About a year ago, music critics were remarking on the vast amount of amazing new music that was put out in 2024, and many wondered if there was any good music left over for 2025. It turns out, many artists that were looked over in the past made big names for themselves this year, and even a number of bigger artists who put out music in 2024 released new songs this year. In the past few months, a variety of musicians released all different types of albums and singles that defined the entire year, and here are just a few highlights.

Only a few months after announcing to the world that she bought her master recordings, Taylor Swift had another announcement for her fans. Through a mysterious countdown and a surprise appearance on her boyfriend (now fiancé)’s podcast, Swift announced that she would be releasing her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Now, months after Swifties first went crazy over-analyzing the track list and speculating who each song could be about, “The Life of a Showgirl” is stuck in everyone’s heads, whether or not they’d like it to be. Morris Knolls senior Samanvitha Mahidhara shares her opinion on the album, saying “I like it to an extent. There were very vibrant and upbeat parts, but I felt like some of the lyrics were lacking when compared to other albums of hers, like ‘folklore.’” Taylor Swift reflects on her relationship with critics in digital media with her vulnerable song “Eldest Daughter,” which has received a mixed response from the very people she references in the track. The multi-Grammy winner picks the vibes back up in “Actually Romantic,” which is rumored to be a diss on another popular artist, then turns the vibes sweet by showing her love to her fiancé in both “Wood” and “Honey.” With fans speculating about future music videos and wondering about a tour for the album, it’s clear that this era is one for the books.

British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters is back to releasing music after nearly two and a half years of touring and writing songs. After the success of her 2023 album, “The Good Witch,” Peters has chosen to create more mellow and guitar-based music. In October, the singer released her single “Audrey Hepburn” and surprised fans by dropping another new song, “You You You” along with it. The two songs contrast each other, one about finding true love and the other about being washed away by heartbreak. As Peters continues to drop hints for MP3 (the title fans have lovingly been referring to the artist’s upcoming third album), many speculate that her completed collection of songs may release early 2026.

After transforming many of her hits into rock songs, Demi Lovato released her new album, “It’s Not That Deep,” featuring 11 songs that both comfort and confuse listeners. The upbeat pop melodies are bound to feel familiar to casual listeners, but people who became fans because of Lovato’s last couple works may be a bit displeased. Her last two albums contained dark, more metal songs, with the more recent one full of heavy-hitting and vulnerable music. While it still features a recollection of the singer’s recent emotions and vulnerabilities, the energy of “It’s Not That Deep” is a lot happier and showcases Lovato in an elevated light. The album captures her present feelings, but is bustling with hope as well.

23-year-old Sadie Jean released her debut album, “Early Twenties Torture,” on October 24th. While she now attracts smaller audiences, her 2022 release “WYD Now?” became a hit on the radio as well as on social media, with all types of people participating in open-verse challenges and TikTok trends. Though she has not since produced as big of a hit, her passionate fans have been following her journey of recent performances and singles, which led to “Early Twenties Torture.” The twelve songs all center around the heartbreak and happiness of being a young woman in the modern dating world. Sadie Jean reflects on a friends-to-lovers type of situation in “I Miss My Friend,” where the artist reveals her regret for turning her relationship with a friend into a romantic one. “Move on First” and “This Time Around” dictate a relationship difficult to move on from, and one when Jean is happy for her ex to find a new love. Even if some have never heard of Sadie Jean, her natural songwriting ability and heartfelt sounds are sure to keep anyone listening.

Tate McCrae has been a rising star for years, and in 2025 the young artist reached heights many couldn’t dream of. With her chart-topping third album “So Close To What” that came out last March, followed by several riveting performances and her first arena tour, the singer’s packed year left not much room for anything else. Or so listeners thought. Just weeks before its release, McCrae announced that a deluxe edition of the album, featuring five new songs, would be available to listen to. To the delight of her fans, Tate McCrae’s vocals and writing left listeners gagged. From attempting to move on in “Trying on Shoes” to full-on dissing her ex in “Tit For Tat,” the 5 songs explore the heartache and vengeance the artist has felt since releasing the standard edition of the album.

Another deluxe project that has recently come out is Alessi’s Rose’s “Voyeur (Deluxe).” Over the summer, the British singer released her third EP, with her opening track “Same Mouth” hitting radios all over the world, giving listeners a glimpse into Rose’s potential future stardom. This deluxe version of “Voyeur” gave fans three new songs, including “First Original Thought,” which also made its way to radio audiences. The original eight songs of this EP were a combination of upbeat anthems and sad-girl ballads, but this continuation feels like a throwback to many classic, sparkly sounds of the 1980s and 90s, possibly giving listeners a glimpse into her future projects.

In 2024, “Wicked: Part 1” excited fans with new versions of beloved songs like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” and “Wicked: For Good” has done just the same, with eleven more songs. Though the original Broadway musical songs of “Wicked” have been available to listen to for over 20 years, it is refreshing and exciting for big fans to hear pop star Ariana Grande and Tony-award winner Cynthia Erivo singing such grand songs for the adaptation. Even if you weren’t a fan of the Broadway show, there is a good chance that you’ve been anticipating the release of this second “Wicked” movie. Though many feel that the first movie housed the best songs, this new movie’s music gave powerhouse Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed Elphaba, the chance to show off some of her best vocals in “No Good Deed.” Knolls student Emma Plaskow, a fan of the soundtrack from both movies, remarked, “It was stellar. It made me cry, their vocals were flawless and amazing!” Along with the inclusion of all the songs from the second half of the Broadway musical, two new songs were included in the soundtrack of “Wicked: For Good.” “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl In The Bubble,” sung by Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda respectively, give listeners more insight into the deeper thoughts of the stars of the movie. The film concludes with the gorgeous ballad “For Good,” pleasing the ears of fans and casual listeners alike. Even if you decide not to watch the film, the music highlights the exciting features of the movie and is remarkably enjoyable to listen to.

With the arrival of 2026, be sure to catch these hits from the end of last year! Whether you like to listen to pop, rock, indie music, or anything in between, this list is sure to give you music to listen to that you may have already had on repeat, or beats that you have never heard of until now. Happy listening!