As the new year begins, everyone is looking forward to listening to new hot, and upcoming artists or even just staying consistent with the ones they already enjoy.
Music isn’t just words or beats put together; music is an art shared around the world from different groups of people and cultures. It brings people together and creates a sense of connection and community to spark emotions or feelings people share. Music can connect the souls of others, sparking and forming friendships or feelings of love and emotion. But as our world evolves and changes, music can look different now than it was back then. As new upcoming artists come to the music industry, they shape today’s new generation.
You can listen to some popular favorites now on streaming platforms such as Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, Sombr, The Marias, Billie Elish, Lola Young, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, and Alex Warren. While the top songs of 2026, is Ordinary by Alex Warren, Man I Need by Olivia Dean, Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Folded by Kehlani, WHERE IS MY HUSBAND by Raye, back to friends by Sombr, The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift, DAISIES by Justin Bieber, and Golden by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI.
Around December 3rd, mainstream music streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music released their end-of-the-year Wrapped. This feature highlights how people connect with music by showcasing their most listened to artists, genres, and songs from the past year. Music wrapped turns personal listening styles into fun, shareable, and interactive content that allows users to reflect on their music journey, while also allowing them to share it amongst friends and on social media platforms. In many ways, it can capture how that person’s music tastes evolve over time and how artists continue to shape each listener’s identity.
For example, on Spotify, my top five artists were Ariana Grande, SZA, Mitski, Lana Del Rey, and Mariah the Scientist. Here are some of my friends’ top artists from 2025, starting with my friend Tyra. Her top artists were SZA, Daniel Caesar, Brent Faiyaz, Giveon, and Summer Walker. When I talked to Tyra, she said she wasn’t really surprised by the order they were in since she really liked the artists on her list, and they were also popular.
Next was my friend Pamila, and her top artists were Drake, Chris Brown, SZA, Lana Del Rey, and my personal favorite, Ariana Grande. After talking to Pamila, she was not surprised since she is a really big Drake fan. However, I was surprised because I thought Ariana Grande would be higher on her list. Pam often listens to Drake and actually went to one of his concerts. He is another big artist that almost everyone knows.
Next was Victoria. Her top artists were PARTYNEXTDOOR, The Weekend, BoofPaxkMooky, Bryson Tiller, and Daniel Caesar. She really enjoys all of these artists. She went to The Weekend’s concert over the summer, which she seemed to really enjoy. Although her list is full of pretty popular artists, BoofPaxkMooky isn’t up there with them. His music falls into the cloud rap and laid-back genre.
Lastly, my good friend Kirsten’s 2025 wrapped artists were Morgan Wallen, Hudson Westbrook, Daniel Caesar, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Musiq Soulchild. The first two artists, Morgan Wallen and Hudson Westbrook, came as a surprise to me since she usually listens to old R&B around me, so I would have expected more of that on her wrapped.
After concluding everyone’s wrapped, I noticed that not only did their artists match their vibe, but I also noticed that SZA and Daniel Caesar were the most popular among myself and my friends. What is your 2025 wrapped, and what do you look forward to listening to this new year?
