<\/p>\n
How do you sum up a year in music when the song of the summer was a travel commercial? If \u201cNothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday\u201d proved anything, it\u2019s that the music landscape<\/a> is in unprecedented territory in 2025\u2014so diverse and sometimes disjointed that we failed to agree on one singular, dominant anthem for the best months of the year. But on the other side of the coin, it might also mean (walk with us here) that creativity can blossom from anywhere, and that even the most unexpected sounds can resonate with wide audiences. Rosal\u00eda<\/a>, for example, drew inspiration from symphonies and operas to produce a collection of \u201cpop\u201d songs that defy genre. Lady Gaga<\/a>, on the other hand, turned her inner chaos into a theatrical pop saga of her own.<\/p>\n Even the artists who stuck to more familiar themes did so in ways that struck listeners as entirely new. When it comes to heartbreak, Lily Allen recounted her breakup with shocking transparency; Chappell Roan\u2019s \u201cThe Subway\u201d captures the pain of moving on; and Kehlani\u2019s \u201cFolded\u201d describes that fresh, post-split confusion. And those searching for love made the journey sound fun, even if it\u2019s actually exhausting\u2014as Raye did on \u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d and Olivia Dean on \u201cMan I Need.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter how surprising or familiar, how viral or under-the-radar, this year\u2019s songs transported us, even if it wasn\u2019t via a budget airline. Read through ELLE editors\u2019 picks for the best songs of 2025 and add our playlist on Spotify below.<\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of February 2025<\/u><\/a>: \u201cWhatever witchcraft Lady Gaga put in \u2018Abracadabra,\u2019 it\u2019s working, and I want more. Ever since the song debuted in a (checks notes) Mastercard commercial at the Grammys, I have been under its spell, unable to go about my day without chanting a little \u2018ooh nana\u2019 and \u2018morta-ooh-Gaga\u2019 under my breath. Its hypnotic quality is so Gaga: the made-up language, the gothic folklore themes, the sublime melody. It\u2019s the Mother Monster you know and love, but also evolved, making this the perfect lead-up to Mayhem<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Everyone\u2019s saying Gaga is so back, but in my house? She never left.\u201d\u2014Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, digital content<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Berghain\u2019 feels like a beautifully frenzied fever dream. Rosal\u00eda taps Bj\u00f6rk and Yves Tumor as collaborators, creating a track that\u2019s sensual, gothic, poignant, and slightly unhinged. Its haunting, operatic flourishes and shifting languages\u2014moving fluidly between German, Spanish, and English\u2014give the song a theatrical, almost sacred quality. It pulses with themes of love and heartache, complete with dramatic arrangements and gorgeous orchestral strings that move me every time I listen. This song is high art.\u201d\u2014<\/em>Brea Cubit, contributor<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many standouts on Bad Bunny\u2019s DTMF,<\/em> but this one is probably, as the title suggests, the most memorable. Presenting his take on salsa music, the singer harps on a relationship that is no more, a dance that ended too soon. It\u2019s melancholy, but glows with warm instrumentation and harmonies.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of June 2025<\/a>: \u201cI don\u2019t remember where I was when I first heard \u2018Folded\u2019 by Kehlani, but it didn\u2019t feel like I was in 2025. \u2018Folded\u2019 exists somewhere in the mid-2000s. This is the kind of honeyed, sensual summertime R&B banger that would\u2019ve been a strong contender for the No. 1 spot on BET\u2019s now-defunct 106 & Park<\/em> (did you catch the 3LW interpolation?), or one you\u2019d reluctantly send to a crush over AIM. This song is meant for girls like me, who have too much pride to openly admit when they miss someone. Instead, they send Da Vinci Code\u2013like messages or, in Kehlani\u2019s case, a flood of double entendres, to get the point across. \u2018Meet me at the door while it\u2019s still open\u2019 and \u2018I know it\u2019s getting cold out, but it\u2019s not frozen\u2019 show the tug-of-war that the heart plays when love has ended, but you\u2019re still holding out hope. Kehlani\u2019s vocal acrobatics and shimmering backing melody made \u2018Folded\u2019 the top spot on my summer Spotify playlist.\u201d\u2014<\/em>Nerisha Penrose, beauty commerce editor<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of January 2025<\/a>: \u201cI have been evangelizing Tate McRae to my friends, and this track, off her album So Close to What,<\/em> made one skeptic a McRae follower. He called the song a \u2018sexy bop,\u2019 to which I replied, \u2018I want to be sprayed by a hose while listening.\u2019 He then said, \u2018Stand outside a fire station with a speaker.\u2019 He\u2019s right. New York Fire Department, beware: Tate McRae and I are coming for you.\u201d\u2014<\/em>Samuel Maude, content strategy manager<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLily Allen dropped what is quite possibly the most scorching breakup album of all time in October. West End Girl,<\/em> her first album in seven years, is a raw, diaristic account written and produced in 10 days during the end of her marriage to actor David Harbour, whom she divorced earlier this year after learning he had been cheating on her. (As she divulges in the album, he talks her into opening their marriage when she\u2019s away for work, but then goes on to break the rules they set; he also kept a secret apartment, despite owning an insanely beautiful brownstone<\/a>.) It\u2019s hard to pick a favorite song, especially as Allen designed the album to be consumed beginning to end like a storybook, but the one that\u2019s been stuck in my head is the aptly named \u2018Ruminating,\u2019 an earworm that perfectly captures that wide-awake, obsessing-over-every-detail feeling we all know too well. Allen\u2019s marriage may have crashed and burned, but as she said<\/a>, \u2018Heartbreak is also a fucking gift,\u2019 especially when it results in music like this.\u201d\u2014<\/em>Kayla Webley Adler, deputy editor and features director<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cRAYE\u2019s brain works in mysterious, beautiful ways. Somehow, she turned a song about a desperate search for a spouse into a raucous, joyous jazz fest, one that reveals the depths of her songwriting ability and her vocal prowess\u2014her voice flits and flicks through that wordy bridge with laser-sharp precision. On one hand, I want the British singer to find the man of her dreams, but on the other, I never want her to stop singing this song. All together now: \u2018I WOULD LIKE A RING, I WOULD LIKE A RING\u2026\u2019\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of March 2025<\/a>: \u201cOn eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead,<\/em> Ariana Grande dives deeper into the world she began creating last year. All six additional tracks scratch a different Grande itch. The strings on \u2018Past Life\u2019 make it a particularly enticing song, quickly propelling the track into this editor\u2019s Ariana top five. She\u2019s done it again.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of April 2025<\/a>: \u201cEver since Lorde teased this song with a video of herself stomping through the grounds of Washington Square Park, I knew we were in for an awakening. The first single off her album Virgin<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> \u2018What Was That\u2019 is electric and poetic, harkening back to her Melodrama<\/em> days but also capturing the next stage of her evolution.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of June 2025<\/a>: \u201cClipse dropped their first album in over 15 years, and they set the bar high with this single. Over a sickening (celebratory) sampled beat by Pharrell, who produced the whole album, brothers Pusha T and Malice prove they only get better with time. Mentally, I\u2019m still not over the \u2018draw when it\u2019s sketchy\u2019 line.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHAIM doesn\u2019t miss when it comes to lead singles, and \u2018Relationships\u2019 proves it once again. With a bass line that lends itself perfectly to a sidewalk strut, it was the ideal kickoff to their unofficially trademarked \u2018single summer.\u2019 Complete with a music video starring none other than beloved internet Adonis Drew Starkey, it\u2019s almost like this song was tailor-made for me. Released the day after I went through a breakup of my own, it couldn\u2019t have arrived at a better time\u2014and I highly recommend it.\u201d\u2014Burake Teshome, senior social media editor<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of August 2025<\/a>: \u201cFinally, \u2018The Subway\u2019 is out in the world! Chappell Roan dropped her long-awaited single, about struggling to move on from an ex, after about a year of teasing it and even performing it on festival stages. It\u2019s got a dreamy \u201990s pop-rock feel, reminiscent of The Cranberries. Roan\u2019s got a way of making the vintage sound modern and the heartbreaking sound romantic.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of August 2025<\/a>: \u201cThis is your monthly reminder that Olivia Dean is the next big thing. Her single \u2018Man I Need\u2019 was probably the best tease of her album The Art of Loving<\/em>. The soft but bouncy rhythm makes you want to step and snap like it\u2019s an old-school soul classic, and her buttery vocals are cozy like an easy Sunday morning.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIn \u2018Sex and the City,\u2019 Hobert fights against the romance of a Carrie Bradshaw-esque lifestyle while immortalizing the single female experience with a candor and humor that\u2019s as cutting as it is relatable. An incredible recounting of what it\u2019s like to put yourself out there to no avail, then going home with a lackluster man for the sake of saying you did, all while battling your own insecurities, Hobert\u2019s diaristic lyricism is everything and more.\u201d\u2014BT<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf my romantic life had a theme song, it would be \u2018Manchild.\u2019<\/a> Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s first single post-Short \u2019n Sweet<\/em> acts as a thesis statement for both the Grammy-winning album and this year\u2019s Grammy-nominated Man\u2019s Best Friend.<\/em> An anthem for any person who\u2019s ever dared to romantically engage with a man, Carpenter humorously illustrates the frustration that comes with dating in the modern age, all while ruminating on the role she plays in her own heartbreak.\u201d\u2014BT<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of June 2025<\/a>: \u201cAddison Rae is asking the right question on \u2018Money Is Everything\u2019: \u2018Can\u2019t a girl have fun?\u2019 She can, apparently, and does throughout her star-making debut album, Addison.<\/em> If you\u2019ve got it, you better flaunt it.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBritish pop girly Maisie Peters, queen of the breakup bop, ventured into a more mature, folk-tinged sound this year on three singles from her upcoming third album. The biggest surprise of \u2018Audrey Hepburn\u2019 is not Peters\u2019s stellar songwriting\u2014her ability to craft specific lyrics around universal emotions has always been top-tier\u2014but her sweet sense of contentment. \u2018Love was a myth, now it\u2019s my morning coffee,\u2019 she sings, \u2018the one you leave me by my bed.\u2019 Try not to sigh.\u201d\u2014<\/em>Sara Austin, executive editor<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Devotion\u2019 topped my Spotify Wrapped with an embarrassing number of plays. The collab with the insanely talented Dijon is a swooning ode to true love that\u2019ll make you ask yourself, \u2018Me and who?\u2019\u201d\u2014<\/em>Claire Stern Milch, digital director<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis song is addictively perfect. From Rauw Alejandro\u2019s newest project, Cosa Nuestra: Cap\u00edtulo 0<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> it\u2019s a club, reggaeton, and pop track all in one. Consider me absolutely hooked on one of Puerto Rico\u2019s finest.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of August 2025<\/a>: \u201cAmaarae has one of my favorite projects this year with her new album BLACK STAR,<\/em> and while there are many standout tracks, the most intoxicating one comes early with \u2018Starkilla.\u2019 Amaarae may mention a trio of illicit substances, but this song is a drug in and of itself.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI know the title might be a little off-putting, but that\u2019s the point. On this track from their latest album Papota,<\/em> the Argentinean duo unleashes a cheeky commentary on the pressures of being an artist in the age of social media, when clicks and likes often outshine creativity. But as they point out the outrageousness of optimizing their #engagement, they also produce a smooth R&B-inspired tune that eschews structure and switches things up halfway through.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Nosebleeds\u2019 dropped the day after Doechii won her first Grammy, and you can feel that confidence radiate here. Sure, her viral track \u2018Anxiety\u2019 was wildly popular this year\u2014and rightfully so\u2014but in terms of the artist staking her claim as one of the sharpest voices in rap right now, I\u2019d venture to say that \u2018Nosebleeds\u2019 made a bigger statement. Its bold flow and unshakable triumph helped capture a rapper and singer who\u2019s fully owning her moment.\u201d\u2014BC<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Girl Feels Good\u2019 captures FKA Twigs at her most tender and self-possessed. The track unfurls slowly, layering soft electronics with breathy vocals that embrace self-recognition. \u2018A girl feels good, and the world goes \u2019round \/ Turn your love up loud to keep the devil down,\u2019 Twigs sings before declaring with a wink, \u2018When a girl feels good, she\u2019s gonna keep you around \/ When a girl feels good, you\u2019ll know.\u2019 It\u2019s a sensual, introspective affirmation about inhabiting your body, pleasure, and power on your own terms. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I listened to this while sashaying around town, feeling like the main character.\u201d\u2014BC<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA Robyn comeback before the end of the year? Maybe 2025 wasn\u2019t as terrible as it seemed. On this new single, which she produced with Klas \u00c5hlund, her \u2018Call Your Girlfriend\u2019 collaborator, she delivers feel-good pop energy that we\u2019ve been desperately needing.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of March 2025<\/a>: \u201cDespite its sweet, inviting sound\u2014perhaps even reminiscent of Japanese Breakfast\u2019s Jubilee<\/em>\u2014the mesmerizing \u2018Picture Window\u2019 comes from an anxious, even dark place. Frontwoman Michelle Zauner<\/a> explained in a statement, \u2018When someone is running late or they\u2019ve neglected a text or even if they\u2019re just looking over a balcony, my mind has a tendency to run to the worst-case scenario, a reflex only exacerbated by my experience of many real deaths. It can be both a relief and a struggle to love someone who doesn\u2019t share this same proclivity for anxiety.\u2019 The song explores that dynamic, underlined by its video (which Zauner directed) featuring a couple pulling in two opposite directions. It\u2019s somber yet complex feelings like these that the singer portrays with gorgeous songwriting on her latest album.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of August 2025<\/a>: \u201cDJ and producer Sofia Kourtesis has a winner with her new EP Volver.<\/em> \u2018Coraz\u00f3n\u2019 is a sublime taste of the project, serving smooth dance beats that can easily lull someone into a state of ecstasy. It feels like a quick break from the dance floor, while you\u2019re hunched over picnic tables smoking a cigarette outside of the club.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of April 2025<\/a>: \u201cSummer feels within reach on this hot and flirty Destin Conrad single that celebrates queer love. It\u2019s seductive but also brings the party vibes with echoes of Lionel Richie\u2019s \u2018All Night Long\u2019 in the melody.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of July 2025<\/a>: \u201cSurprise! It\u2019s a new album from Tyler, the Creator. The rapper dropped DON\u2019T TAP THE GLASS<\/em> while still touring his last LP, Chromakopia,<\/em> and he\u2019s pivoting to \u201980s and electronic influences. After all, he made clear that this album is \u2018not for sitting still.\u2019 DTTG<\/em> is an exciting blend of raucous energy from opening track \u2018Big Poe\u2019 to the woozy \u2018Ring Ring Ring.\u2019 But \u2018Sugar on My Tongue\u2019 is a standout for me. It feels like a hyper candy rush in the best way.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of July 2025<\/a>: \u201cFor a millennial like me, who loved MGMT and Phoenix in college, Sombr\u2019s 2010s alt-rock sound hits close to home. This song even has a bit of a disco influence, making it a certain hit, following in the footsteps of his viral smash \u2018Back to Friends.\u2019 (Plus, Addison Rae stars in the music video, so how could he go wrong?)\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of August 2025<\/a>: \u201cFresh off working with Justin Bieber, Dijon released an album of his own, also with tributes to his partner and child. While the record remains true to his grungy sound, he takes a fun turn on the track \u2018Yamaha,\u2019 which is full of \u201980s pop ballad vibes.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cPinkPantheress had us shaking hands left and right on TikTok with this banger, thanks to that one viral trend, but its beat makes you want to move more than just your wrist. It pops from the very first note and has a melody that lodges deep inside your brain. Both are staples of the young British artist\u2019s repertoire, especially as seen in her latest mixtape, Fancy That.<\/em>\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n As featured in ELLE\u2019s best songs of May 2025<\/a>: \u201cThis song completely altered my brain chemistry, and rest assured, I will be posing to it for the remainder of the year. Miley Cyrus delivers a fashion anthem with Naomi Campbell, whose spoken word ignites the track. It\u2019s a true standout on Cyrus\u2019s Something Beautiful<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> and if she plays her cards right, it could be her next big hit.\u201d\u2014SM<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFrench musician Oklou (born Marylou Vanina Mayniel) made waves this year on the indie scene with her debut album Choke Enough,<\/em> which is full of sounds that make your ears perk up. One of them is \u2018Thank You for Recording,\u2019 a twinkly, futuristic-sounding track that proves simple melodies can still make a big impact.\u201d\u2014EG<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cAbracadabra\u201d by Lady Gaga <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cBerghain\u201d by Rosal\u00eda, featuring Bj\u00f6rk and Yves Tumor <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cBaile Inolvidable\u201d by Bad Bunny <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cFolded\u201d by Kehlani <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cSports Car\u201d by Tate McRae<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cRuminating\u201d by Lily Allen <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d by RAYE <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cPast Life\u201d by Ariana Grande <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cWhat Was That\u201d by Lorde <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cSo Be It\u201d by Clipse <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cRelationships\u201d by HAIM <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cThe Subway\u201d by Chappell Roan <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cMan I Need\u201d by Olivia Dean <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cSex and the City\u201d by Audrey Hobert <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cManchild\u201d by Sabrina Carpenter <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cMoney Is Everything\u201d by Addison Rae <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cAudrey Hepburn\u201d by Maisie Peters<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cDevotion\u201d by Justin Bieber and Dijon<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cEl Cuco 0.0\u201d by Rauw Alejandro and Jey One <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cStarkilla\u201d by Amaarae featuring Bree Runway and Starkillers <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201c#Tetas\u201d by CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cNosebleeds\u201d by Doechii <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cGirl Feels Good\u201d by FKA Twigs <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cDopamine\u201d by Robyn <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cPicture Window\u201d by Japanese Breakfast <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cCoraz\u00f3n\u201d by Sofia Kourtesis <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cKissing in Public\u201d by Destin Conrad <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cSUGAR ON MY TONGUE\u201d by Tyler, the Creator <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201c12 to 12\u201d by Sombr <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cYamaha\u201d by Dijon <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cIllegal\u201d by PinkPantheress <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cEvery Girl You\u2019ve Ever Loved\u201d by Miley Cyrus featuring Naomi Campbell <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cThank You for Recording\u201d by Oklou <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\u201cMangetout\u201d by Wet Leg <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n