The 25 best songs of 2025 (so far)

Rising star Doechii initially released her song “Anxiety” on YouTube back in 2019. However, the sample of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” had fans rehashing the song across their social media, causing it to go viral. Due to fans making it popular, Doechii decided to officially release it as a single on the deluxe version of her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. 

Just two years since her previous album Endless Summer Vacation, pop singer Miley Cyrus returned with her ninth album Something Beautiful. On the lead single “End of the World,” Cyrus encourages listeners to be present in the moment and live life to the fullest. 

Nothing brings people together like a line dance, and thankfully, music lovers have been showing off their skills to 803Fresh’s hit single “Boots on the Ground.” While 803Fresh is the artist behind the song, dancer Tre Little is the one who created the choreography for fun. Once Little uploaded his video on social media, it became a viral sensation, and now people make sure to have the fans in their hand when the song comes on. 

At the top of the year, reggaeton star Bad Bunny released his fifth album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which featured his hit single “Baile Inolvidable.” On the track, Bunny is trying to get over a failed relationship, but he's finding it difficult to move on. 

Although Kendrick Lamar released his surprise album GNX in late November 2024, a number of the songs have been in heavy rotation and favorites on the Billboard charts all through this year. One of the tracks is the SZA-assisted single “Luther,” a song that samples the Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn rendition of “If This World Were Mine.” On the track, Lamar and SZA highlight how if they had the power, they would give the world to their partners. 

After Drake became the talk of the music industry thanks to his feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, he decided to team up with his labelmate PARTYNEXTDOOR and release their joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. On the single “Nokia,” Drake takes reigns on the track as he describes his party life. 

After dominating 2024 with her hit single “Espresso,” pop singer Sabrina Carpenter is ready to release her new album Man’s Best Friend. On the lead single “Manchild,” Carpenter adds some country music elements into her pop sound as she describes a man who needs to grow up and be more mature. 

kwn is one of the newest R&B sensations who’s been making waves since the release of her Kehlani-assisted single “worst behaviour.” On the follow-up single “back of the club,” kwn gets sensual as she describes the feelings of meeting someone in the club that she’s interested in. 

Although Cardi B has released one-off singles here and there and also hopped on tracks with some fellow MCs, her fans have been asking about a new album for years, pretty much since she released her debut Invasion of Privacy back in 2018. Well, Cardi is finally giving fans what they want. Her new album Am I The Drama? is set set to be released in September, and it’s led by the single “Outside.” It’s a summer bop that finds Cardi detailing her single life as she's ready to have fun and mingle. 

For Lady Gaga fans who miss the early days when she would release pop dance tracks, then “Abracadabra” is the perfect track for them. Gaga had fans in a frenzy when the song and video premiered during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. It’s the perfect track to keep music lovers on the dance floor.

After a three-year hiatus, The Weeknd returned with his sixth album Hurry Up Tomorrow, that featured his hit single “Cry For Me.” Co-produced by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd uses the track to put his vulnerability on display as he details a failed relationship. 

It’s been seven years since Mariah Carey released her 15th album Caution, and now her fans known as the lambs can finally rejoice as the singer is back with her latest single “Type Dangerous.” Co-written by Anderson .Paak and using a sample of Eric B. & Rakim’s track “Eric B. is President,” Carey gives fans her signature blend of hip-hop and R&B as she describes the type of gentleman she’s attracted to. 

After releasing a few EPs over the years and earning her first Grammy Award last year, Coco Jones released her debut studio album Why Not More? during the spring. On the single “On Sight,” Jones describes her readiness for a night of passion with a partner. 

Alex Warren took the world by storm with his breakout single “Ordinary,” the lead single of his debut album You’ll Be Alright, Kid. On the track, Warren reflects on the meaning he wants to have in his partner’s life, but also dealing with the pain if that doesn’t come to fruition.

Wale is no stranger to blending R&B elements into his music, and it’s no different on his latest single “Where to Start.” Using a sample of SWV’s 1993 hit single “I’m So Into You,” Wale details the feelings he has for a partner and how he sees a future for their relationship. 

Tate McRae’s single “Revolving Door” highlights how people keep going back to a relationship, even though it no longer serves them. As she sings on the hook, “But I keep comin' back (Oh no) like a revolvin' door  / Say I couldn't want you less, but I just want you more.” 

Thanks to his soulful, yet slightly raspy voice, Teddy Swims has the type of tone that instantly draws listeners in. It’s no different on his single “God Went Crazy” in which Swims details how God created the perfect partner for him. As he sings on the second verse, “God went crazy when He gave me you / Must've done somethin' good in another life.”

Leon Thomas might have released his single “Mutt” back in August 2024, but it’s been one of those slow burn tracks that is getting it’s long-awaited just due. Although Thomas has released a few remixes to the track with artists like Freddie Gibbs and Chris Brown, it’s the original track that has finally cracked the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, nearly a year after its release. Perhaps Thomas’ recent performance of the track helped push the rotation further, whatever the case is, this is just the beginning of seeing Thomas’ star rise even higher. 

Pop singer Benson Boone is very adamant of how his love will be when he’s with a partner on his single “Mystical Magical.” On the track, he reflects that once he can show his partner how his love is, they’ll never want to part ways. 

In late June, girl group KATSEYE released their latest EP Beautiful Chaos, which was led by the single “Gnarly.” On the track, they describe how so many things could be described as “gnarly,” such as a party, a song’s beat, or views from a mansion. “Gnarly” marked the group’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Chappell Roan shows her love for country music on her single “The Giver,” in which she details how she can give a partner the pleasure they want. As she says on the hook, “'Cause you ain't got to tell me / It's just in my nature / So take it like a taker / 'Cause, baby, I'm a giver.”

R&B singer Ravyn Lenae released her single “Love Me Not” way back in May 2024. Now over a year later, and thanks to its virality on TikTok, the song has helped gain Lenae a lot more eyes and listeners. So far, “Love Me Not” has peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it goes to show that songs can still gain new life no matter when it’s released. 

Sister trio HAIM reflects on bad communication skills that people have on their single “Relationships.” They use the track to highlight the difficulty of talking about relationships and how some people question why they're committing themselves to a person in the first place. 

It’s been four years since Justine Skye released her previous album Time and Space, and it seems like the singer is ready to give fans another long-awaited project. She teamed up with producer Kaytranada on her single "Oh Lala," a perfect summer bop for people who want to go out and have fun with a partner. 

In case music lovers need the perfect track to soundtrack their summer getaways, then Amine’s “Vacay” is the song that needs to be in rotation. On the track, Amine highlights his wanderlust desires of vacationing with his partner.