As 2020 draws near, it’s time to celebrate the moments that defined the past twelve months in pop culture. 

In 2019, you were moved by an unlikely country star Lil Nas X and Lil Dicky’s anthem for the Earth (maybe it’s something about a ‘Lil’?!), you joined forces with MrBeast and the rest of the world to make this video the most liked on YouTube, you watched in awe as Katelyn Ohashi nailed that floor routine, and you finally got to see Gordon Ramsay sit down with Sean Evans to take on Hot Ones.

But it was Aussie superstars, Superwog, who maintained their reign, once again appearing in the top trending videos list--this time in the number one spot making us laugh as they headed into the gym. Fellow Aussie creators, The Norris Nuts landed in ninth as Slender Mum let the kids turn 21 for one vlog only.

2019 also saw creators transform into mainstream celebrities with genre-defying influence: James Charles and Tati’s back-and-forth transcended the beauty community, and Shane Dawson continued to find success with his longform docuseries format and foray into the makeup world.

Tuning into the top trending music videos, powerhouse female artists continued to transform the sound of pop. Ari dominated with two songs (7 rings and break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored) in Australia’s top 10--but it was the newest and first Aussie to join YouTube’s Artist on the Rise program, Tones and I, that really got us dancing.

These were all the moments that had Australians watching, commenting and sharing in 2019:
Australia’s Top Trending Videos 
Collectively, these 10 videos were viewed more than 393 million times globally, and the channels behind them total more than 190 million subscribers.

1. Going to the Gym 
2. No More Lies 
3. Make This Video The Most Liked Video on YouTube 
4. Conspiracy Theories with Shane Dawson 
5. how to create billie eilish’s “bad guy” 
6. Gordon Ramsay Savagely Critiques Spicy Wings | Hot Ones 
7. Minecraft Part 1 
8. Katelyn Ohashi - 10.0 Floor (1-12-19) 
9. LETTING OUR KIDS TURN 21 YEARS OLD **GONE WRONG** | Norris Nuts 
10. 73 Questions With Kim Kardashian West (ft. Kanye West) | Vogue 

Australia’s Top Trending Music Videos 
In 2019, we were hooked on the biggest global releases of the year, singing along to ‘bad guy’ (as well as recreating it) and busting a move to Señorita. It was a breaking Aussie artist that really captured our hearts this year however, with a banger called Dance Monkey.

1. Billie Eilish - bad guy 
2. Sam Smith, Normani - Dancing With A Stranger 
3. Ariana Grande - 7 rings 
4. Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello - Señorita 
5. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Official Movie) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus 
6. TONES AND I - DANCE MONKEY (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 
7. Lil Dicky - Earth (Official Music Video) 
8. Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber - I Don't Care [Official Video] 
9. Ariana Grande - break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored 
10. Taylor Swift - ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco) 

Australia’s Top Trending Music Videos from Australian
Artists Looking at local acts, there’s no surprise that Tones and I has two songs in Australia’s top trending music list after her multiple ARIA Awards wins last month. Amy Shark makes the top 10 for the second year in a row and hip-hop is truly represented with ONEFOUR and Hilltop Hoods.

1. TONES AND I - DANCE MONKEY (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 
2. ONEFOUR - Spot the Difference 
3. ONEFOUR - The Message 
4. TONES AND I - JOHNNY RUN AWAY (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 
5. Guy Sebastian - Choir (Official) 
6. Hilltop Hoods - Exit Sign feat. Illy & Ecca Vandal 
7. Hp Boyz - BluePrint. (Official Music Video) 
8. Amy Shark - Mess Her Up (Official Video) 
9. ONEFOUR - Ladz in the Hood 
10. Birds of Tokyo - Good Lord (Official Video) 

Top Emerging Australian Creators 
#YouTubeRewind also examined the growth of local channels to unearth the top five Emerging Aussie YouTube Creators for 2019--those that started a channel this year and have seen the largest growth.
Two car channels appear in our top five this year, with mates Al and Woody, and Benny’s Custom Works (you might recognise him from MCMTV2). Rounding out the list is a diverse mix of creators and content with Mully who plays in VR, and Martha from MAFS and Georgia Productions younger sister Lily Grace, who both share insights into their daily lives.

1. The Skid Factory 
2. Lily Grace 
3. Mully 
4. Benny’s Custom Works 
5. Martha Kalifatidis 

It's also time for our annual Rewind video. Last year, we made the most disliked video on YouTube, ever. So this year we took a different approach and looked at what you liked--a lot. Our Rewind 2019 video compiles the top videos and creators that you liked, shared, and watched the most around the world, from the biggest games to must-swatch beauty palettes and breakout stars.

So this is it--what your eyes voted for:

For a deeper look at the year on YouTube and to see the top videos and trends across the globe, head to this year's Rewind site.


Posted by Kristine Arnott, Communications Manager, YouTube Australia, and the YouTube Rewind team