Syracuse Playlist: A look back at 2025 in Central New York music

“Syracuse Playlist” is a quarterly feature on syracuse.com highlighting music from local artists. If you’re a Syracuse-area musician, email [email protected] to share your music, including your artist name, song/album title, a brief description of your sound, where to listen to your music, and the best place for fans to follow you to find more.

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Central New York musicians shared a lot of great songs in 2025, and you can listen back on the “Syracuse Playlist.”

Each quarter, we share the latest in rap, rock, folk, R&B, country, pop, alternative, EDM, jazz, blues and more so you can discover local bands, singers and rappers that you like and follow them. Songs are featured on syracuse.com, in The Post-Standard newspaper, and in a Spotify playlist called “Syracuse Playlist.” You can listen with a free Spotify account (or a paid subscription) and click on each artist to hear more of their songs, share them or add them to your own playlists to listen to at home or on a mobile device. (Cell phone data or WiFi may be required.)

We added dozens of new songs this year, including national acts with CNY ties and local artists who could soon play to bigger audiences. Here are some of 2025’s highlights:

For hip-hop/R&B fans: The big news this year was Syracuse native Toosii, the “Favorite Song” hitmaker who released half a dozen new songs in 2025 (including “Please Don’t Go” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again), announcing that he would take a break from music to play football at Syracuse University next year. Other rappers and singers featured on the playlist include Christenelle Diroc, G.Y. Joey, Same Hustle D-Roc, Stove God Cooks, and Trappin Quik.

For country/folk/Americana fans: SAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Sydney Irving signed a record deal for her new album, featuring a mix of Americana, pop, rock and modern folk music. Tip your hat, too, to Big Green, Harmonic Dirt, Jon Regalia, Mira Grimm, Reed Kirkwood, The Rollin’ Rust, and Whitney Road.

For rock fans: Max Scialdone, a singer-songwriter who’s worked with bands Autumn Fire, Into Shadow and Riptide, won a SAMMY for his recent solo album at the 2025 Syracuse Area Music Awards while Into Shadow won Best Hard Rock. Other notables include Big Green, Cleansed in Embers, Council, The Flashcubes/Half-Cubes, Jeremy Romance, Mad Damage, Maybe Sunday, Porch Couch, See Through Faded, Sent from Beyond, Silverset, The Yagas (featuring Syracuse University alumna Vera Farmiga) and Youth Medium.

For fans of everything else: Baldwinsville natives Rob McCall (vocals, guitar) and Corey Jordan (guitar, piano, vocals) formed All Poets and Heroes after college, won a SAMMY in 2023, and won a Battle of the Bands competition in Nashville, where they are now based. Plus check out 1DRFL, Austin Jimmy Murphy, The Chainsmokers, Claud, CNY Jazz Orchestra, Delmar Place, Dram Fools, Gypsy Nights, Harvey Fonda, James and the Kyusonics, Jeff Tripoli, Jess Novak, Joe Bonamassa, Leif Olsen, Lisa Levens, Modafferi, Nate Gross Band, Regal Hardware, and Rose N Thorne.

Note: Some songs may contain explicit lyrics not suitable for younger audiences.

Listen to all of these artists on the Syracuse Playlist on Spotify, updated every quarter:

Note: Artists not available on Spotify will not be included in the “Syracuse Playlist” on Spotify, though we may still feature them on syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

If you want to share your music, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:

• Your artist/band name
• The title of your new album, EP or single
• Photo of artist/band (hi-res .jpg preferred)
• Where you’re located/from
• A short bio: 2-3 sentences about you and your sound
• A link to the best place for fans to check out your music (i.e. Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, YouTube)
• A website for people to get more information about you (i.e. official site, social media page)