MTV Asia Hitlist
Encyclopedia
MTV Asia Hitlist is an Asian chart show or countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...

 on MTV Asia, produced by MTV Asia and hosted by MTV VJs, which first aired in 1996. It resembles the MTV US show TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...

, which also featured music videos in a countdown. From 1996-1999, the show presented the Top 20 videos in Asia, lasting for two hours with advertisements. However, in 2000, it was reduced to the Top 10, now consuming only one hour. A year later, the Top 20 was brought back this time lasting only one hour as not all the videos were shown. "One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for...

" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...

 was the first single to top the charts.

History

It was believed that MTV Asia had yet to come up with an update as to what shows can bring viewers' attention to the Asian version of MTV. Since MTV Asia had less shows, the producers decided to create a countdown that resembled the Billboard Hot 100, however, having Asia as the direct source of popularity. The show became as instant success, as different genres were able to enter the countdown due to Asia's diversity to music. Artists like the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...

, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

, the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

, and Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

 were known to be chart toppers in the Hitlist.

Reformat

After four years of having the Top 20 videos being broadcasted, the network decided to lessen the number of videos to ten since there were many shows to accommodate. In 2000, only the Top 10 were shown, though people speculated that the producers tabulated the Top 20, since there were "bubbling up" videos that were shown to the audience. After a year, they resumed the Top 20, this time, acquiring only one hour, since not all videos from the Top 20 were shown.

Affiliations

The MTV Asia Hitlist is based on viewers' requests, album and singles sales, radio airplay and music downloads . Determining the singles that enter the Top 20 is in cooperation of the record labels and companies, Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

, and the Asian 100 Singles Airplay. In Asia, the MTV Network works in cooperation with extensive research from local MTV stations like MTV Indonesia, MTV India, MTV Philippines, MTV Mainland China, and MTV Japan.

Policies

Policies in the Asia Hitlist have been made in accordance to charting songs in the countdown. Several songs may have been given consideration due to its extreme reception in the Asian market. Various reasons for charting songs have special cases, and are deliberated by the makers of the MTV Asia Hitlist.

Multiple Entries

Artists may have multiple entries in the chart, and may occupy the top positions at the same time, which happened in 2002, where the Top 3 songs in one week were all of Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...

's songs from her movie "A Walk to Remember." "Cry
Cry (Mandy Moore song)
"Cry" is a song performed by American recording artist Mandy Moore on her self-titled third album. The song was released by Epic Records as the third single on November 4, 2001. The song was written and produced by James Renald...

," "Someday We'll Know
Someday We'll Know
"Someday We'll Know" is a song by the New Radicals. It was released in May 1999 as the second single off their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too and the follow-up to the smash "You Get What You Give"...

," and "Only Hope
Only Hope
"Only Hope" was sung by Mandy Moore for the film A Walk to Remember and is included in her compilation The Best of Mandy Moore, although left out of her 2002 release. It was slated as the second single after "Cry" which, however, was not a hit and consequently "Only Hope" was not released to radio...

" occupied the Top 3 positions in May 2002, and all songs were able to top the charts, earning Moore her first three #1 singles.

Scope Release

Regardless of the scope of release, Asia was exempted from US and UK release. One example is "Born To Make You Happy
Born to Make You Happy
"Born to Make You Happy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 6, 1999, by Jive Records, as the fourth single from the album. Before recording the song, Spears had to ask the writers of the song,...

" and "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album...

" by Britney Spears. "Born To Make You Happy" was released in the UK and other parts of the globe except for the US, while "From The Bottom Of my Broken Heart" was only released in the US. In the Asia Hitlist, both singles charted with the former topping the chart for 2 weeks, and the latter peaking at #2.

Double-sided Releases

Double-sided releases were not considered to be a major factor in Asian releases. It was noted that each of the singles chart differently, since both songs totally differed from another. One example is the double-sided single "Mama
Mama (Spice Girls song)
"Mama" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...

" and "Who Do You Think You Are
Who Do You Think You Are
"Who Do You Think You Are" is a dance-pop song performed by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the group members with Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins,—also known as Absolute—for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996. The song is heavily influenced by early 1990s...

" by the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

. Considered a double-sided single in the UK, it charted in the Asia Hitlist as two different entries, with each video justifying its eligibility to chart. However, in the case of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby
Always Be My Baby
"Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 9, 1996 as the third US single and fourth overall. The song was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who also produced the song...

," which was double-sided with "Slipping Away," the former charted as the official release excluding the latter from gaining popularity. "Always Be My Baby" became Carey's #1 hit while "Slipping Away" was disregarded and was not released.

Video Accompaniment

Charting songs have been completely eligible when there is an accompanying music video, which is used for commercial release. The first song to chart without a commercial video release was "Incomplete
Incomplete (Sisqó song)
"Incomplete" is a 2000 number-one single recorded by Sisqó for Def Soul Records. Written by Def Soul artist Montell Jordan and Anthony "Shep" Crawford, and produced by Crawford, the song was Sisqó's biggest solo single, and his only number-one hit...

" by Sisqo
Sisqó
Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...

, his second number one. The single didn't have an accompanying video for a release, but eight weeks later after charting, an official video was released. The song was not aired during the period wherein there was no accompanying video, and a picture of Sisqo was shown during recaps of the countdown. It was only after it fell from the top spot that that video was released, thus the airplay of the song was eligible.

Remixes

In the early years of the Hitlist, remixes were eligible to chart if it was a dance remix or "radio" mix of an album's cut. It means that a remix's eligibility to chart depends entirely on the original version, since both versions are credited as one. The more popular the remix is, the higher the chart position. In 1999, Mariah Carey's single "I Still Believe" came out with a remix featuring Da Brat and Krayzie Bone entitled "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination." Since it was an entirely different track from the original, it was considered to chart as a different entry. Conflict arose with her next remixes for singles "Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Mariah Carey song)
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 21, 1999 by Columbia Records as the lead single from Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow . The song was written by Carey and Jay-Z and produced by the former and DJ Clue...

" and "Thank God I Found You
Thank God I Found You
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia...

," which the former was said to be based on the original version, and the latter to only adapt the chorus of the original version as an adlib. "Thank God I Found You" was given an exception, since the remix version was entirely of a different structure and it no longer resembled the original recording.

The same trend followed in the 2000s, wherein Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

' remixes for "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny" topped the chart. Both the original versions of the song were able to chart during its release, but their follow-up remixes were of higher popularity and airplay. "Ain't It Funny
Ain't It Funny
"Ain't It Funny" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez. The song was written by Lopez and Cory Rooney, and produced by Rooney and Dan Shea for Lopez's second studio album, J.Lo...

" peaked at #10 and one year later, the remix version topped the charts. The original version of "I'm Real" also topped the charts in 2001, and when sales started to decline, the remix version was released and was enabled to chart as a different single. This made history as "I'm Real" became the first song with both the original version and remix version staying at the chart at the same time, as well as both versions being able to top the charts as well.

An arising conflict fell once again when Britney Spears released "Overprotected
Overprotected
"Overprotected" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on December 18, 2001 by Jive Records, as the second single from the album worldwide...

" in 2002. In January, the album version (or more commonly known as the "International Version") of the song was released and peaked at #3. After "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written by Dido, with additional writing and song production by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on February 5, 2002 by Jive Records, as the...

," which topped the charts that year, the "Darkchild Remix" was released in the US. Considering that the song resembled the original structure and melody of the song, it was at first, prohibited to chart. The video was extensively played on MTV Non-Stop Hits, but never charted. Extreme airplay and viewer requests increased at the hype of the video's popularity, giving it enough points to break in the Top 20. Considering the fact that it was a North American release, and the song was commercially viable, it was finally enabled to chart. Surprisingly, the song peaked #2, one notch higher than the placement of its original version. Spears became the second artist (and the third instance) to which both the original version and remix version were able to chart in the countdown.

Edited Videos

Video editing has been the most controversial act imposed by MTV Asia. It rarely happens but once it is imposed on a video, it is never revoked. Videos are edited for several reasons. Nudity, explicit viewing content, and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...

 are certain examples of reasons for editing videos. The first video to be edited was "Thank U
Thank U
"Thank U" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fourth studio album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie . The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album...

" by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...

. In the video, Alanis is nude, but her private parts aren't shown in the video. However, this has been marred too explicit especially to the younger generation, and other religious sects in Asia. An edited version of the video was released, covering almost the whole screen except for Morissette's face. "Thank U" topped the chart in early 1999.

Another video that was edited is George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...

's "Outside." Due to its sexual content, it was never fully shown on MTV. Even when it charted, only about 57 seconds of the video were shown due to enormous sexual content.

The most controversial video to have been extensively edited by the network was "Dirrty
Dirrty
"Dirrty" is a song performed by American singer Christina Aguilera featuring rapper Reggie "Redman" Noble. The song was written by Aguilera and Redman along with Jasper Cameron, Balewa Muhammad, and Rockwilder for Aguilera's fourth studio album Stripped...

" by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

. In the part where Aguilera is in a boxing ring with her dancers at the beginning, a Thai poster is situated at the background while the dance is shown. Depicted in Thai language in the poster were the words "Thai Sex Tourism" and "Young Underage Girls." The video was banned in Thailand but in other parts of Asia, the dance sequence in the beginning were shortened. A live version of the video was mostly played. Regardless of the video's limited release, the song still topped the charts.

After the video for "Dirrty," Aguilera drew more controversy with her next single "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...

". In the video, two men were seen kissing each other and were deemed too racy for MTV viewers. Again, MTV Asia edited the video by completely removing the gay scenes out of the video. "Beautiful" became her next number one single and the edited version was played throughout MTV Asia.

Asian Breakthrough

  • The first artist to enter the Asia Hitlist was Singaporean violinist Vanessa-Mae
    Vanessa-Mae
    Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...

    . "Storm" peaked at #10 in 1997. Her next single "I Feel Love" peaked at #4 the same year.
  • Malaysian act KRU
    KRU
    KRU is a Malaysian pop group that was formed in 1992. The group comprises three brothers: Norman Abdul Halim, Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim...

     entered the charts in 1998 with the single "The Way We Jam." The song peaked at #3.
  • Indonesian artist Anggun
    Anggun
    Anggun Cipta Sasmi is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. She has released 12 studio albums and one soundtrack album , and her songs have also been included on various compilation albums. Her musical career began in childhood, and she achieved commercial success in Indonesia when she was 12 years old...

     was the first Asian artist to top the charts in 1998. "Snow In The Sahara" spent 2 weeks at the top.
  • Filipino band and MTV Video Music Award winner Eraserheads, entered the charts in 1997 with "Ang Huling El Bimbo." The song peaked at #6 due to its strong performance resulting from their win at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. In 1998, "Julie Tearjerky" peaked at #16.
  • Taiwanese singer CoCo Lee topped the charts in 1999 with the single "Before I Fall In Love." Her next two singles, "Do You Want My Love" and "Wherever You Go," peaked at #2 and #3 respectively.
  • Filipino-American apl.de.ap
    Apl.de.ap
    Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap , is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.-Early life:Pineda was born in Belfast...

     or Allan Pineda Lindo, a member of The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas
    The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

     had hits of his own. "The APL Song" debuted at #11, the highest for an Asian artist, and peaked at #5. His next solo single "Bebot," peaked at #3 in 2006.
  • Thailand's Tata Young
    Tata Young
    Amita Marie Young , better known under her stage name Tata Young, is a Thai singer, model actress and dancer....

     entered the charts in 2004, becoming the first pure Asian artist to enter after nearly four years. "Sexy Naughty Bitchy" peaked at #4 and "I Believe" peaked at #10.
  • Cassie, a female singer of Filipino and African-American descent, peaked at #2 with "Me & U" in 2006. "Long Way 2 Go
    Long Way 2 Go
    "Long Way 2 Go" is a song by American recording artist Cassie from her debut studio album, Cassie . It was co-written by Cassie herself in collaboration with the song's producer, Ryan Leslie. The song was released as the second and final single from the album by Bad Boy Records on September 22, 2006...

    " peaked at #7 in the same year.
  • Filipino-German and Pussycat Dolls
    Pussycat Dolls
    The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...

     lead singer Nicole Scherzinger
    Nicole Scherzinger
    Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....

     topped the charts alongside rap mogul Diddy
    Sean Combs
    Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...

     in 2006 with "Come To Me" for 3 weeks.
  • Half-Filipino and half-British singer Mutya Buena
    Mutya Buena
    Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena is an English recording artist who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-platinum albums. After leaving the group in December 2005, she released her...

    , formerly of the Sugababes
    Sugababes
    The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...

    , entered the charts with "Real Girl
    Real Girl
    Real Girl is the debut solo album by British recording artist Mutya Buena. It was released on June 4, 2007 via Universal Records, following her departure from UK girl-group the Sugababes in December 2005.-Singles:...

    " in 2007.

1990s

  • The highest debut was "Thank U
    Thank U
    "Thank U" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette, for her fourth studio album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie . The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album...

    " by the Alanis Morissette. The song debuted at #7 during 1998.
  • Both Elton John and the Spice Girls have the longest running single in the Top 20. "Candle In The Wind" (1997) and "2 Become 1
    2 Become 1
    "2 Become 1" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...

    " (1996) spent 21 weeks in the charts.

2000s

  • Mandy Moore was the first female artist to occupy the Top 3 positions at the same week. "Cry," "Someday We'll Know," and "Only Hope" occupied the Top 3 positions in 2002. All three singles managed to top the charts as well.
  • JoJo is the youngest artist to enter the charts. "Leave (Get Out)
    Leave (Get Out)
    "Leave " is a song by American singer JoJo from her self-titled debut album, JoJo. It was released as the album's lead single on February 24, 2004...

    " (2004) was released when she was only 13 years of age. The song peaked at #3. Her next single "Baby It's You
    Baby It's You
    "Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach , and Luther Dixon and Mack David . It was recorded by The Shirelles and The Beatles, and became hits for both...

    " featuring Bow Wow peaked at #2. "Too Little Too Late
    Too Little Too Late
    "Too Little Too Late" is a song written by Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander, and Ruth-Anne Cunningham for JoJo's second studio album The High Road. It was co-produced by Alexander, Vincent Herbert, and Billy Steinberg. "Too Little Too Late" was released as the album's first single in North America...

    " (2006) also peaked at #2 while she was 15.

External links

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