Two loved Aussie artists are getting the respect that deserve and made it onto Barack Obama’s annual roundup of his favourite songs for 2021.
Melbourne native singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett and Canberra hip-hop artist Genesis Owusu have both appeared on Obama’s prestigious end of year list. Barnett made the list for ‘Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To’ from Things Tale Time, Take Time. Owusu has ‘Gold Chains’ from Smiling With No Teeth on the list.
Both artists have responded to their inclusion on the list.
AYO????
OBAMA SAYS STREAM SMILING WITH NO TEETHhttps://t.co/1pO5NbYFDSHahaha this is crazy https://t.co/XmDIQmoZPs
— genesis owusu (@genesisowusu) December 17, 2021
Thanks @BarackObama for including my song “Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To” ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/ME1pcgFy7u
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
— Courtney Barnett (@courtneymelba) December 17, 2021
‘Gold Chains’ was released in February before it made its way onto Owusu’s debut album, which saw him snag four awards at this year’s ARIA Awards. Genesis Owusu is set to close off the Smiling With No Teeth album cycle with an Australian tour in 2022.
Courtney Barnett’s ‘Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To’ was more recent, only arriving in September. Barnett is also planning on touring her Things Take Time, Take Time album next year.
This year was not the first that Courtney Barnett has made it onto Barack Obama’s favourite music of the year list. Back in 2018, ‘Need a Little Time’ from Tell Me How You Really Feel made an appearance on the list.
The former U.S. president has also showed his appreciation for Aussie music earlier in the year, with Masked Wolf being added onto his Spotify Summer Playlist.
This year’s end of year playlist also featured the likes of Mitski, The War On Drugs, Brandi Carlile, Little Simz, Lil Nas X, Lizzo and Parquet Courts.
For more on this topic follow the Hip Hop Observer.