‘This Girl’ earns a place on The 1,000,000,000 List

This Girl was released in 2009 on the band’s Soul Messin’ album, and then shot to new heights in 2016 after a remix from French DJ Kungs

The remix became the most Shazamed dance song of 2016

Longtime APRA AMCOS members Jake Mason, Ivan Khatchoyan and Lance Ferguson are the latest songwriters to be honoured with a place on The 1,000,000,000 List for streaming success, for their Cookin’ On 3 Burners hit single ‘This Girl.’

Chief Executive Dean Ormston presented the co-writers with their award yesterday at a reception at the APRA AMCOS Melbourne office.

Initially released in 2009 on the trio’s Soul Messin’ album, the song was well-received by soul fans and DJs around the world. ‘This Girl,’ featuring vocals by Kylie Auldist, took on a new life when French DJ and producer Kungs discovered the song on YouTube and was inspired to release the Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners remix in 2016. SoundCloud love and traction for the video online led to radio airplay, countless digital streaming playlists, mass club play, syncs and #1 chart positions around the world.

‘This Girl’ went on to become the most Shazamed dance song of 2016; reached #1 in 10 countries including France and Germany; achieved four times platinum status in Italy, double platinum in the UK, and platinum in Australia and the USA.

“The kind of Euro-pop vibe was so far removed from the original track, yet it still somehow managed to capture the vibe of the song in a completely new and fresh way,” said Music Victoria’s Deputy Chair Chelsea Wilson, a friend and longtime supporter of the trio, who spoke at the reception.

Jake, Ivan and Lance are the first Melbourne songwriters to be named on The 1,000,000,000 List. They formed Cookin’ On 3 Burners over twenty years ago during their student days at the Victorian College of the Arts.

“Starting off as a band doing gigs and supporting our uni careers – who would have thought we’d write this song and many others? It’s great to have you as friends and colleagues,” Jake said to his co-writers.

Lance acknowledged Kungs, “…for taking this song and twisting it in a way that connected with people beyond our expectations.”

The co-writers join The 1,000,000,0000 List alongside fellow APRA AMCOS members Nat Dunn, Dean Lewis, and Flume, with many more set to receive the honour.

“A billion streams is an enormous milestone, and a yardstick by which the international community looks and reveres the evolution of a work,” Dean said at the presentation.

Acknowledged yesterday alongside the songwriters were their music publishers – Origin Music Publishing (representing Jake Mason and Ivan Khatchoyan) and Universal Music Publishing (representing Lance Ferguson).

The 1,000,000,000 List takes into account streaming numbers from major services Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. It’s the first award of its kind to recognise a songwriter’s achievement.