Music

From Bad Bunny's reign to AI slop, these were the biggest music stories in 2025

By Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

Published December 17, 2025 at 3:00 AM MST

Bad Bunny's victory lap rolled into November, when he finally won his first Latin Grammy in one of the three major categories: album of the year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. — Bad Bunny's victory lap rolled into November, when he finally won his first Latin Grammy in one of the three major categories: album of the year for *DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS*.

From Puerto Rico's global music takeover to the high-profile criminal trial of a hip-hop mogul, 2025 had no shortage of music news. Artists protested across stages and streaming platforms; they sparred with the White House over its use of their songs on social media posts. TikTok creators became bonafide pop stars and duos who'd spent decades away from the spotlight reunited in studios and on the road. In an ever-changing and fast-paced attention economy, musicians hustled to put out records, connect with listeners and demand accountability from some of the industry's biggest power players.

Here's a rundown of some of the biggest music stories of 2025:

January

Bad Bunny kick-started the year with the release of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, which chronicled Puerto Rico's cultural lineage from música jíbara to trap-fueled reggaeton. A concept album doubling as a manifesto for his island, the 31-year-old superstar laid the groundwork for what would become a historical year not just for his own career, but for an entire diaspora.
In Los Angeles, wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the city. Many musicians lost their homes, and instruments, recording gear, vinyl collections and studio spaces vanished overnight.
As Drake's chances of squashing his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar slipped further and further away from him, the rapper fired an unexpected shot: he filed a lawsuit against his label, Universal Music Group (UMG), for releasing and promoting Lamar's diss track, "Not Like Us." The complaint was later dismissed by a federal judge. (Drake also withdrew a previous filing accusing UMG and Spotify of unfairly promoting "Not Like Us").
When President Trump took office and made immigration crackdowns a core priority of his second term, musicians began protesting his administration by refusing to perform in the U.S. Bells Larsen, Christian Tetzlaff, András Schiff and Bad Bunny are among the artists who skipped U.S. tours throughout 2025, specifically citing the administration's aggressive immigration policies. Several festivals focused on Latin music and culture, including Michelada Festival and Migo Fest, were also cancelled later in the year due to concerns over artist visas and community safety amidst ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

February

Two big winners defined the 67th annual Grammy awards night. Beyoncé finally won album of the year for Cowboy Carter, and Kendrick Lamar took home five golden gramophones for "Not Like Us," including song of the year, record of the year and best rap song.
A week later, Lamar performed to his biggest audience ever during the Super Bowl halftime show. He performed a medley of songs punctuated by Samuel L. Jackson's satirical take on Uncle Sam, a crip-walking Serena Williams and some very loaded eye contact with the camera during "Not Like Us." Lamar's televised revolution pronounced him the universal winner of the fight against his Canadian rival.
In Washington, D.C., a different battle began to unfold: President Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center. Weeks into his second term, the president purged the board of its bipartisan, Biden-appointed members, fired long-time leadership and named himself chairman of the nation's cultural center (he was later elected to that position by a new board). This would only be the beginning of a year marked by staffing cuts, canceled performances and hostile exchanges between artists and the Kennedy Center's new leadership.

March

After spending time in Hollywood, diving into new genres and concluding a fruitful collaboration with Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga finally stepped back into her best-known role: Mother Monster. With the release of Mayhem on March 7, Gaga embraced the dark dance pop sound that catapulted her into stardom nearly two decades ago.

Irish rap trio Kneecap took Coachella by storm.

April

Director Ryan Coogler released the period thriller Sinners, a spiritual and musical exploration of cultural vampirism in the Mississippi Delta drawing a throughline from blues to hip-hop.
Irish rap trio Kneecap took Coachella by storm, marking the beginning of an electrifying and highly controversial festival season for the group. Already known for its politically-motivated advocacy for the Irish language, the group also led the crowd in chants of "Free Palestine," which resulted in stark criticism from people ranging from Sharon Osbourne to the British Prime Minister. British law enforcement eventually charged band member Mo Chara with a terrorism offense for allegedly holding up a flag in support of Hezbollah, which was later dismissed.

May

The criminal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs began in New York City, and would continue to dominate headlines and social media discourse for the first half of the summer. Combs' ex-girlfriends, former employees and law enforcement agents all testified on behalf of the government, which accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise that enabled and concealed abuse for decades.
After a years-long battle that included a public feud with music executive Scooter Braun and the re-recording of several LPs, Taylor Swift finally bought back the master recordings to her first six albums.
Nashville bad boy Morgan Wallen released I'm The Problem, which topped Billboard's 200 chart, as expected, and remained there for months. The 37-song project soared across multiple charts and cemented Wallen's status not just as a country superstar, but as a force to be reckoned with in pop.

June

Former Hype House TikTok creator Alex Warren hit No.1 on Billboard's Hot 100 with "Ordinary," a romantic ballad that would become the biggest song in the country for most of the summer.
Two legends who revolutionized American music in the 1960s died within days of each other: Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. Both led emblematic Los Angeles ensembles that soundtracked changing social and political norms in the era's counterculture, though they eventually retreated from the spotlight.
Indie rock band Deerhoof decided to pull its music off Spotify in protest of CEO Daniel Ek's defense investments. A wave of other artists soon followed suit, criticizing not just Ek's ties to a German military technology company, but Spotify's payout model more broadly and its impact on artists' ability to make a living.

Oasis reunited for a series of concerts 16 years after breaking up.

July

A federal jury acquitted Sean Combs of the most serious charges against him, sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He was convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution, but the verdict was considered an overall victory by his team, and led to sizable celebrations outside the courthouse — though it also sparked questions about Combs' legacy moving forward.
It finally happened: Oasis reunited for a series of concerts 16 years after breaking up, leading to nostalgic, intergenerational sing-alongs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Another pair of brothers — with significantly less public baggage – also teamed up again: Clipse released its first album in 16 years. Let God Sort Em Out quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop records of the year, and later received a warm welcome (back) from the Recording Academy.
On Spotify, controversy continued. An AI-generated music project posing as a real band racked up millions of streams (and appeared on several widely-listened to playlists) before anyone noticed the group was not, in fact, made up of human musicians. The debacle sounded alarms over how streaming platforms will approach artificial intelligence moving forward, and led to demands for more transparency from experts and listeners alike.

August

Bad Bunny's historic residency in San Juan, "No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí" ("I Don't Want to Leave Here"), hit its halfway point and cultural apex in August. The 31-concert, three-months long series, which included a special block for Puerto Rican residents only, drove home the themes of his record-breaking album and injected massive revenue into the local economy.
Netflix's animated film Kpop Demon Hunters came out in June, but in August, the film's soundtrack dominated the pop charts, becoming the first movie soundtrack in three decades to have that kind of impact.

September

The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, alleging that the company willingly misleads consumers about ticket prices and cooperates with scalpers to markup resale prices — all at the expense of artists and music fans.
Daniel Ek, the co-founder and most visible face of Spotify as it grew into the biggest streaming service in the world, announced his decision to step down as CEO at the end of the year and transition to executive chairman in 2026.
Hundreds of international musicians launched "No Music for Genocide," a boycott that removed their music from streaming services in Israel. The movement continued to gain steam for months, with over a thousand musicians joining and pledging to partake in the geo-block until there is an end to the violence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, becoming the first artist who performs exclusively Spanish-language music to do so. The announcement received swift backlash from conservative politicians and media outlets. During an appearance on Saturday Night Live, the Puerto Rican superstar mockingly advised his critics to start learning his native language.

Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. — Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, *The Life of a Showgirl*.

October

A federal judge sentenced Sean Combs to over four years in prison for the prostitution-related charges he was convicted of in July. Prosecutors had advocated for an 11 year sentence, while Combs' attorneys argued their client should be allowed to go home before the end of the year. During the ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian stated that a substantial sentence was necessary to account for the gravity of Combs' physical and emotional abuse over his victims.
Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, created during her blockbuster Eras Tour and incredibly high-profile romance with her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce. As expected, the album was an immediate commercial success. The song "Actually Romantic" also stoked rumors about a feud with Charli xcx, creating friction between the artists' respective fanbases online.
Visionary singer D'Angelo died at the age of 51 following a battle with cancer. A pioneer of what would become known as neo-soul, he released only three albums, but left an indelible mark on R&B — though he spent much of his life skewing the labels forced onto his image and his sound.

November

Bad Bunny's victory lap rolled into November, when he finally won his first Latin Grammy in one of the three major categories: album of the year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. He dedicated the award to the young people of Latin America and Puerto Rico specifically.
Former rapper Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, following a heated race that thrust him into the national spotlight. Throughout the campaign trail, musicians from the city and beyond including PinkPantheress, Lucy Dacus and Djo brought Mamdani onstage at concerts or endorsed him. New York City's indie rock community also rallied behind the candidate.
Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, the most important platform for country music, turned 100 years old. It is now the longest running live radio show in the world, and continues to be an emblematic stage of a genre still growing and transforming.
Warner Music Group — one of the biggest record labels in the world — signed licensing deals with two artificial intelligence companies it was previously suing for copyright infringement: Suno and Udio. The new deals will allow paid users of the AI platforms to create songs with the voices of artists and compositions of songwriters who agree to participate.The company pledges that these partnerships will allow artists and songwriters to be properly compensated for how their work is used in AI-music models.

December

The first Kennedy Center Honors were held in Washington, D.C. since President Trump's takeover of the institution. KISS, Gloria Gaynor and George Strait were musicians honored this year, with Trump declaring he was "very involved" in the selection process. He also became the first president to host the awards ceremony.