It is the 26th countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by listeners of Australian radio station triple j.

[3] Several artists and presenters, including Billie Eilish, Tash Sultana, Amy Shark and Anderson .Paak, made their votes public.

[1] Prior to the countdown, bookmakers Sportsbet, Beteasy, Ladbrokes, and social media measurement site 100 Warm Tunas, placed "Confidence" by Australian band Ocean Alley and "This Is America" by American rapper Childish Gambino as the two songs most likely to be voted into first place.

This followed a campaign led by Indigenous Australian activists and supporters, calling on triple j to change the date due to opposition to Australia Day's celebratory commemoration of British settlement.

Station newsreader Avani Dias and content director Ollie Wards stated that the 2019 dates would be reviewed and announced in the future.