The most important music tales in 2025 : NPR

From Puerto Rico’s international music takeover to the high-profile prison trial of a hip-hop mogul, 2025 had no scarcity of music information. Artists protested throughout levels and streaming platforms; they sparred with the White Home over its use of their songs on social media posts. TikTok creators grew to become bonafide pop stars and duos who’d spent many years away from the highlight reunited in studios and on the highway. In an ever-changing and fast-paced consideration economic system, musicians hustled to place out information, join with listeners and demand accountability from a few of the trade’s largest energy gamers.

Here is a rundown of a few of the largest music tales of 2025:

January

• Unhealthy Bunny kick-started the 12 months with the discharge of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, which chronicled Puerto Rico’s cultural lineage from música jíbara to trap-fueled reggaeton. An idea album doubling as a manifesto for his island, the 31-year-old famous person laid the groundwork for what would develop into a historic 12 months not only for his personal profession, however for a complete diaspora. 
• In Los Angeles, wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades displaced tons of of 1000’s of individuals throughout town. Many musicians misplaced their houses, and devices, recording gear, vinyl collections and studio areas vanished in a single day. 
• As Drake‘s possibilities of squashing his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar slipped additional and additional away from him, the rapper fired an surprising shot: he filed a lawsuit towards his label, Common Music Group (UMG), for releasing and selling Lamar’s diss observe, “Not Like Us.” The criticism was later dismissed by a federal decide. (Drake additionally withdrew a earlier submitting accusing UMG and Spotify of unfairly selling “Not Like Us”). 
• When President Trump took workplace and made immigration crackdowns a core precedence of his second time period, musicians started protesting his administration by refusing to carry out within the U.S. Bells Larsen, Christian Tetzlaff, András Schiff and Unhealthy Bunny are among the many artists who skipped U.S. excursions all through 2025, particularly citing the administration’s aggressive immigration insurance policies. A number of festivals targeted on Latin music and tradition, together with Michelada Pageant and Migo Fest, have been additionally cancelled later within the 12 months attributable to issues over artist visas and group security amidst ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. 

February

• Two huge winners outlined the 67th annual Grammy awards night time. Beyoncé lastly gained album of the 12 months for Cowboy Carter, and Kendrick Lamar took residence 5 golden gramophones for “Not Like Us,” together with track of the 12 months, report of the 12 months and finest rap track. 
• Every week later, Lamar carried out to his largest viewers ever in the course of the Tremendous Bowl halftime present. He carried out a medley of songs punctuated by Samuel L. Jackson’s satirical tackle Uncle Sam, a crip-walking Serena Williams and a few very loaded eye contact with the digicam throughout “Not Like Us.” Lamar’s televised revolution pronounced him the common winner of the struggle towards his Canadian rival. 
• In Washington, D.C., a distinct battle started to unfold: President Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Middle. Weeks into his second time period, the president purged the board of its bipartisan, Biden-appointed members, fired long-time management and named himself chairman of the nation’s cultural heart (he was later elected to that place by a brand new board). This may solely be the start of a 12 months marked by staffing cuts, canceled performances and hostile exchanges between artists and the Kennedy Middle’s new management. 

March

• After spending time in Hollywood, diving into new genres and concluding a fruitful collaboration with Tony Bennett, Girl Gaga lastly stepped again into her best-known function: Mom Monster. With the discharge of Mayhem on March 7, Gaga embraced the darkish dance pop sound that catapulted her into stardom almost 20 years in the past. 

Irish rap trio Kneecap took Coachella by storm.

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Matt Cardy/Getty Photos/Getty Photos Europe

April 

• Director Ryan Coogler launched the interval thriller Sinners, a non secular and musical exploration of cultural vampirism within the Mississippi Delta drawing a throughline from blues to hip-hop. 
• Irish rap trio Kneecap took Coachella by storm, marking the start of an electrifying and extremely controversial pageant season for the group. Already identified for its politically-motivated advocacy for the Irish language, the group additionally led the group in chants of “Free Palestine,” which resulted in stark criticism from individuals starting from Sharon Osbourne to the British Prime Minister. British regulation enforcement ultimately charged band member Mo Chara with a terrorism offense for allegedly holding up a flag in assist of Hezbollah, which was later dismissed.

Might

• The prison trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs started in New York Metropolis, and would proceed to dominate headlines and social media discourse for the primary half of the summer season. Combs’ ex-girlfriends, former workers and regulation enforcement brokers all testified on behalf of the federal government, which accused Combs of operating a prison enterprise that enabled and hid abuse for many years. 
• After a years-long battle that included a public feud with music government Scooter Braun and the re-recording of a number of LPs, Taylor Swift lastly purchased again the grasp recordings to her first six albums. 
• Nashville unhealthy boy Morgan Wallen launched I am The Drawback, which topped Billboard’s 200 chart, as anticipated, and remained there for months. The 37-song challenge soared throughout a number of charts and cemented Wallen’s standing not simply as a rustic famous person, however as a drive to be reckoned with in pop.

June 

• Former Hype Home TikTok creator Alex Warren hit No.1 on Billboard’s Sizzling 100 with “Strange,” a romantic ballad that may develop into the largest track within the nation for a lot of the summer season. 
• Two legends who revolutionized American music within the Nineteen Sixties died inside days of one another: Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. Each led emblematic Los Angeles ensembles that soundtracked altering social and political norms within the period’s counterculture, although they ultimately retreated from the highlight. 
• Indie rock band Deerhoof determined to tug its music off Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s protection investments. A wave of different artists quickly adopted go well with, criticizing not simply Ek’s ties to a German navy know-how firm, however Spotify’s payout mannequin extra broadly and its influence on artists’ capability to make a residing. 

Oasis reunited for a sequence of concert events 16 years after breaking apart.

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KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP through Getty Photos/AFP

July 

• A federal jury acquitted Sean Combs of probably the most critical costs towards him, intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He was convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution, however the verdict was thought-about an general victory by his staff, and led to sizable celebrations outdoors the courthouse — although it additionally sparked questions about Combs’ legacy transferring ahead. 
• It lastly occurred: Oasis reunited for a sequence of concert events 16 years after breaking apart, resulting in nostalgic, intergenerational sing-alongs on either side of the Atlantic. 
• One other pair of brothers — with considerably much less public baggage – additionally teamed up once more: Clipse launched its first album in 16 years. Let God Kind Em Out rapidly grew to become one of the vital critically acclaimed hip-hop information of the 12 months, and later obtained a heat welcome (again) from the Recording Academy. 
• On Spotify, controversy continued. An AI-generated music challenge posing as an actual band racked up tens of millions of streams (and appeared on a number of widely-listened to playlists) earlier than anybody seen the group was not, in actual fact, made up of human musicians. The debacle sounded alarms over how streaming platforms will method synthetic intelligence transferring ahead, and led to calls for for extra transparency from consultants and listeners alike. 

August 

• Unhealthy Bunny’s historic residency in San Juan, “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí” (“I Do not Wish to Go away Right here”), hit its midway level and cultural apex in August. The 31-concert, three-months lengthy sequence, which included a particular block for Puerto Rican residents solely, drove residence the themes of his record-breaking album and injected huge income into the native economic system. 
• Netflix’s animated movie Kpop Demon Hunters got here out in June, however in August, the movie’s soundtrack dominated the pop charts, changing into the primary film soundtrack in three many years to have that type of influence. 

September

• The Federal Commerce Fee filed a lawsuit towards Ticketmaster and its mum or dad firm, Stay Nation, alleging that the corporate willingly misleads shoppers about ticket costs and cooperates with scalpers to markup resale costs — all on the expense of artists and music followers. 
• Daniel Ek, the co-founder and most seen face of Spotify because it grew into the largest streaming service on the planet, introduced his resolution to step down as CEO on the finish of the 12 months and transition to government chairman in 2026. 
• Lots of of worldwide musicians launched “No Music for Genocide,” a boycott that eliminated their music from streaming providers in Israel. The motion continued to realize steam for months, with over a thousand musicians becoming a member of and pledging to partake within the geo-block till there’s an finish to the violence in Gaza and the West Financial institution. 
• Unhealthy Bunny was introduced because the headliner for the 2026 Tremendous Bowl halftime present, changing into the primary artist who performs solely Spanish-language music to take action. The announcement obtained swift backlash from conservative politicians and media shops. Throughout an look on Saturday Evening Stay, the Puerto Rican famous person mockingly suggested his critics to start out studying his native language. 

Taylor Swift launched her twelfth studio album, The Lifetime of a Showgirl.

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Valerie Terranova/Getty Photos/Getty Photos North America

October 

• A federal decide sentenced Sean Combs to over 4 years in jail for the prostitution-related costs he was convicted of in July. Prosecutors had advocated for an 11 12 months sentence, whereas Combs’ attorneys argued their shopper must be allowed to go residence earlier than the top of the 12 months. Throughout the ruling, Decide Arun Subramanian said {that a} substantial sentence was essential to account for the gravity of Combs’ bodily and emotional abuse over his victims. 
• Taylor Swift launched her twelfth studio album, The Lifetime of a Showgirl, created throughout her blockbuster Eras Tour and extremely high-profile romance along with her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce. As anticipated, the album was a right away business success. The track “Really Romantic” additionally stoked rumors a couple of feud with Charli xcx, creating friction between the artists’ respective fanbases on-line. 
• Visionary singer D’Angelo died on the age of 51 following a battle with most cancers. A pioneer of what would develop into generally known as neo-soul, he launched solely three albums, however left an indelible mark on R&B — although he spent a lot of his life skewing the labels compelled onto his picture and his sound. 

November

• Unhealthy Bunny’s victory lap rolled into November, when he lastly gained his first Latin Grammy in one of many three main classes: album of the 12 months for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. He devoted the award to the younger individuals of Latin America and Puerto Rico particularly. 
• Former rapper Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York Metropolis, following a heated race that thrust him into the nationwide highlight. All through the marketing campaign path, musicians from town and past together with PinkPantheress, Lucy Dacus and Djo introduced Mamdani onstage at concert events or endorsed him. New York Metropolis’s indie rock group additionally rallied behind the candidate. 
• Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, an important platform for nation music, turned 100 years outdated. It’s now the longest operating stay radio present on the planet, and continues to be an emblematic stage of a style nonetheless rising and reworking.  
• Warner Music Group — one of many largest report labels on the planet — signed licensing offers with two synthetic intelligence firms it was beforehand suing for copyright infringement: Suno and Udio. The brand new offers will permit paid customers of the AI platforms to create songs with the voices of artists and compositions of songwriters who conform to take part.The corporate pledges that these partnerships will permit artists and songwriters to be correctly compensated for a way their work is utilized in AI-music fashions.

December

• The primary Kennedy Middle Honors have been held in Washington, D.C. since President Trump’s takeover of the establishment. KISS, Gloria Gaynor and George Strait have been musicians honored this 12 months, with Trump declaring he was “very concerned” within the choice course of. He additionally grew to become the primary president to host the awards ceremony.