The 20 best albums of 2025: From Bad Bunny to Sabrina Carpenter

I grew up listening to Lily Allen, so I was clocked into this album initially for the nostalgia. But the storytelling is bonkers amazing. I start the album and listen all the way through a few nights a week while I’m doing chores around the house because it’s almost as good as watching a movie. I might be biased as someone who has survived an open relationship ruining my life, but I think this is one of the most real, raw, and relatable albums I’ve ever listened to.

— Beth Gilette, beauty editor

West End Girl brought serious It’s Not Me, It’s You energy into 2025 in the most spectacular way. Though she has released music since her 2009 sophomore album, nothing has landed with quite the same impact as this year’s fifth studio record. The songs are sharp, literal, and poetic - making everyone feel as if they were the ones navigating a years-long marriage collapsing under the weight of affairs, deceit, and gaslighting. Her signature cheekiness, paired with emotional and playful production, reminded us exactly why she has always been a star.

— Sarah Ng, video editor

Sabrina was my top artist of the year, so it’s no surprise that Man’s Best Friend has been my soundtrack for 2025. Her songs are pure c*ntiness (Can I write that in Cosmo? I’m going to anyway…) and I love the way she flaunts and reclaims her sexuality in pure comedic form. My top two are definitely 'House Tour' - I like to describe this one as the Barbie movie if it served c*nt - and 'My Man On Willpower.' She has the rare talent of balancing comedy with artistry, without crossing the line into cheesy territory.

— Jasmine Hyman, assistant beauty editor

This album came out on my birthday, so I have no choice but to list it as one of my favorites of the year. It’s also just really, really good. It’s a journey through heartbreak that knows exactly what we want it to be: questioning, angry, and still somewhat hopeful. It also has my favourite bridge of the year on 'Sunset Tower': "I wish you the best but I hope that you die / Inside every time I’m playing in London / if there is someone new that you’re out here fucking / don’t tell me." Chills! I get chills every time.

— Emma Baty, senior entertainment editor

This may have received mixed reviews, but colour me impressed. I had this album on repeat for most of spring. I can feel the love they share emanating from my speakers every time I put it on, and his voice isn’t even featured! That’s powerful.

— Maxwell Losgar, senior entertainment director

I have been patiently awaiting the day when everyone would wake up from their ignorant slumbers and realise that Zara Larsson is one of the greatest performers of our generation, and thank God we’ve finally arrived. I wish I could say I was surprised by how addicted I am to this record, but she’s been releasing hits for 10+ years that’ve all deserved the level of attention Midnight Sun's received (stream 'WOW' now). Only a true creative mastermind would think to sample reality TV icon Tiffany Pollard on a track ('Hot & Sexy'), and that’s exactly what Zara is.

— Annabel Iwegbue, associate culture editor

It quite literally felt illegal during the off chance that I didn’t hear 'Illegal' blasting through someone’s speakers, which goes to show that Pink Pantheress’ Fancy That was truly inescapable in 2025. Of course, I mean that as the highest compliment. Tracks like 'Tonight' and 'Stateside' set the tone for the high-energy electronica that would take over 2025, and her remix album was equally iconic as the original release.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

The original album might have come out in 2024, but 2025 was truly the year of Mutt as Leon Thomas finally got the recognition he deserved as one of R&B’s frontmen. New collabs with fellow R&B greats like Kehlani, Big Sean, and Halle Bailey further cement his legacy in the genre while giving us new hits like 'Not Fair.' He might have a song called 'Heel', but trust us, it’s a glorious, sensual, and hot release that is full of bite with a capital B.

— Tamara Fuentes, entertainment editor

Jade Thirlwall - who, now, rightfully goes by the mononym JADE - was always my favourite Little Mix girlie. Of all the solo drops to come from the former U.K. girl group, That’s Showbiz Baby is the most eclectic and memorable. When her debut single, 'Angel of My Dreams,' dropped, it was impossible to shake it out of my mind. (And I’d catch myself singing it at the most random moments á la Willam and Alaska. IYKYK.) Every note of this record, from 'It Girl' to her younger self sampling The Supremes on 'Before You Break My Heart, is undeniably fresh and authentic.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

As an early adopter of Pop Star Addison Rae, I feel incredibly vindicated in how incredible her self-titled debut is. From its female-led production to its avant-garde visuals, Addison is undoubtedly unapologetic, emotional, sexy, and cathartic. To think she walked into her record label with a mood board and a dream is chill-inducing, because the most promising pop act of the 21st century is unravelling before our very eyes.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

There was a lot of disappointment from certain corners of the internet around this album, and to that I say...why? This is Lorde doing what she does best: every lyric is a gut punch, and each song is also a banger. They’re dance-around-the-house songs that could also make you cry if you had a little bit too much wine. The crowning achievement of the album for me is 'Broken Glass,' which is maybe one of the more vulnerable songs I’ve heard from a pop star in the last few years. As always, I can’t wait to see what she does next.

— Emma Baty, senior entertainment editor

If you need to get your soul in order and imagine yourself as the hottest girl there ever was, just bump this. I promise.

— Mikhaila Archer, editorial assistant

Kesha is basking in the glow of her freedom, and it shines through on the first release under her own label, . (PERIOD). After a decade-long legal battle with producer Dr. Luke, which took place while she was still bound to a contract under his label, she has full creative control and is doing things her way. From 'Boy Crazy' to 'Red Flag,' these new tracks are just as fun, flirty, and fresh out of fucks as her classic hits.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

While artists normally release an album’s track list in a specific order, Hayley Williams decided to do things differently by cryptically dropping 17 songs - in no particular order - on a bare-bones website that can only be accessed with a special code. Even after deleting the site 24 hours later, fans could not get enough of the artist’s evolved pop-leaning sound as she details everything from mental health to her recent breakup with fellow Paramore member, Taylor York. The best surprise of all was this new version of Hayley that shines through - one that’s more honest and tired of everyone’s bullsh*t. She’s here to finally be herself, and the music industry is so ready for it.

— Tamara Fuentes, entertainment editor

Somehow, this album has the ability to be both soothing and upbeat. The jazzy, slow songs are the type of music that could be played on a cosy night in or during a sedative facial, and the more upbeat ballads hype me up when I’m getting ready for a night out. There’s a song for any type of situationship you've ever been in - a short-term fling or a long-term, heart-wrenching breakup. Olivia Dean has the vocals, range, and everything we need in a modern pop star. I couldn’t be more obsessed with 'Lady Lady' and 'Something In Between.'

— Jasmine Hyman, assistant beauty editor

Move over, Shakespeare - a new hopeless romantic has entered the culture, thanks to this bridge alone: "I don’t want to learn another scent / I don’t want the children of another man / To have the eyes of the girl I won’t forget." Sombr is one of the few breakthrough acts that’s bringing back the art of a 4-minute song, and I’m forever grateful to him for it. From 'Undressed' and '12 to 12' to his 5-minute standout, 'Canal Street,' Sombr is a bona fide rockstar, and he’s here to stay.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

To be honest, after Justin Bieber’s slightly-too-religious-for-me 2021 album Justice, I wasn’t ready to get my hopes up for this new release. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that SWAG, despite its title, is sensitive, open, and vulnerable. On 'Walking Away,' he reckons with mistakes he’s made in his marriage and promises to do better. On 'Daisies,' he pleads to get closer. And on 'Butterflies,' he reminds us that love is the only thing that actually matters. You can say a lot about Justin, but you can’t say he’s not madly in love with his wife. It comes through on every track here.

— Emma Baty, senior entertainment editor

After co-writing with her best friend Gracie Abrams on The Secret of Us, Audrey Hobert introduced herself to the world with her song of the summer, 'Sue Me.' Her first full-length debut, Who’s The Clown?, soon followed, and it’s catchy, quick-witted, self-assured, a little questionable, and incredibly real.

I feel lucky that 'Thirst Trap' didn’t exist when I was 19, because it is a direct reflection of my life at the time, and I would have made it everyone’s problem. 'Chateau' stands out as the most relatable song about an otherwise unrelatable situation of partying with A-listers, and 'Sex and the City' brings a magnifying glass into the dating life of every twenty-something. I mean this with every ounce of respect: quirked-up white girls in pop music are so back, and we have Audrey to thank for their resurgence.

— Sam Olson, assistant news editor

Kansas Anymore was already one of my top albums of 2024, but ROLE MODEL proved the necessity of a deluxe album with The Longest Goodbye. Its hero track, 'Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,' is the reason ROLE MODEL became the 'it' boy of 2025. But 'Some Protector' was my immediate favorite. Tucker’s kind of a Tayson with that bridge.

— Beth Gillette, beauty editor