What a year 2025 has been, but I’m not going to sugar coat it, there have been better ones.

From wars, to horrible political leaders, to assassinations, there’s always one pastime that remains constant – music!

As an appreciator of older generational music like that of Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, Madonna, Phil Collins and more, I have to be critical of the music industry of today… I think it’s awful! 

Now before you jump to conclusions, let me explain my reasoning. Over the past few years, music has become lacklustre, repetitive and safe.

Not many mainstream artists are experimenting with new sounds, releasing music that will intrigue their audiences instead of feeling stationary in gimmicks.

You know it’s particularly worrying when AI music is making the charts, with songs like I Run by Haven (which I believe is subpar at best mind you). AI has no space in music making, a craft so rooted in the human condition.

It’s a sign of laziness, with only consumerism in mind.

Despite the hardships we’ve faced in the music industry recently, there have been some sparks of hope from new and old artists, reminding us of what music is really for – the love of it.

So that’s what I’m here to do, give you a rundown of last year’s music line up.

Welcome to the 2025 Music Round up!

Now let me preface beforehand, that this is purely opinion based. You can agree, you can strongly disagree (I feel I may upset some people here, oops), it’s up to you how you read this article.

I’m just assessing 2025’s music with a critical eye, because if we never challenge things, we never improve them. So here we go!

Let’s start with the chart topping hits. “Ordinary” by Alex Warren swarmed the charts becoming a viral TikTok sensation and a radio smash hit.

Do I think it’s deserved? I’m not too sure.

It’s a nice melody and the harp creates an uplifting sort of feel which is maybe what people needed after the chaos of everyday 2025 life. However, I hope you can agree, this song was played to death. I think I heard this song more times than I ate meals in a day.

Perhaps this is what discouraged me from it. Despite that, I do think it’s a cute song, and it felt a lot more real than some of the songs that surfaced during 2025.

We also had “Messy” by Lola Young which again, I think I have a similar opinion on it as “Ordinary.”

I thought it was quite catchy when it first came out but one criticism I have to give is that I think TikTok ruins songs with potential. Many of the songs included in the 2025 Music Roundup, I’ve heard a plethora of times, not by choice, but through Tiktok.

The use of an entertainment and consumeristic platform to promote music can be useful until you unwillingly turn your listeners against your music with its repetitiveness, or tease release dates too much without realising (I’m talking to you Sam Smith, Unholy circa. 2023).

However, I thought there was a catchy sort of summer-ness to the song that, at times, I found myself quite enjoying.

Now, I’m very aware that my roundup seems quite negative at the moment but who would have thought a trio of Korean demon hunters would lift the mood. Have I seen the film KPop Demon Hunters yet? No. Am I slightly intrigued? Yes. Is it because of the music? Definitely.

This Netflix film not only broke records, but produced songs that got my head bopping. I wouldn’t say I was the biggest fan of any boyband or girlband in particular growing up, but I appreciated and liked some of the songs of 1D or Little Mix, and so I didn’t think songs from a kids film would stick with me that much… but they did. “Golden” by HUNTR/X is surprisingly really catchy.

It’s got a light hearted feel that really reminded me of being a kid and listening to late 2000s pop songs. It’s bouncy, it’s fun and it’s surprisingly high on my 2025 list.

Another song originating from Korean roots is APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars. A little overplayed? Yes, but that might be because it is one to get the toes tapping, so I don’t mind it being played a lot.

That bridge section is awesome and I love how it shifts from a cute, boppy kind of song to a more aggressive and driving tone. This song is in my good books. 

I’m afraid I’m going to have to bring it back down again.

Probably to the lowest point of this article. This is definitely going to be a controversial opinion piece because of her overly protective fan base but I’m going to stay true to my opinion and hopefully you can understand where I’m coming from.

Okay here we go… I don’t particularly like Taylor Swift.

Right, that’s out in the open, let’s delve into the why of it all.

As a kid, I actually really used to like her songs, and in fact I still do. I believe 1989 and Reputation are brilliant albums, I can say that whole heartedly.

I remember screaming the lyrics to “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood,” off the top of my head. She was really good I have to say. However, I have noticed a steep decline, where I believe Swift has become more of a business woman rather than a musician.

I’ll speed through as I know some people won’t agree, but if you played a song from Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, or The Tortured Poets Department, I would not be able to differentiate between them.

What songs I would be able to recognise however, are songs from her latest album, Life of a Showgirl… it might be her worst album yet. 

I’m actually not afraid to say this one, as I know there were pretty negative reviews of this album, even by her Swifties. It honestly makes me sad, because when I think of prime Taylor Swift, I think of my childhood and singing to her songs at school discos and absolutely loving it.

Now though, her songs sound repetitive, emulative without paying credit and honestly, the lyrics are the worst part, the songs might as well have been a part of the AI song catalogue.

This might sound harsh, and maybe it is, but I do believe there is some traction here.

I just wish instead of releasing the 100th vinyl cover of one of her many albums for ultra consumerism and chart smuggling processes, she’d excite us like she used to in the 2010s.

But hey, if you love Taylor Swift, that’s great and all that matters, not my sourpuss opinions!

Let’s end this round up on a high note.

Lady Gaga and Tyler the Creator absolutely dominate the top spot in the 2025 roundup with her album Mayhem and his album Chromakopia.

My goodness, these two artists single handedly upheld my standards of music for 2025. I know what you’re thinking, Tyler’s album came out in 2024, but I’m regarding it in this list as it’s nominated for album of the year alongside Lady Gaga, February of this year!

Mayhem was, well, a lot of Mayhem. I’m such a fan of Lady Gaga’s, but I didn’t think she could get any better. She really did. Mayhem is just as twisted as Gaga’s persona, which echoes back to her early age of stardom with her album, Fame Monster.

It’s somehow both nostalgic and fresh and it may even rivalFame Monster, which is my favourite album of hers! Credits like “Zombieboy,” “Perfect Celebrity,” “Garden of Eden,” and “LoveDrug” must be listened to, trust me!

Tyler the Creator might be the most swagsome celebrity out there. How he can go from a comedic character to a devoted musician, shocks me all of the time. His R&B musings are to die for.

There’s not enough time in the world to praise this album, it’s fluidity and it’s meaning partner so well together, it’s just brilliant. If either Tyler or Gaga win the Grammy for Best Album, I’ll sleep happy.

And that concludes the 2025 Music Roundup.

At the end of the day, music is what connects us to our feelings and each other. Whether I particularly warm to an artist and their music, I’d much rather it be them than AI.

Image credit: Saffron Pennycooke