BBC's Year-End Poll Names Rosalía's Lux Best Album of 2025; PinkPantheress Tops Singles

Rosalía's Lux has been named the best album of 2025 in a BBC News poll of polls that aggregates more than 30 end-of-year lists from major music outlets. The Spanish artist edged Geese's Getting Killed in a tightly contested finish that underscored critics' appetite for ambitious, cross-genre experimentation. In the year’s singles tally, PinkPantheress's Illegal topped the list, signaling a year in which compact dance-pop and experimental sounds shared the spotlight with high-profile releases.

BBC's methodology combined more than 30 year-end lists from outlets including Albumism, Billboard, BuzzFeed, Clash, Complex, Consequence of Sound, Dazed, Daily Mail, Dork, Double J, Entertainment Weekly, Exclaim!, The Fader, Flood, The Forty Five, Gorilla vs Bear, The Guardian, Independent, LA Times, Les Inrocks, Line of Best Fit, MOJO, Mondo Sonoro, NME, New York Times, Paste Magazine, Pitchfork, Pop Matters, Rolling Stone, The Skinny, Slant, Stereogum, The Telegraph, Time Magazine, Time Out, The Times, Uncut and Vulture. Each ranking was converted to points, with first place worth 20 points, second 19, and so on down to 1 point for 20th place. The scores were tallied to produce a single, unified ranking for albums and for singles. The result: Lux and Getting Killed were separated by 52 points—the closest finish in the poll's history. The exercise highlighted a year when critics favored transformative, genre-blurring music over megasellers.

Among the year’s albums, the top 10 reflected a mix of pop bravado, indie experimentation and bold crossovers. No. 10 was Addison Rae’s Addison, a three-person collaboration that builds a breezy, trance-like sonic world around Rae’s voice, with singles such as Diet Pepsi and Headphones On described as simultaneously classic and futuristic. No. 9 placed Lily Allen's West End Girl, a blistering, detail-rich portrait of a fractured marriage set to artful pop production. No. 8 saw Pulp return with More, a comeback that channels the band’s mid-1990s vitality while Jarvis Cocker sings of aging, love and change. No. 7 featured Dijon’s Baby, an R&B-influenced record that dives into fatherhood, longing and emotional complexity, while the No. 6 slot went to FKA Twigs and Eusexua, praised for its futuristic soundscapes and deconstructed club textures. No. 5 crowned CMAT with Euro-Country, a cheeky yet incisive take on social anxiety, late-stage capitalism and modern fame. No. 4 was Oklou with Choke, an intimate, largely drumless collection built on hypnotic loops. No. 3 highlighted Bad Bunny with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a joyous blend of plena, salsa and reggaeton that also weighs in on gentrification and loss. No. 2 recognized Geese with Getting Killed, a fierce, collision of influences from Radiohead to the Velvet Underground. At No. 1, Rosalía’s Lux was described as a monumental, multi-lingual exploration of faith, art and vulnerability that “redefines grace and beauty” across its expansive soundscape.

No. 1 Rosalía – Lux; No. 2 Geese – Getting Killed; No. 3 Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos; No. 4 Oklou – Choke; No. 5 CMAT – Euro-Country; No. 6 FKA Twigs – Eusexua; No. 7 Dijon – Baby; No. 8 Pulp – More; No. 9 Lily Allen – West End Girl; No. 10 Addison Rae – Addison. Each entry was described in the compiled notes as a distinct, immersive experience, spanning languages, cultures and production approaches.

The year’s top singles mirrored a different, but equally eclectic, portrait of popular music. No. 10 was Wednesday’s Elderberry Wine, a gentle indie-leaning track that builds tension from a simple metaphor. No. 9 featured Kehlani with Folded, a ballad-inflected track that blends nostalgia with contemporary R&B torch-song mood. No. 8 placed Addison Rae again, this time with Headphones On, a hypnotic pop statement about losing yourself in music. No. 7 was Amaarae’s SMO, a seductive, globally influenced groove that leans into electro-pop bravado. No. 6 highlighted Bad Bunny with Baile Inolvidable, a live-recorded salsa-inspired moment recorded with student musicians in Puerto Rico. No. 5 was Huntr/x with Golden, a soaring anthem written for Netflix's K-Pop Demon Hunters that earned Oscar buzz. No. 4 featured Chappell Roan with The Subway, a theater-in-urban-motion piece about grief and resilience. No. 3 celebrated Lady Gaga with Abracadabra, a triumphant return that leans into her debut-art-pop formula. No. 2 spotlighted Olivia Dean with Man I Need, a bright, soulful kiss-off that reframes self-worth in love. No. 1 crowned PinkPantheress with Illegal, a track that turns the ache of falling in love into a provocative, pulsing dance-pop statement.

The poll’s results emphasize a year in which critics rewarded artistry and invention over sheer commercial dominance. Some megastars did not translate their sales power into critical prize, with Taylor Swift’s blockbuster The Life Of A Showgirl earning only a handful of nominations. In contrast, rising artists and cross-genre acts—such as Addison Rae and Geese—found their way onto the year-end lists, reflecting a broader appetite for boundary-pusting pop and adventurous indie sounds.

The BBC notes that the exercise was designed to reflect a global critical conversation, drawing on publications from around the world. The outlets included in the survey spanned major music press and mainstream media alike, underscoring the breadth of opinions shaping what counted as the “best” in 2025. The year’s overall portrait suggests a cultural moment in which music increasingly blends languages, traditions and technologies, producing records that reward repeat listening and cross-cultural resonance.

As the year closes, critics and fans alike look to 2026 for continuations and provocations across pop, hip-hop, electronic and indie music. The BBC poll of polls provides a snapshot of a music landscape defined by curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to diverge from the blockbuster norm. The final, composite rankings serve as a guide to what critics considered the most influential work of 2025, while also signaling trends likely to shape the next wave of releases.

With the results in hand, listeners can revisit Lux and Getting Killed to hear how the year’s most celebrated albums approach themes of love, faith, memory and social change. They can also explore the year’s top singles to understand how artists translated mood and moment into concise, radio-friendly statements that still push genre boundaries. The “super-ranking” captures not just a moment in time, but a continuing evolution in how music is created, consumed and discussed across global audiences.

Looking ahead, critics say the year’s tighter margins and the surge of crossover acts hint at a music culture that increasingly values experimentation, collaboration and global perspectives. The poll’s methodology, by aggregating many voices, provides a rare snapshot of consensus amid a continually diverse soundscape. Whether that diversity persists into 2026 remains to be seen, but the 2025 results lay a foundation for continued cross-pollination between pop, indie, dance and regional genres that drive the current cultural conversation.

In sum, the year’s most acclaimed albums and songs reflect a music industry in flux, where critics prize audacious concepts as highly as accessible hooks. The Lux-led album list and the PinkPantheress front-runner on the singles chart embody a broader shift toward music that reflects personal storytelling, linguistic experimentation and global collaboration. As fans and listeners everywhere press play, the conversation about what defines the best of 2025—and what counts as culture—continues to evolve.