As 2025 comes to a close, one of the most significant parts of this year was the music released. From Lorde to Morgan Wallen, there were some very good albums made in every genre. However, there were a few that made the biggest impact and got the most attention. Here are the top ten albums, in no specific order, of 2025!
PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake – $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
This collaboration album between the two artists was released on Valentine’s Day 2025, with 21 tracks. This album falls into the R&B and mood genres. This album was a profound success, reaching the top of the Billboard charts its first day on streaming services. During the first week of its release, the album sold 246,000 copies and reached 247 million streams. Some of the most notable songs from this album are, Gimme A Hug, CN Tower, Raining in Houston, and probably the most notable, NOKIA. NOKIA gained popularity through TikTok, which aided its climb to #1 in the US for two consecutive weeks, and its double platinum certification.
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow
The Weeknd’s sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, was released on January 31, 2025. Though it was released very early on in the year, its impact on this year’s music is undoubtable. This release immediately reached #1 on the Billboard charts, and achieved around 490,500 album units. This album release marked a new record for The Weeknd, as it was his biggest debut week and largest sales week out of any other album by the artist. One of the songs that highly contributed to the album’s popularity was Timeless ft. Playboi Carti. This song once again blew up on TikTok, and had people waiting for the album after hearing just this one song. Some other significant songs include Såo Paulo, Enjoy the Show, Cry For Me, and The Abyss.
Tate McRae – So Close To What
Tate McRae’s third studio album, So Close To What, was released on February 21, 2025. This album features 16 tracks and had four hit singles. One of the most notable singles was Revolving Door. This single was released the same day as the album, and climbed its way up the charts. The single has over 400 Million global Spotify streams, and the music video has gained over 37.7 Million views. The song follows the cycle of a toxic relationship, and the exhausting patterns that continue to occur. So Close To What was an incredible success, and hit #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 177,000 first week sales. It has now surpassed one billion sales and has over 2.5 billion Spotify streams.
Playboi Carti – MUSIC
After a long wait of December 25, 2020, Playboi Carti finally released his third studio album on March 14, 2025. This album showed massive streaming success, reaching 130M Spotify streams in one day, and completely topping charts with all 30 tracks charting on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first rapper to achieve this. This release was also the first rap album of 2025 to surpass 1 million sales, and he sold over 300,000 units during the album’s first week. One of the most remarkable songs from this album is Rather Lie ft. The Weeknd. After people heard Timeless by the Weeknd featuring Playboi Carti, having another song with the two excited fans, and the song gained immense popularity very quickly. Other noteworthy songs from MUSIC include CRANK, K POP, CRUSH ft. Travis Scott, and HBA.
Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
With 495,000 first week sales marking it as the biggest of the year, Morgan Wallen’s 37 song double-album I’m The Problem became the year’s best-selling album by mid-year. This album spent over two months consecutively at the number one spot on the Billboard 200, and had twelve weeks at the spot total. One of the big contributors to this album’s success was a feature from Tate McRae on the fourth track “What I Want”. Some of the other popular songs on the album include I’m The Problem, I Got Better, Dark Till Daylight, and Lies Lies Lies. The album is nearly two hours long, and had 36 of its 37 tracks reach the Billboard 100 the week of its debut.
Lorde – Virgin
Lorde’s fourth studio album, Virgin, was released June 27, 2025 and is an exploration of femininity and Lorde’s personal struggles with body image and eating disorders. The album falls into the synth-pop genre and is known for its raw lyrics and industrial sounds. This album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and sold 71,000 total units during its first week of release. This album gained popularity through songs like Man Of The Year, What Was That, and Hammer blowing up on TikTok. Man Of The Year actually achieved its own entire TikTok trend to the song, specifically to the lyrics “Let’s hear it for the man of the year.” This album was followed by the highly successful Ultrasound World Tour, and was overall one of the most praised albums of the year.
Cactus Jack & Travis Scott – JACKBOYS 2
This album falls just behind Playboi Carti’s MUSIC for the biggest rap album debut of 2025. Released on July 13, 2025, this collaboration album between Cactus Jack and Travis Scott topped the charts. The album includes 17 tracks, and has features from artists like Future, Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, and Sheck Wes. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 during the first week of its release, and sold 232,000 total album units. The artists also release variations of merchandise available for sale, such as vinyls, CDs, and deluxe boxes that contributed to its first week sales. Some remarkable songs from this album include WHERE WAS YOU ft. Playboi Carti & Future, DA WIZARD, KICK OUT, and DUMBO.
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
Olivia Dean is an up and coming artist, who just recently gained popularity through the release of her second studio album, The Art of Loving. This album was released on September 26, 2025, and revolves around multiple different types of love, including romantic, platonic, and self-love. The songs I’ve Seen It and So Easy gained popularity on TikTok, which ultimately returned in the whole album gaining popularity. The songs from the album have been featured in over 2.6 million TikTok videos, and the album overall has received over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend is her seventh studio album, and falls into the pop/soft rock genre. This album was released on August 29, 2025 and all of its twelve tracks topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It debuted at #1, and sold over 366,000 total album units during its release week. The album gathers themes of empowerment, relationships, and love, similar to her breakout album Short ‘n Sweet, but exploring deeper dynamics. The album cover sparked controversy, though Carpenter acknowledged it as a metaphor for feeling emotionally controlled and reclaiming power in relationships. This album was the first album by a woman to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 in five months. The hit single Manchild was released in June 2025, and created anticipation for the release of the full album. Some of the most notable songs from this album include, Tears, Nobody’s Son, Goodbye, and We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night. Almost every song from the album has been trending on TikTok, aiding the album’s overall popularity.
Tyler, The Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS
Tyler, The Creator’s album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 after its release on July 21, 2025. Despite its unusual Monday morning release, this album marked the artist’s fourth consecutive number one album and top-seller of the week. The album gained over 93 million first-week streams, and 197,000 album units sold. This is Tyler, The Creator’s ninth studio album, and it features ten tracks on digital streaming services, but offers a bonus track to fans who purchase the vinyls and CDs. One of the most popular songs from this album is Sugar On My Tongue, which gained popularity through TikTok during the summer.
Overall, there were many good music releases this year, but these are just a few that literally topped the charts. Whether you’ve heard one of these songs on a TikTok trend, or a friend played it in the car, make sure you give all of these albums a listen! After all, they didn’t top the charts for no reason!
