With every December, along comes the excitement of the long-awaited Spotify Wrapped, an annual summary of the favorite music genres, artists, albums and more every Spotify user consumed that year.
To me, Spotify Wrapped results don’t influence my next year of streaming. Rather, I find it encouraging to explore even more genres and artists, thereby widening my musical taste.
This year, I found myself excited for a myriad of seemingly promising albums, including “Wishbone” by Conan Gray and Lorde’s “Virgin.”
As the year comes to a conclusion, it has become evident to me that while this year launched new vocal talent, it also seemed to include multiple musical letdowns, especially among established artists whose work appears to have met a slump.
While the year started off strongly with Bad Bunny’s release of “DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOTos,” others’ work failed to meet my standards.
Initially, I became ecstatic with Conan Gray’s announcement of his fourth studio album “Wishbone” in August, given his second album, inspired heavily by the 80s synth, lacked the lyricism of his sophomore album “Superache,” which I’d clung to dearly upon its release.
After singles like “This Song” and “Vodka Cranberry” welcomed the fans into a world deeply rooted in imagery, my expectations hoped for Conan to surpass the heartbreakingly magnificent storytelling in “Superache.”
Instead, “Wishbone” simply felt too ordinary, considering what I believed he could achieve. Conan Gray is yet to reclaim the spark and connectivity that his older work possesses.
The same is true for the artist Lorde. Ever since her iconic “Melodrama,” it seems she’s been unable to mark an era with her music. Her third studio album, “Solar Power” captured the carefree nature of summer, and yet it’s still not the most remarkable work in her discography.
Her latest release, “Virgin,” while deficient in congruency, continued the narrative of intensified production and encrypted messages, which is so typical of her songwriting.
Although I don’t adore this album, I can appreciate it for the purpose it served Lorde, which was to be an unveiling, introspective experience reflecting on the themes of identity and maturity.
“Bite Me” by Reneé Rapp was an album that, while it did not disappoint, didn’t revolutionize the way I viewed Rapp’s artistic journey.
Albums, from my perspective, should seek to elevate the artist’s existing voice, especially if they’ve released previous work.
Rapp’s chaotic and unapologetic nature, however, is something I’ve witnessed time and time again.
In fact, such traits are so woven into her personality, it’s become hard for me to see her as something other than what she displays.
Her Broadway potential, while sometimes employed in tracks like “Mad” and “Why is She Still Here?” lacked the emotional resonance found within tracks like “In the Kitchen,” “Wedding Song” and “Snow Angel” from previous works.
Granted, artists are entitled to evolve in whatever way they desire, but I don’t believe this year’s musical compositions have been as authentic as in past years. Sometimes, the best works are produced after time allows for new themes and ideas to arise.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” for example, seemed like a continuation of her previous album “Short n’ Sweet,” reflecting her prolonged experiences with careless men.
It made me question if they could even be truly perceived as two entirely separate works from each other, considering she weaved in tracks from her latest album into her Short n’ Sweet tour.
Another showgirl of the generation is Tate McRae, an artist known for her choreographic artistry nicely paired with her pop star persona.
Her album “So Close To What,” released in February of this year, has allowed for newly increased attention to head her way.
With songs resembling similar ideas and sounds of her previous work “THINK LATER,” I just don’t feel like the albums reflect two separate states of her life, with some songs being the exception.
Don’t get me wrong, her hits have secured her a spot as a generational voice, with some even considering her the new Britney Spears due to her showmanship and overall versatility.
Taylor Swift has reached a similar problem to Carpenter’s and McRae’s—the inability to let time reveal what a work can become rather than producing what seems like a rushed, somewhat altered version of work they’ve already released.
Although I have deep emotions for all three, being a long-time fan of all, I can safely express that they haven’t produced their best work this year. Shockingly, Tate McRae had my favorite album of all three because at least some differences between her previous and her latest work were visible.
As for the rest? That’s strongly debatable.
But not everything has been disheartening. Voices like Addison Rae’s and Audrey Hobert have risen to stardom upon the release of their first studio albums, “Addison” and Who’s the Clown?” respectively.
Both had strategically released singles like “Diet Pepsi” (Rae) and “Sue Me” (Hobert), which kick-started a fandom for what appeared to be intriguing conceptual albums, promising the ingenious birth of unique production and lyrical value.
“Addison” is not only composed of lyrics reflecting the struggles of growing up and being in a confounding state of mind, but it also represents a complete rebrand of Rae’s previous TikTok persona, whose artistic drive wasn’t taken seriously in past years.
For Hobert, “Who’s the Clown?” navigates her awkward being and messiness, typical traits of a deeply honest and raw 20s experience.
This was one of my favorite works of the entire 2025 musical season. Not only because I am a fan of her friend Gracie Abrams, whose work she’s collaborated on, but also because her stage presence is one that invites the public to shamelessly engage with her.
Hobert’s lack of costumes, make-up and extravagant hairstyles deems her as a relatable and approachable figure, one that invites self-expression and redefines confidence. In truth, getting to know her as a person has made her music that much more enjoyable.
Other artists resurfaced after some time, including Lady Gaga with her album “Mayhem”, exploring the chaos she’s known for, and “Lux” by Rosalía, a true master class in reinvention.
“I Said I Love You First” by the couple Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco was another album that just didn’t hit for me. Although it was beautiful to witness their love story contained in lyrics, I expected more impactful work by two remarkable figures in the music industry.
But maybe that was the point of this whole year: to stop complicating everything and producing momentary art, which in exchange seems commercial and unpolished.
While some unexpected releases relieved this mindset of mine for a bit with works like “More,” a Wallows EP, and Ariana Grande’s deluxe version of “Eternal Sunshine,” artists that I expected to hit harder just didn’t do it for me.
Lucy Daucus’ “Forever is a Feeling” didn’t bring the level of yearning that I so love witnessing her deliver. At times, her vulnerability felt superficial with oversimplistic lyrics.
Even KATSEYE, a group known mostly due to their performative skills, didn’t revive any of my fangirl attitude, as their highly conceptually dry tunes didn’t feel enjoyable at all.
All things considered, 2025 has been the most underwhelming year for music throughout the 2020s so far. Previous works like “Folklore,” “Sour,” “Un Verano Sin Ti,” “The Record,” “BRAT,” “Imaginal Disk” and “Hit Me Hard and Soft” seemed more energy-charged than any of the works produced this year.
I will say Gracie Abrams’ single “Death Wish” and Chapell Roan’s single “The Subway” have gotten me excited with contemplating what vulnerable lyricism and intentional production can represent for artists who know how to utilize them to their advantage.
My hope for the coming year is that more artists, especially popular ones, give themselves some grace and time and deliver work that more accurately reflects the space they are navigating, rather than producing music that seems dismissive of their talents.
