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Sunday Special: The Best Music of 2025

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Sunday Special: The Best Music of 2025

The Daily

2025/12/14
The Daily

The Daily

2025/12/14
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

As 2025 comes to an end, The Sunday Special is looking back on the year in culture. This week, we’re listening to the songs and albums that defined the year, for better or worse. Gilbert Cruz is joined by Caryn Ganz and Lindsay Zoladz from The Times’s pop...

Highlights

As the year 2025 closes, a vibrant and fragmented musical landscape comes into focus—one marked by bold reinventions, unexpected comebacks, and a resurgence of live-driven rock energy. In this reflective conversation, pop critics unpack the sounds that shaped the cultural moment, from chart-topping juggernauts to underground breakthroughs.
05:30
Bad Bunny's album expands his fan base by blending tradition and contemporary sound.
12:15
The record shows Bieber trying something new and sounding more like himself.
13:37
Chappell Roan and Doechii prioritized selective releases for artistic integrity
17:01
The Life of a Showgirl is both a commercial success and a critical controversy
22:00
Despite negative reviews, 'The Life of a Showgirl' became Billboard's number-one album of the year.
22:39
Ghost delivered an impressive performance at MSG during a no-phones event
25:13
Dijon's album 'Baby' reflects new fatherhood through a unique fusion of sounds and is best experienced as a complete work.
32:42
Even people were crowd-surfing to ballads at Geese's live show.
39:34
Lily Allen's album details the emotional dissolution of her marriage.
53:18
Lindsay Zoladz wins the game by identifying 'Sports Car' by Tate McRae, 'Fame is a Gun' by Addison Rae, and 'Automatic' by Dijon

Chapters

What Made 2025’s Music Landscape So Unpredictable?
00:00
How Did Bad Bunny Capture Puerto Rico’s Soul in One Album?
03:03
Why Did Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ Divide Listeners at First?
06:47
Is Justin Bieber Reinventing Himself—Again?
10:07
What Happens When Breakout Stars Choose Pace Over Hype?
13:37
Can Taylor Swift’s Biggest Hit Also Be Her Most Criticized?
17:01
Why Did ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Top Charts But Not Hearts?
19:53
Who Really Ruled the Albums of 2025?
22:39
Are Producers Becoming the New Frontmen?
25:13
What’s Behind Geese’s Chaotic—and Captivating—Sound?
29:04
Is Rock Making a Real Comeback With Young Bands?
35:25
How Well Do We Actually Know 2025’s Pop Culture?
46:00

Transcript

Lindsay Zoladz: How does tennis superstar Naomi Osaka unwind? And how does New Zealand rugby legend Rocco Thocco build camaraderie among his team? Hi there, I'm Isabella Rossellini. And in the final episode of This Is Not A Beauty podcast from L'Oreal Grou...