwriter Sarah Aarons has two entries on the list: Zedd and Alessia Cara’s 2017 single “Stay” and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey’s 2018 single “The Middle”.

Melbourne duo Twice As Nice (aka Nicholas Audino and Lewis Hughes) are on the billion list for co-writing and producing Lil Durk’s “Freaky Friday” featuring Chris Brown. Hughes and Audino were honoured a second time for co-writing Rihanna’s “Needed Me” along with fellow APRA members Khaled Rohaim and Te Whiti Warbrick.

Chris Brown made his second billion list appearance in 2023 thanks to the Young Thug collab “Crazy,” which was co-written by Melbourne songwriter Trè Samuels. Songwriter PJ Harding earned a billion list trophy in early 2023 for co-writing Noah Cyrus’ multi-platinum single “July”.

Sydney-raised, Nashville-based songwriter Lindsay Rimes was added to the 1,000,000,000 List in 2021 for co-writing “Heaven” by US country star Kane Brown. John Courtidis was honoured in 2022 for co-writing Joel Corry and MNEK’s dance hit “Head & Heart”.

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The 1,000,000,000 List takes into account samples and interpolations. INXS members Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence were added to the list in 2021 after Dua Lipa borrowed a guitar riff from their 1987 single “Need You Tonight” for her billion-streamed song “Break My Heart”.

Men At Work’s Colin Hay was added to the 1,000,000,000 List in 2023 for “Down Under”, originally released in 1981 but sent skyrocketing past a billion streams after it was covered by Perth drum and bass producer Luude.

Some of the obvious titles on the list are Gotye’s Billboard no. 1 single “Somebody That I Used to Know” featuring Kimbra, Troye Sivan’s breakout hit “YOUTH” and Hottest 100 winning songs by Vance Joy (“Riptide”) and Flume (“Never Be Like You” featuring Kai.)

Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” is the fastest Australian song to reach one billion streams. Lorde’s Ella Yelich-O’Connor and songwriter Joel Little are on there for “Royals,” one of four Little co-writes to appear on the list.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker made the billion list in 2021 courtesy of “The Less I Know The Better,” which featured on Tame Impala’s third album, Currents, released in 2015. Nick Littlemore, Luke Steele and Jono Sloan were honoured for the success of Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On a Dream.”

Jack Madin and Ed Service of Melbourne duo Shouse are on the list for their 2017 song “Love Tonight,” which eclipsed a billion streams after becoming an international lockdown-era hit in 2021. 

SEE ALSO: Troye Sivan wins Song of the Year at the 2024 APRA Music Awards

Along with the big names, The 1,000,000,000 List includes some unexpected Australian and New Zealander songwriters. Phoebe Cockburn (aka Phoebe Go), Dann Hume (formerly of Evermore) and Joshua Hardy are credited songwriters on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” featuring Charlie Puth – one of the most-streamed songs of all time.

Darwin-raised EDM vocalist VASSY is on the list for her 2014 David Guetta and Showtek collaboration “Bad”. Although relatively unknown in Australia, VASSY is hugely popular in the US and Latin America.

Sydney artist Starley hit one billion streams with the Ryan Riback remix of her 2016 single “Call On Me”, co-written and produced by P-Money. “This Girl” by Melbourne Hammond organ trio Cookin’ On 3 Burners earned a place on the billion list after it was remixed by French DJ Kungs in 2016.

SEE ALSO: A chat with EDM success story VASSY – “I’m still the girl from Darwin and that will never leave me”
Phoebe Go on her debut album Marmalade – “It ended up being a lot more raw than I anticipated”

In chronological order from when the first billion list honour was given

• “FRIENDS” by Marshmello & Anne-Marie (written by Nat Dunn) – Listen
• “Be Alright” by Dean Lewis (written by Dean Lewis, Jon Hume) – Listen
• “Never Be Like You” by Flume featuring Kai (written by Harley Streten/Flume) – Listen
• “This Girl” by Cookin’ On 3 Burners (written by Jake Mason, Ivan Khatchoyan and Lance Ferguson) – Listen
• “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (written by Phoebe Cockburn, Dann Hume and Joshua Hardy) – Listen
• “Call On Me” by Starley (written by Starley and P-Money) – Listen
• “YOUTH” by Troye Sivan (written by Troye Sivan and Alex Hope) – Listen
• “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I (written by Toni Watson/Tones and I) – Listen
• “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer (written by Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford/5 Seconds of Summer) – Listen
• “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons (written by Joel Little) – Listen
• “Young, Dumb & Broke” by Khalid (written by Joel Little) – Listen
• “Stay” by Zedd and Alessia Cara (written by Sarah Aarons) – Listen
• “The Middle” by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey (written by Sarah Aarons) – Listen
• “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra (written by Wally de Backer/Gotye) – Listen
• “Riptide” by Vance Joy (written by Vance Joy) – Listen
• “In My Mind” by Ivan Gough + Feenixpawl feat. Georgi Kay (written by Aden Forte & Josh Soon/Feenixpawl, Georgi Kay and Ivan Gough) – Listen
• “Freaky Friday” by Lil Durk featuring Chris Brown (Nicholas Audino & Lewis Hughes/Twice As Nice) – Listen
• “Dusk Til Dawn” by ZAYN featuring Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Chandelier” by Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Chained to the Rhythm” by Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Elastic Heart” by Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “The Greatest” by Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Cheap Thrills” by Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Alive” by Sia – Listen
• “Diamonds” by Rihanna (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Titanium” by David Guetta featuring Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Bad” by David Guetta and Showtek featuring VASSY (written by VASSY) – Listen
• “Needed Me” by Rihanna (written by Nicholas Audino & Lewis Hughes/Twice As Nice, Khaled Rohaim and Te Whiti Warbrick) – Listen
• “The Less I Know The Better” by Tame Impala (written by Kevin Parker/Tame Impala) – Listen
• “Company” by Justin Bieber (written by Leroy Clampitt and James Wong)– Listen
• “Royals” by Lorde (written by Ella Yelich-O’Connor/Lorde and Joel Little) – Listen
• “ME!” by Taylor Swift (written by Joel Little) – Listen
• “Astronaut In The Ocean” by Masked Wolf (written by Harry Michael/Masked Wolf and Tyron Hapi) – Listen
• “Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa (co-writing credit to Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence of INXS) – Listen
• “Heaven” by Kane Brown (written by Lindsay Rimes) – Listen
• “Supalonely” by BENEE (Stella Rose Bennett/ BENEE and Josh Fountain) – Listen
• “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK (written by John Courtidis)– Listen
• “Just a Dream” by Nelly (written by David Ryan Harris) – Listen
• “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida feat. Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Flashlight” by Jessie J (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Thunderclouds” by LSD (Labrinth, Sia & Diplo) (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Flames” by David Guetta & Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)” by David Guetta feat. Sia (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Try Everything” by Shakira (written by Sia) – Listen
• “Down Under” by Men At Work | Luude featuring Colin Hay (written by Colin Hay) – Listen
• “July” by Noah Cyrus (written by PJ Harding) – Listen
• “Love Tonight” by Shouse (written by Jack Madin and Ed Service/Shouse) – Listen
• “Go Crazy” by Chris Brown and Young Thug (written by Trè Samuels) – Listen
• “Walking On A Dream” by Empire of the Sun (written by Nick Littlemore, Jono Sloan and Luke Steele/EOTS) – Listen
• “You Say” by Lauren Daigle (written by Paul Maybury) – Listen
• “Freaks” by Timmy Trumpet feat. Savage (written by Timothy Smith/Timmy Trumpet; Demetrius Savelio/Savage) – Listen
  

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