List your fave music of 2025

[StrawberryBlond 15,061]

Here's my annual list of the best music, from singles to albums, to music videos, to all the other greatness in between. My lists are long but that's what spoilers are for! Tight races as always, though not as tough as previous years. Here I go with my categories in reverse order with the best being last and I've added a genre-based one, which I think was what this list was crying out for. As it's a bit later than I planned this year, I'll just hop straight into it, anyone who's seen my threads on this matter for the past nearly decade know how this works by now, just my opinion and the chance to draw attention to stuff you may not have heard before:

 

Best singles (all roughly the same level until #15)

Spoiler

40. Chappell Roan - The Giver

39. Lorde - Hammer

38. Blackpink - Jump

37. Franz Ferdinand - Hooked

36. Ava Max - Lost Your Faith

35. Lorde, What Was That

34. FKA twigs - Striptease

33. Lewis Capaldi - Something In The Heavens

32. FKA twigs - Cheap Hotel

31. Miley Cyrus - Dream As One

30. Raye - Where Is My Husband!

29. Lewis Capaldi - The Day That I Die

28. Kim Petras- Freak It

27. CMAT - Euro-Country

26. Jade - FUFN (F**k You For Now)

25. The Black Keys - Man On A Mission

24. CMAT - Take A Sexy Picture Of Me

23. Kesha, Slayyyter & Rose Grey - ATTENTION!

22. Halestorm - Darkness Always Wins

21. Marina - C**tissimo

20. Lizzo - Still Bad

19. The Pretty Reckless - For I Am Death

18. Alice Cooper - Black Mamba

17. Lola Young - Not Like That Anymore

16. Ethel Cain - F**k Me Eyes

15. Miley Cyrus - Easy Lover

14. Lady Gaga - The Dead Dance

13. Florence + The Machine - One of the Greats

12. Demi Lovato - Kiss

11. Yuval Raphael - New Day Will Rise

10. Celeste - On With The Show

09. Zara Larsson - Pretty Ugly

08. Jade - Church

07. Marina - Butterfly

06. Perrie - If He Wanted To He Would

05. Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

04. Lana Del Rey - Henry, Come On

03. Rosalía, Björk, & Yves Tumor - Berghain

02. Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

01. Ariana Grande - The Girl In The Bubble

 

Best collabs (now includes non-singles as I could literally only find 2 good single collabs this year!)

Spoiler

05. Cardi B feat. Lourdiz - On My Back

04. Nas & DJ Premier - NY State Of Mind Pt. 3

03. Kesha, Slayyyter & Rose Grey - ATTENTION!

02. The Weeknd feat. Lana Del Rey - The Abyss

01. Rosalía, Björk, & Yves Tumor - Berghain

 

Best album tracks

Spoiler

20. LISA - Elastigirl (from the album, Alter Ego)

19. Demi Lovato - Say It (from the album, It's Not That Deep)

18. Stereophonics - Eyes Too Big For My Belly (from the album, Make Em Laugh, Make Em Cry, Make Em Wait)

17. Maddie & Tae - Somebody Will (from the album, Love & Light)

16. Ed Sheeran - Opening (from the album, Play)

15. Kesha - Cathedral (from the album, Period)

14. Halestorm - Fallen Star (from the album, Everest)

13. Sabrina Carpenter - Couldn't Make It Any Harder (from the album, Short n' Sweet deluxe edition)

12. Florence + The Machine - You Can Have It All (from the album, Everybody Scream)

11. Jade - Tar (from the album, That's Showbiz Baby (The Encore deluxe edition)

10. Lola Young - who f**king cares? (from the album, I'm Only F**king Myself)

09. Marina - Adult Girl (from the album, Princess of Power)

08. Brandi Carlile - Human (from the album, Returning to Myself)

07. Taylor Swift - Father Figure (from the album, The Life of a Showgirl)

06. Miley Cyrus - More To Lose (from the album, Something Beautiful)

05. Rosalía - Memoría (from the album, LUX)

04. FKA twigs - Touch a Girl (from the album, Eusexua Afterglow)

03. The Weeknd feat. Lana Del Rey - The Abyss (from the album, Hurry Up Tomorrow)

02. Kelsy Karter & the Heroines - Runaway (from the album, Love Made Me Do It)

01. Lady Gaga - The Beast (from the album, Mayhem)

 

Best music videos

Spoiler

10. Miley Cyrus feat. Brittany Howard - Walk of Fame

09. Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia

08. Charli XCX - Chains of Love

07. Zara Larsson - Pretty Ugly

06. Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

05. FKA twigs - Predictable Girl

04. Jade - FUFN (F**k You For Now)

03. Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

02. Charli XCX - party 4 u

01. FKA twigs - Striptease

 

Best new acts

Spoiler

03. Yuval Raphael

02. Perrie

01. Lola Young

 

Best international acts (not including USA and UK, as they're the countries with the most successful musical output)

Spoiler

05. Zara Larsson (Sweden)

04. Lorde (New Zealand)

03. The Weeknd (Canada)

02. Kelsy Karter & The Heroines (Australia)

01. Rosalía (Spain)

 

Best album cover art

Spoiler

05. Rosalía - LUX

04. SG Lewis - Anemoia

03. Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

02. Tate McCrae - So Close To What

01. Kelsy Karter & The Heroines - Love Made Me Do It (too NSFW to post here I think, so you'll have to Google it!)

 

Best album titles

Spoiler

05. Higher Power - There's Love In This World If You Want It

04. Hot Mulligan - The Sound a Body Makes When It's Still

03. Tom Smith - There Is Nothing There In The Dark That Isn't There In The Light

02. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Perimenopop

01. Rhett Miller - A Lifetime of Riding By Night

 

Best albums by genre

Spoiler

Pop: Lady Gaga - Mayhem

Rock/Metal: Kelsey Karter & The Heroines - Love Made Me Do It

Rap/Hip Hop: Cardi B - Am I The Drama?

Country - Maddie & Tae - Love & Light

Alternative - Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

RnB : The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow

Dance/EDM: Demi Lovato - It's Not That Deep

Fusion: Doja Cat - Vie (pop and hip hop)

Experimental: Rosalía - LUX

 

Albums of the year

Spoiler

20. Cardi B - Am I The Drama?

19. Kesha - Period

18. Marina - Princess of Power

17. Perrie - Perrie

16. Demi Lovato - It's Not That Deep

15. Maddie + Tae - Love & Light

14. Jennie - Ruby

13. Doja Cat - Vie

12. Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You

11. FKA twigs - Eusexua Afterglow

10. Lola Young - I'm Only F**king Myself

09. Lorde - Virgin

08. The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow

07. Jade - That's Showbiz Baby (Encore deluxe edition)

06. Halestorm - Everest

05. Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful

04. Florence + The Machine - Everybody Scream

03. Kelsey Karter & The Heroines - Love Made Me Do It

02. Rosalía - LUX

01. Lady Gaga - Mayhem

 

Artists of the year

Spoiler

05. Florence + The Machine

04. FKA twigs

03. Kelsy Karter & The Heroines

02. Rosalía

01. Lady Gaga

 

So, there we go. Another long list for you to pour over.  Agree? Disagree? Make your own lists and let's revel in the best we might have missed and here's to 2026! 

Edited Wednesday at 12:13 AM by StrawberryBlond

[HeAteMyh3art 2,261]

The Beast #1 album track
 

[zevthepaparazzo 1,189]

LUX

Something Beautiful

MAYHEM

Vie

THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY

Addison

[JolP24601 48]

Albums

Mayhem by Lady Gaga (Best Three Songs: Garden of Eden, Vanish Into You, and How Bad Do U Want Me)

I quit by HAIM (Best Three Songs: Relationships, Down to be wrong, and Spinning)

West End Girl by Lily Allen (Best Three Songs: Sleepwalking, Relapse, and Fruityloop)

That’s Showbiz Baby! by JADE (Best Three Songs: Plastic Box, Before You Break My Heart, and Silent Disco)

. by Kesha (Best Three Songs: FREEDOM, DELUSIONAL, and GLOW)

Something Beautiful by Miley Cyrus (Best Three Songs: End of the World, Golden Burning Sun, and Pretend You're God)

Eusexua by FKA twigs (Best Three Songs: Perfect Stranger, Drums of Death, and 24hr Dog)

Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter (Best Three Songs: My Man on Willpower, Nobody's Son, and House Tour)

 

Songs

Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd

Couldn't Make It Any Harder by Sabrina Carpenter

twilight zone by Ariana Grande

I Lied to You from Sinners

Stateside by PinkPantheress

METALLIC STALLION by MARINA

Midnight Sun by Zara Larsson

One Heart, One Voice by Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, and Ariana Grande

David by Lorde

ATTENTION! by Kesha, Slayyyter, and Rose Gray

Shook by Sugababes

gossip by Confidence Man and JADE

The Subway by Chappell Roan

Can't Stop the High by Lady Gaga

Relentless Love by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! by RAYE

Secrets by Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Buckingham, and Mick Fleetwood

Play This Song by Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak

If He Wanted To He Would by Perrie

The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift

Where You Are from Kiss of the Spider Woman

Nice to Know You (Remix) by PinkPantheress and Sugababes

Mature by Hilary Duff

Berghain by Rosalía, Björk and Yves Tumor

House by Charli xcx and John Cale

As Long As You're Mine from Wicked: For Good

Right On Time - Original Demo Edit by Madonna

Office Party by Kylie Minogue

Best You Could by JADE

[Ultimecia 6,084]

 

Here's my 2025 albums ranking :

1. ROSALÍA - LUX

2. Ninajirachi - I Love My Computer

3. Ethel Cain - Perverts

4. Thom Isaacs - You and Your Absence

5. Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You

Spoiler

6. Ashnikko - Smoochies

7. Salvia - Tulip

8. Lorde - Virgin

9. Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)

10. predawka - quasiorganic

11. Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer

12. Winter - Adult Romantix

13. Yannis & The Yaw - Onstage

14. Mogwai - The Bad Fire

15. City Girl - I don't know why I feel ok right now, but it's nice

16. Lady Gaga - MAYHEM

17. HANA - ExtendedPray

18. Chase Icon - Icon Baby

19. Rezz - As The Pendulum Swings

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:28 PM by Ultimecia

[Decodekid 29,082]

Released in 2025:

MAYHEM, LUX, The Art of Loving, 

Older Albums I discovered/revisited: 

Carrie & Lowell, Messy.

[Bronco 15,288]

Singles (Not in rank order):
Jump - BLACKPINK
MILK - Agnes
Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else - Benson Goone
SAVE MY SOUL - Bastille
Reverberotic, Sound & Light and Find Xanadu - Alison Goldfrapp
EURO-COUNTRY - CMAT
The Subway - Chappell Roan
gossip - Confidence Man & JADE
Headstones - Creeper
RATATATA - BABYMETAL & Electric Callboy
Everbody Scream - F+TM
Lachryma - Ghost
Golden - HUNTR/X
Your Idol - Saja Boys
Church and Plastic Box - JADE
Drift Away - Orville Peck
Abracadabra
I Will Die In It - Lord of the Lost
Light Can Only Shine In The Darkness - Lord of the Lost & Within Temptation
I <3 You - MARINA
Nice To Each Other - Olivia Dean
Archangel - Olly Alexander
WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! - RAYE
Dopamine - Robyn
Little Bit Closer - Sam Fender
Drum Show - Twenty One Pilots
mangetout - Wet Leg
Hit Me Harder - 3OH!3

Albums:
MAYHEM
People Watching - Sam Fender
Skeletá - Ghost
Idols - YUNGBLUD
Breach - Twenty One Pilots
Princess of Power - MARINA
That's Showbiz Baby! - JADE
Everbody Scream - F+TM
The Bestiary - Castle Rat
Morbid Little Thing - Bones Shredder
Flux - Alison Goldfrapp
Appaloosa - Orville Peck

[DESTROY UR DISEASE 14,124]

Favorite singles (I tried to make it 40 too but I ran out of ideas lol ):

Spoiler

1. Lady Gaga - Abracadabra
2. Miley Cyrus - End Of The World
3. Kim Petras - I Like Ur Look
4. Sabrina Carpenter - Tears
5. PinkPantheress - Stateside
6. Tate McRae - Revolving Door
7. Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else
8. Tate McRae - Sports Car
9. ADÉLA - SexOnTheBeat
10. Kesha - BOY CRAZY.
11. RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
12. Swedish House Mafia - Wait So Long
13. Madison Beer - yes baby
14. GRANT KNOCHE - AUTOPILOT
15. Demi Lovato - Here All Night
16. JADE - Plastic Box
17. Taylor Swift - The Fate Of Ophelia
18. Ava Max - Lovin Myself
19. Sombr - 12 to 12
20. Demi Lovato - Fast
21. Doja Cat - Jealous Type
22. HUNTR/X - Takedown
23. MARINA - Cuntissimo
24. JADE - IT girl
25. Perrie - If He Wanted To He Would
26. Ed Sheeran - Sapphire
27. Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
28. Chappell Roan - The Subway
29. Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep
30. Faouzia - PEACE & VIOLENCE
31. Florence + The Machine - EVERYBODY SCREAM
32. Khalid - out of body
33. Doechii - DENIAL IS A RIVER
34. Conan Gray - Vodka Cranberry
35. KATSEYE - Gabriela
36. Addison Rae - Fame Is a Gun
37. Twenty One Pilots - Drum Show

Favorite album tracks (honestly I didn't even try to make it more than that ):

Spoiler

1. Lady Gaga - Can't Stop The High
2. Lady Gaga - Shadow Of a Man
3. Lady Gaga - Kill For Love
4. Lady Gaga - Perfect Celebrity
5. Miley Cyrus - Golden Burning Sun
6. Ariana Grande - dandelion
7. Miley Cyrus feat. Naomi Campbell - Every Girl You've Ever Loved
8. Miley Cyrus feat. Brittany Howard - Walk Of Fame
9. Lady Gaga - LoveDrug
10. Miley Cyrus feat. David Byrne - Lockdown
11. Lady Gaga - Vanish Into You
12. Ariana Grande - twilight zone
13. Lady Gaga - Killah
14. Taylor Swift - Wood
15. Lorde - Favourite Daughter
16. Ariana Grande - warm
17. Taylor Swift - Elizabeth Taylor
18. Ariana Grande - past life
19. Lorde - GRWM
20. Tate McRae - Purple Lace Bra

Best New Act: ADÉLA 

Honestly I haven't listened to that many albums released this year but I can still make a top 3 of my faves:

Spoiler

1. Lady Gaga - MAYHEM
2. Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful
3. Tate McRae - So Close To What

[Laxy 12]

1. Lady Gaga - Abracadabra 

2. Westerman - Nevermind 

3. Shura - I Wanna Be Loved By You

4. Bassvictim - Forever Salty 

5. Lady Gaga - Vanish Into You

6. Lorde - What Was That 

7. UFOs - UFO

8. Laura Stevenson - Not Us

9. Rose Gray - Just Two

10. Doja Cat - Jealous Type

11. The Ophelias - Cicada 

12. Djo - Delete Ya

13. Lorde - Current Affairs 

14. Shura - Recognize

15. Lady Gaga - Don't Call Tonight 

16. Arcade Fire - Cars & Telephones 

17. Laura Stevenson - I Couldn't Sleep 

18. Bon Iver - Day One 

19. Demi Lovato - Say It 

20. Emily Hines - All of Our Friends

21. Snocaps - Cherry Hard Candy 

22. Addison Rae - Money Is Everything 

23. Lady Gaga - Love Drug 

24. Disco Lines, Tinashe - No Broke Boys 

25. horsegiirL - materiaL hor$e

26. Madi Diaz - Lone Wolf

27. Westerman - Mosquito 

28. Kesha - THE ONE.

29. Hilary Duff - Mature 

30. Doja Cat - Gorgeous

31. Sabrina Carpenter - Nobody's Son

32. Tame Impala - My Old Ways

33. Florence + The Machine - Buckle

34. Lil Wayne - Hip-Hop (w/ BigXthePlug, Jay Jones)

35. Lady Gaga - Shadow of A Man

36. jasmine.4.t - Kitchen 

37. Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant 

38. Lola Young - Not Like That Anymore 

39. Djo - Basic Being Basic 

40. Demi Lovato - Joshua Tree 

41. Indigo De Souza - Be Like The Water 

42. Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else 

43. Baths - Chaos 

44. Isabel LaRosa - Hope That It Hurts 

45. Nick León - Broward Boy 

46. Water From Your Eyes - Nights In Armor 

47. Baths - Eden 

48. Jamie xx - Do Something 

49. Robyn - Dopamine 

50. Bon Iver - Walk Home 

 

My full ranking in playlist form 🩷

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pK6CXHIsouCzN0CE7cSBm?si=O0SAnqc6TDa1EAzBPPiuDg&pi=Y7fpNnKCQHSJL

Edited Wednesday at 09:57 AM by Laxy

[StrawberryBlond 15,061]

Loving the responses so far, everyone! 

But I realised that I made a mistake by considering The Girl in the Bubble to be a single when it was merely a song from the soundtrack so should have been under best album tracks. Considering I crowned it the winner makes it worse. I just found the song at the last minute and was so taken with it and as I had to make a top 40 list and was at 39 songs, I jumped at the chance to hit the target. But it hardly matters, it has been nominated for awards, after all and I'm not going to upend 2 entire categories to fix the error. It's my list and I'm always expanding the rules anyway, so this is no different.