The Hypebae Best: The Top Albums, Singles, Comebacks and Viral Moments of 2025
From Rosalía’s ‘LUX’ to Lily Allen’s generation-crossing comeback and Kendrick Lamar’s bootcut jeans, these were the hottest moments in music this year.
The Hypebae Best: The Top Albums, Singles, Comebacks and Viral Moments of 2025
From Rosalía’s ‘LUX’ to Lily Allen’s generation-crossing comeback and Kendrick Lamar’s bootcut jeans, these were the hottest moments in music this year.
2025 once again proved that life would be all too boring without music. As we look back on the year, we return with a new instalment of our annual series, Hypebae Best, where we round up some of the biggest releases and best moments from the year, according to our editors.
This year was defined by many things, but especially women in music. Female artists ruled the charts, spanning all ages and genres. From Sabrina Carpenter’s pop princess positioning and Olivia Dean’s soulful rise to Lily Allen’s generation-crossing comeback, this was the year of girl power. Viagogo’s Year in Live Experiences report spotlighted how female artists dominated 2025’s most iconic music moments, with six of the ten most in-demand UK artists being women. Here’s hoping that 2026 keeps this movement going.
The year also saw a huge return to the once glorified pop princess of the early noughties, with Addison Rae and Tate McRae bringing back that unapologetically feminine attitude. Rosalía took the internet and the world by storm with her album LUX, which stunned with its orchestral backing and multilingual lyrics, reminding us what original artistry can look like.
Amidst the music, we’re also showcasing some of the best cultural moments featuring our favorite musicians, from the Coldplay concert Kiss Cam to Kendrick Lamar hitting the Super Bowl stage in snug bootcut jeans.
Read on for our picks of the best albums, singles, comebacks and moments of the year, and check out more from our Hypebae Best 2025 roundups in fashion, footwear and sport.
THE BEST ALBUMS
Rosalía: Lux
Rosalía took theatrics to a whole new stratosphere in her latest album titled LUX. The first release from the project was “Berghain,” which featured operatic vocals, orchestral strings and a full choir, alongside cameos from Björk and Yves Tumor. Adding to the undeniable artistry was the fact that Rosalía sang in both German and Spanish alongside the full orchestra. This drop was much more than many of us were prepared for, with reactions pouring out on social media praising the artist’s unique creativity and level of talent.
Sabrina Carpenter: Man’s Best Friend
GRAMMY Award winner Sabrina Carpenter released her album Man’s Best Friend earlier this year, with the cover art instantly making the project viral before it had even been released. The cheeky image divided the internet, and Carpenter was perfectly poised to drop the single “Manchild.” Leaving fans speechless, the track and subsequent releases successfully climbed the charts, with the album debuting at Number 1 on the Billboard200 chart. We’ve still got this one on repeat.
Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving
This year saw an Olivia Dean summer with her single, “Nice To Each Other,” shooting straight into the Top 10 charts with the relatable hook, “I don’t want a boyfriend, but we could be nice to each other.” After her next two teaser singles, Dean became the first female British artist since Adele to have three songs in the UK Top 10 simultaneously. With the full record, The Art of Loving, finally dropping as her second studio album, and a sell-out tour set, the artist not only cracked the UK but created a self-loving, female anthem for the world.
PinkPantheress: Fancy That
The British singer and producer’s new mixtape is a portal into an alternate universe. PinkPantheress has once again proved her unique style, putting UK Garage, Y2K fashion and party tunes all together in a wonderful project that can’t help but charm us. The track “Illegal” proves this with its fast-paced sound and conversational tone with drum’n'bass backing. What’s not to love?
FKA Twigs: Eusexua
FKA Twigs‘ third album brings us back into her sensual and mystic world with club music sure to get you dancing (not that you’ll be able to replicate any of the artist’s moves). “Eusexua is for the girls who find their true selves under a hard metal silver stiletto on the damp rave floor,” read some text over a blurry promo TikTok video. The newly coined word is now something we’ve been striving towards, but are still not entirely sure what it means. As she bounces between techno, house, garage and DnB, the bass remains distinguishable to her, creating a unique approach to pop.
THE BEST SINGLES
Charli XCX: “House”
This is something totally new. Taken from the soundtrack to director Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, the darkly gothic “House” is nothing like Brat. Featuring John Cale of the Velvet Underground, Charli gives over two-thirds of the track’s vocals to Cale. Jagged strings and distorted feedback haunt Cale’s monologue in this powerful turn in the singer’s work. We wait with bated breath to see how the new music fits into Fennel’s upcoming film.
Raye: “Where Is My Husband”
With a highly anticipated sophomore album set to arrive in 2026, Raye gave us the ultimate preview with the single, “Where Is My Husband.” The South London musician debuted the single as the opening number during her Glastonbury performance, which had fans going wild. The brassy track with a full band takes sass and soul to the next level as she sings about (impatiently) waiting to find her future partner.
Doechii: “Anxiety”
Doechii has been ruling the creative world this year. Not only did her musical prowess stun during her Tiny Desk performance, but her fits have been driving the internet wild as she proves herself as a fashion symbol, too. The single “Anxiety” remixed Gotye’s 00s smash “Somebody That I Used To Know,” transforming it into a fun foundation for her introspection. Originally recorded in her bedroom for YouTube, the internet was obsessed and finally got its way with the official release.
Addison Rae: “Fame is a Gun”
The fifth and final single from her debut album, Addison, “Fame is a Gun”, explores Addison Rae’s desire for fame and the realities of celebrity stardom with glossy production and synth-pop beats that successfully prove Rae deserves a seat at pop’s top table. With clear inspirations from artists like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, it was about time we had another pop princess on the charts.
Tate McRae: “Sports Car”
Tate McRae’s third album, So Close To What, includes some chart-topping singles, and while it’s hard to pick just one, “Sports Car” is a standout. The track hit No. 21 on Billboard’s Top 100 and oozes charismatic, cool-girl confidence. The pop princess makes us feel like a girl in all the best possible ways. Sultry yet casual, this is a bad b*tch anthem.
Rose and Bruno Mars: “APT”
While this track officially arrived at the end of 2024, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars‘ hit “APT” never left our heads. Now Grammy-nominated and topping Apple Music’s global song chart for 2025, “APT” marks both artists’ first No. 1 on the year-end global songs chart. The phenomenal success of the track just proves that good music will always transcend borders.
THE BEST COMEBACKS
Lily Allen: West End Girl
For many of us who came of age in the early 2000s, the unfiltered honesty and sharp wit of Lily Allen’s 2006 debut album, Alright, Still, earned it cult classic status. The year is now 2025, and Allen is so back. Releasing her fifth studio album, West End Girl (seven years since her last release), the singer described it as her most “vulnerable” work yet, and she’s not exaggerating. The album chronicles the breakdown of her marriage to David Harbour, with tracks that detail everything from cheating to hidden sex toys.
Hilary Duff: “Mature”
It’s been over a decade since Hilary Duff released her last studio album, Breathe In. Breathe Out. While her focus shifted to acting and her four kids, the artist has said that she always knew she would come back to music. The 38-year-old’s new single “Mature” marks her return and the first release under a recent deal with Atlantic Records. The sparkling pop-rock track is a collaboration between herself, her husband Matthew Koma and Madison Love, who has written hits for the likes of Lady Gaga and Addison Rae. The world is healing, and we’re headed back to the 2010s again.
Ella Eyre: Everything, in Time
It has been a decade since Ella Eyre released her solo debut album Feline. After undergoing vocal surgery, she’s spent years recovering and reconsidering her place in pop. Everything, in Time marks her fully fledged return with a heartfelt and steady re-entry. Brass instrumentation and gospel-inspired rhythms perfectly complement the singer’s newly matured voice in this project.
Hayley Williams: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Hayley Williams dropped her third solo album and first independent release. The Paramore frontperson channeled a range of experimental pop sounds while reflecting on personal and professional grief after being locked into a 20-year contract with Atlantic Records at the age of 15. On the opening track of the new album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, Williams scorns the arrangement, singing, “A lot of dumb motherf*ckers that I made rich.” The LP marks the first since fulfilling the terms she committed to all those years ago. So, welcome back, Hayley Williams.
BEST POP CULTURE MOMENTS
Coldplay Concert Kiss Cam
One of the most unavoidable moments on the internet this year was when two Coldplay concertgoers were caught on video acting quite suspiciously on the kiss cam. Looking cozy on the big screen, they quickly turned away once their image flashed up. Frontman Chris Martin joked, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.” Turns out it was the former. The pair was Astronomer CEO Andy Byron (who has since resigned) and his company’s then-HR executive, Kristin Cabot, both of whom were married to other people at the time. Awkward.
Kendrick Lamar in Bootcut Jeans for the Super Bowl
Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show was memorable for a variety of reasons, but for the internet, it was specifically the now-iconic bootcut jeans. ‘Flaregate,’ as it has now been dubbed, took us all by surprise and divided the internet, with many praising the 2000s nostalgia and others just downright confused. We’re totally here for the Celine jeans.
Cynthia Erivo Protecting Ariana Grande
If you’ve been online at all in the last few months, you will have seen parts of the Wicked: For Good press tour and premiere. Everyone seems to have picked up on the very tight bond that stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have formed, often holding hands and getting emotional together in interviews. While this intrigued the internet, the true moment of friendship was shown when a man jumped over a barricade and ran onto the red carpet at the film’s premiere in Singapore. He rushed towards Grande, trying to grab her, but Erivo jumped in to protect her co-star and fend off the man. That’s ride-or-die friendship.
Charli XCX’s Double Wedding
This year, Charli XCX tied the knot with The 1975 drummer George Daniel in the most effortlessly cool wedding with just close friends and family at Hackney’s Town Hall in London. It had everything you would expect: a Vivienne Westwood mini dress, Charli smoking a cigarette in her bridal outfit with signature black sunnies and dancing till 4 am at an understated wine bar in East London. But that was only the first wedding. The Brat singer had a second celebration in Sicily, which saw a huge A-list guest list, including Troye Sivan, Devon Lee Carlson, Matty Healy and Gabbriette. Dancing in a sheer dress on the beach, Charli had us all dreaming of our future double weddings.
Harry Styles Running the Marathon
Harry Styles swapped the microphone for some sneakers as he surprised the internet by running the Berlin marathon and doing it in under three hours. The former One Direction star used the fake name Sted Sarandos and wore a headband and sunnies to complete the track in the coveted time. Is there anything he can’t do?
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