John Courtidis’ ‘Head & Heart’ Added to APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List
John Courtidis is the latest inductee into The 1,000,000,000 List, APRA AMCOS’ special circle for its members who’ve notched one billion streams for one of their works.
Based in London, Courtidis reaches the milestone with ‘Head & Heart’, Joel Corry and MNEK’s U.K. club hit which he co-wrote.
The banger went to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles chart in the northern summer of 2020, and stayed there for six weeks.
In Australia, the tune peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart and logged 53 weeks in the Top 50, including 26 inside the Top 10.
According to the PRO, ‘Head & Heart’ was the most-streamed song written by an Australian for the financial year 2020-21, it’s six-times platinum certified in Australia, triple-platinum in the U.K., and platinum-certified in the U.S., where it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance chart.
We're thrilled to celebrate John Courtidis aka @yeahboymusic / @KOLIDESCOPES.
— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) March 31, 2022
He joins The 1,000,000,000 List, for co-writing the global hit 'Head & Heart' with @SLANGSLANGING, performed by UK artists @JoelCorry and @MNEK.https://t.co/Ukn75cjobY
The song was hatched from an idea by Courtidis and Dan Dare, who work together as songwriting/production duo Kolidescopes.
Courtidis, who is published by Sony Music Publishing, joined forces with Joel Corry, Uzoechi Osisioma “Uzo” Emenike (pka MNEK), Rob Harvey, Lewis Thompson, Neave Applebaum and Leo Kalyan on the track, which quickly connected with dance music fans everywhere who were stuck in lockdown.
Along the way, ‘Head & Heart’ was nominated for Best British Single at 2021 Brit Awards and for the 2021 PRS for Music Most Performed Work at The Ivor Novello Awards.
“It is such an honour to have been told ‘Head & Heart’ reached one billion streams and it is truly mind blowing. Proud to represent and be a part of the Australian music industry amongst so many other legends. So many thanks to APRA AMCOS for the support,” comments Courtidis.
“‘Head & Heart’ was one of the biggest global hits of 2020 and 2021 and we couldn’t be more proud of the role John played in the song’s success. He’s worked hard behind-the-scenes and his achievements are an inspiration to Aussie and Kiwi songwriters and producers with international career aspirations. We are thrilled to celebrate John’s talent with a place on The 1,000,000,000 List,” notes APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston.
“Congratulations to Johnny from all of us at Sony Music Publishing on the huge global success of ‘Head & Heart’, a massive song that continues to have extraordinary success both here and around the world, achieving gold or platinum status in over 16 countries, No. 1 in the U.K. and top ten in over 27 countries. A remarkable achievement,” adds Damian Trotter, Managing Director, Sony Music Publishing Australia.
The 1,000,000,000 List, which launched in July of 2019, takes into account streaming numbers from all major services including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Vevo, Amazon, and Google Play, and rewards the massive success that Australasian artists have had with their music on digital platforms.
Others welcomed to the list include Nat Dunn, Troye Sivan and Alex Hope, Flume, 5 Seconds of Summer, Cookin’ on 3 Burners, Tones And I, and Sia.
Check out the full list here.