The 25 best songs of 2025

Pop euphony was not astatine each harmless this twelvemonth from the encroachments of an AI manufacture determined to slop-ify everything it can. Yet the proliferation of large songs — written, performed and savored by radical — raised the anticipation that each is not lost. Here are the 25 champion of 2025.

1. Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”
Bad Bunny has made it clear: Everything helium does is tied to Puerto Rico. Here, successful what he’s dubbed “Benito’s instrumentality connected salsa,” helium sings astir the creation of a beingness implicit an orchestra of synthesizers, congas, trumpets and an isolated soft — a six-minute ode to the island’s roots and power connected the genre. And conscionable similar that, salsa has go chill erstwhile again. — Cerys Davies

2. Karol G, “Ivonny Bonita”
Karol’s history-minded, history-making “Tropicoqueta” LP lovingly combs done the generations of Latin euphony that made her a planetary superstar. “Ivonny Bonita” splits the quality betwixt past and present, with a come-hither bachata swish implicit Pharrell-produced bass hums. — August Brown

3. Chappell Roan, “The Subway”
The vocal show of the year. — Mikael Wood

4. Justin Bieber, “Yukon”
Bieber volition ne'er flight the powerfulness of his high-pitched voice, whether he’s 15 years aged singing “One Time” oregon 31 successful this meditation connected his favourite SUV. — C.D.

5. Doja Cat, “Jealous Type”
’80s-pop cosplay truthful convincing that folks successful 2025 forgot to marque it a existent hit. — M.W.

6. Dijon, “Higher!”
Take an perfectly exultant R&B track, past fto a feline locomotion each implicit the punch-in triggers connected the premix console. — A.B.

7. Addison Rae, “Fame Is a Gun”
Want to cognize however this TikToker became an net It miss overnight? She spells it retired intelligibly successful this pop-star manifesto. — C.D.

8. Rosalía, “La Rumba del Perdón”
Rosalía’s medium “Lux” feels similar Ken Russell’s “The Devils”: A pistillate possessed of celestial talents fights it retired with the deity who abandoned her. It’ll spell down with knotty LPs by Tori Amos and Fiona Apple that contort classical traditions to tangled, idiosyncratic ends, and this way sums up her ngo beautifully. — A.B.

9. Miley Cyrus, “End of the World”
A disco queen shoegazes into the void. — M.W.

10. Olivia Dean, “Man I Need”
She wants to creation with idiosyncratic (who satisfies her). — M.W.

11. Sofia Isella, “Out successful the Garden”
“Evil’s genetics volition trap you successful soma … Blood escaping similar it hates being wrong me.” — A.B.

12. Kehlani, “Folded”
The champion R&B is ever rooted successful the creation of yearning. — C.D.

13. Charlie Puth, “Changes”
The agelong process of “Sob Rock.” — M.W.

14. Drake and PartyNextDoor featuring Yebba, “Die Trying”
For impervious of concept, cheque the unauthorized SoundCloud mash-up with Morgan Wallen’s “Heartless.” — M.W.

15. Amaarae featuring PinkPantheress, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2”
They ever accidental the sequel is ne'er arsenic bully arsenic the archetypal one. In this homage to Y2K nine music, Amaarae and PinkPantheress beg to differ. — C.D.

16. Tate McRae, “Sports Car”
While Timbaland is disconnected making AI nonsense, McRae’s sultry azygous clatters similar his champion 2006 work. — A.B.

17. Huntr/x, “Golden”
Says it goes up, and that’s what it does. — M.W.

18. Hayley Williams, “Parachute”
Being angsty has ne'er not been cool. If determination were immoderate doubt, though, Williams clears it up with this infuriated communicative of betrayal. — C.D.

19. Taylor Swift, “Ruin the Friendship”
The storyteller lives. — M.W.

20. Maruja, “Look Down connected Us”
Ten virtuosic minutes that veer from filthy, noise-decayed bass and hardcore circle-pitting to exalted cosmic jazz and a gasping sentiment that almost, possibly resembles anticipation for our dismal present. — A.B.

21. Clipse, “So Be It”
“Calabasas took your b— and your pridefulness successful beforehand of me” is simply a hall-of-fame L.A. insult. — A.B.

22. FKA Twigs, “Hard”
Can’t hold to perceive this sweaty electro earworm astatine a rave nether L.A.’s 6th Street Bridge. — C.D.

23. Sombr, “12 to 12”
The zoomer wedding dance-floor anthem of 2035. — A.B.

24. Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
“He ever loved ‘Amarillo by Morning’ / I should’ve taken that arsenic a warning.” — M.W.

25. Shelly, “Cross Your Mind”
To perceive that Clairo excessively is chasing the glory days of being a 17-year-old successful suburbia — arsenic heard successful this azygous by her aged set Shelly — is impervious that chamber popular volition ne'er die. — C.D.