News July 6, 2020

NZ teen Jawsh 685 completes journey to No. 1 in U.K. and Australia

Senior Journalist, B2B

Joshua Stylah, also known as Jawsh 685, is on top of the world.

The teenage New Zealand producer, better known as Jawsh 685, has the new No. 1 in the U.K. and Australia as ‘Savage Love,’ his collaboration with U.S. R&B singer Jason Derulo, completes an unlikely journey from a bedroom in Auckland to the top of the charts.

‘Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)’ (RCA) climbs 4-1 in the U.K. with 57,000 combined sales, including 6 million streams, and gets there in its third week on the chart.

With that result, Stylah ends the six-week reign of ‘Rockstar’ by Dababy featuring Roddy Ricch.

“Being a youngin from South Auckland hitting the charts heavy to the point where we hit Number 1,” Stylah tells the Official Charts Company after his triumph.

“Honestly it is just the biggest blessing I could have ever received, seeing it happen to not only me but for my family and friends! As always from here on out, thank you for all the support and love from around the globe! Stay safe, stay styla”.

At just 17 years of age, Stylah matches the chart feat of another Aucklander, Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as Lorde, whose breakthrough hit ‘Royals’ went to No. 1 for a single week in November 2013. Lorde was 17 at the time.

He’s the first NZ lead artist to have a No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in 24 years, and only the third since the ARIA Charts began, according to the trade body.

The other Kiwis who have led the ARIA chart: Dave Dobbyn with Herbs’ ‘Slice Of Heaven’ from the animated comedy film Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale (May 1987) and OMC’s ‘How Bizarre’ (April 1996).

Check out ‘Laxed (Siren Beat)’ by Jawsh 685:

‘Savage Love’ has a back story you couldn’t make up.

Stylah crafted the hook a year ago in a four-hour recording session.

The result, ‘Laxed,’ is an instrumental siren nod to his Jawsh his Samoan and Cook Island heritage.

The track went viral on TikTok as the soundbed to the “Culture Dance” challenge. And it caught the ear of Jason Derulo, who jumped onto the beat and used it as the foundation for his own song, apparently without clearing the sample.

After some back-and-forth on social media, the pair teamed up, Stylah signed with Sony Music and the rest is for the chart history books.