Hit and Flop Music 2025: From Taylor Swift, Lorde to Miley Cyrus

2025 was a year filled with music - from exploring heartbreak, identity, love, to anthems of celebration, anger, and the comedic tragedy of lives, it had it all. 

However, there were melodies that struck a special chord and lyrics that stayed with listeners. Such albums are listed below which shaped the sound of the year.

Hit Music of 2025

Love & Hyperbole — Alessia Cara

In a true Alessia Cara fashion, the singer won over fans’ hearts with the album. Although official sales and chart track remains undisclosed, fans gave the album glowing reviews in 2025.

The British songstress had everyone humming to her songs, and received commercial as well as critical success with her second studio album. Dean is now gearing up for tour, has a Grammy nomination under her belt, and just made her Saturday Night Live debut.

The English rock band left a mark on 2025, with their signature rock sound and experimental approach in their latest album. Their project climbed to the top of the charts and secured a Mercury Prize Album of the Year nomination.

The Life of a Showgirl — Taylor Swift

Although the global pop icon received mix critical reviews for her 12th studio album, commercially it broke records like no album had done before.

Man’s Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter

With its much-anticipated release, Carpenter’s album set the record for the biggest streaming debut for a woman musician in 2025. The songs in this album have razor-sharp lyricism mixed with catchy production that her fans love.

Mayhem — Lady Gaga

Gaga gave fans a taste of her earlier music with more mature lyricism in the album, and left a lasting impact on the musical year. Not only was it a fan-favourite, but also received Grammy nominations and critical acclaim.

Play — Ed Sheeran

The pop star’s new album surprised music enthusiasts with its Hindi influence, and a collaboration on Sapphire with Indian singer, Arijit Singh. The lyricism on the album also moved from Sheeran’s signature upbeat dance pop to deeper, meaningful expressions of feeling which also translated in commercial success.

Lorde — Virgin

The New Zealand native created an album resonant of her hit, Melodrama, which fans were keenly waiting for. The unflinchingly honest lyricism combined with the classic synth-pop sound Lorde is known for, was a commercial and critical success. 

Flop Music of 2025 

While undeniably exciting releases, there were a few albums we didn’t hear much. Some of these albums are listed below.

Will Smith - Based On A True Story

The album marked Smith’s return to music after 20 years, but unfortunately it could not perform well on the charts, and could not be a commercial success.

Tyla - WWP (EP)

Tyla’s music collection was a shorter project but not as short to not make any noise, unfortunately it did just that.

Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful

The Smilers seemed to be anticipating the album’s release all over social media, but the commercial turnout did not match the excitement after its first week.

Ty Dolla $ign - Tycoon

The rapper failed to reach the Billboard 200 for the first time in his music career, because of the low sales after the album’s release.