Music Recap: 2025’s Most Popular Albums
Conan Gray: Wishbone 5/
Conan Gray released his 4th album, “Wishbone,” on August 15, and it’s been his most successful to date. It reached number one on the Top Album Sales and has already been streamed over 220 million times in less than four months. Gray has mentioned it’s his “most honest album yet.” Not so coincidentally, it’s also his first album to have a non-explicit version released alongside it, with the 26-year-old prioritizing honesty over “keeping it clean.” Gray is known for his gut-wrenching, sad songs and lyrics, and Wishbone is no exception, with songs like Eleven Eleven and Class Clown.
Lumineers: Automatic 3/5
The Lumineers put out their 5th studio album, “Automatic,” this year. The album’s 11 tracks are all unique, and the optimistic tone of the album keeps spirits high while being listened to. “Strings,” an instrumental, lyricless track, has an angelic feel, whereas “Same Old Song” is upbeat with sad undertones. On August 30th, they performed at Soldier Field in Chicago, where they played other hits, such as “Ho Hey” and “Ophelia.” The band’s singer, Wesley Schultz, led the night in a bright red suit, as the band’s musicians wore an array of colors, seemingly referencing the album cover, which shows TV static.
Gigi Perez: At the Beach, In Every Life 4/5
On April 25, Gigi Perez’s debut album, “At the Beach, In Every Life,” was released. The indie pop/folk album is deeply personal, with songs about Perez’s love and songs about her older sister, Celene, who passed away when Gigi was only 20 years old. It features Perez’s breakout song, “Sailor Song”, which went viral on TikTok, and has over 800,0000 posts using the song on Spotify. She landed in a bit of hot water for a line in the song, “I don’t believe in god, but I believe that you’re my savior,” as several religious fans didn’t appreciate the lyric. The album also includes songs like “Fable,” which communicates Perez’s grief, and “Please Be Rude,” her 3rd most-streamed song, which references many biblical aspects in opposition to her Christian upbringing, which she has since renounced.
Reneé Rapp: Bite Me 3.5/5
The Broadway and Hollywood star released her second album, “Bite Me,” at the beginning of August this year. Rapp started her music career on Broadway, playing Regina George in “Mean Girls” before the pandemic. She reprised the role for the 2024 film adaptation. The 25-year-old’s music has been received well, with this album receiving over 240 million streams so far. Rapp’s album expresses her feelings as an openly gay woman, in songs such as “Why Is She Still Here?” and “Sometimes,” the former of which is one of Rapp’s top 5 most-streamed songs. Rapp’s songs are emotional and powerful, and technically well-sung, thanks to her vocal training for Broadway.
Wicked: For Good 4/5
The soundtrack released alongside Jon Chu’s movie adaptation of the Broadway musical on November 21 has made Spotify history. In its first 24 hours, the album was streamed 9.69 million times, making it the largest soundtrack debut of 2025 and the 4th-largest for the platform ever. The album features the film’s two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl In The Bubble,” with each witch getting a new song composed by Stephen Schwartz, the original writer. While Grande’s been a prominent figure in the industry for over 15 years, Erivo’s rise to fame was more recent, starring in the musical, The Color Purple, and the movie musical, Harriet, both pieces having significance in the African-American musical theater space.
Tyler, the Creator-DON’T TAP THE GLASS (⅗)
Tyler, the Creator dropped his ninth album, “DON’T TAP THE GLASS” in July of 2025. The album’s catchy beats and lyrics seem to create a new genre of music as it combines many styles of traditionalized sound like rap, hip-hop, and alternative. “DON’T TAP THE GLASS” marks the eighth album of the Creators to reach the top ten on the Billboard. The album’s top songs, “Stop Playing With Me” and “Sugar on My Tongue,” have been praised by many around the world, with its beats and lyrics appealing to many crowds, especially the younger generations.
K-pop Demon Hunters (⅘)
Almost all of the K-pop Demon Hunters songs have reached the Top 100, with “Golden” being the number one song for multiple weeks, surpassing pop star Taylor Swift. Other popular songs from the movie like “Free,” “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop,” have all claimed space on world-wide charts. The movie has most definitely encouraged many young women and girls to be their true selves, and embrace the endless possibilities that await them, with the hunters as their inspiration.
The Weeknd-Hurry Up Tomorrow (3.5/5)
The sixth studio album of The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) was released on January 31, 2025, allowing for an entire year of fame and popularity. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” includes many famous artists like Florence and the Machine, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Lana Del Rey, helping The Weeknd create an unexpected twist of R&B and pop. Tesfaye once again delivered a high-quality “Timeless” album “Without a Warning” and showed us “How It Feels” to listen to greatness.
Lady Gaga-Mayhem (⅘)
The extraordinary queen of wigs, fashion and makeup released her seventh studio album on March 7th titled, “Mayhem” which is fitting for how chaotic the songs are. No one is surprised by how iconic this album is, as it does belong to Lady Gaga after all. “Mayhem” was unsurprisingly number one on the Billboard 200 chart for five months, which seems almost inadequate for the astonishing album Gaga has released. Try not to stay in the “Shadow Of A Man” on your path to becoming a “Perfect Celebrity!”
Bad Bunny-DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (5/5)
Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” translated to “I should’ve taken more photos,” dropped on January 5, 2025. The Puerto-Rican artist used this album to express many aspects of cherishing past memories, while also raising awareness about the displacement of locals in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny seems to never stop exposing the world to great Latin hits, which has undoubtedly assisted in getting him the opportunity to perform at the Superbowl Halftime Show again.
