Written by: Tom Danny P. | Photo: Getty images
Every year has its own heartbeat. Some years move fast and loud, trying to overwhelm you into calling something “classic” before you even have time to feel it. But 2025 has been doing something different. It’s been finding its groove slowly, confidently, and in many different directions at once.
Pop is getting sharper again. Rap is sounding more intentional. Indie is creeping back into the mainstream without asking permission. Dance music is remembering how powerful a hook can be when it actually means something. And in the middle of it all, a handful of songs have stayed with us longer than the moment they arrived in.
These are our top 10 picks of the year so far. Not based on numbers. Not based on hype. Just the tracks that have defined 2025’s mood in our headphones, in our cars, and in the quiet moments where music hits the hardest.
1. Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “Luther”
This is the kind of collaboration that feels like a landmark. It moves with patience, confidence, and emotional clarity. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is wasted. It sounds like two artists meeting at the exact right point in their lives.
2. Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
A reminder that pop can still be dramatic without being hollow. Gaga doesn’t just deliver a catchy record here, she delivers presence. It’s bold, maximal, and designed to make the world feel a little more alive.
3. Doechii – “Denial is a river”
A song that feels like performance art and confession at the same time. Doechii has a rare ability to make personality sound like rhythm. This track is sharp, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore once it gets inside your head.
4. Bad Bunny – “DtMF”
This is what he does best: turn memory into movement. It carries warmth, rhythm, and a bittersweet undertone that sneaks up on you. It feels like dancing while thinking about everything you wish you held onto longer.
5. Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
It’s playful, but it’s not light. The writing is pointed, the delivery is effortless, and the hook is one of those “how did they make this so catchy?” moments. A song that smiles while it cuts.
6. Lorde – “What was that”
Lorde has always been great at turning emotional confusion into something beautifully controlled. This track feels like a late-night flashback you didn’t ask for, but can’t turn off. It’s cathartic without begging for attention.
7. Drake – “Nokia”
Sometimes the best version of Drake is the one who remembers how to make something feel easy. This track is sticky in the best way, full of momentum, and built to loop without getting tired.
8. PinkPantheress – “Tonight”
Quick, flirty, and perfectly crafted. She continues to make nostalgia feel modern, not recycled. The song moves fast, but the feeling it leaves behind stays longer than you expect.
9. Turnstile – “Never enough”
A track that gives you catharsis and melody in the same breath. It hits hard, but it’s still human. Heavy music that understands how to lift you up instead of just crushing the room.
10. Sombr – “Undressed”
Every year has that one song that sneaks up on people and then refuses to leave. This one carries the ghost of alternative rock, but it doesn’t feel like a costume. It feels like a new voice arriving with something real to say.
As we head toward christmas, more songs will come and go, and the timeline will keep moving like it always does. But these ten have already left fingerprints on the year. They didn’t just play. They stayed.
