Rosalía’s Lux tops BBC’s 2025 best albums; PinkPantheress leads best songs in poll of polls
BBC News aggregates more than 30 year-end lists to crown 2025’s standout albums and tracks, highlighting a year of boundary-pushing pop and new voices.
Rosalía’s Lux was crowned the best album of 2025 in a BBC News poll of polls that combines the judgments of more than 30 year-end lists from major music publications. The Spanish artist’s fourth album is described as a monumental, multilingual exploration that blends classical, flamenco and avant-pop, inviting listeners to consider art and spirituality at once. The year’s top single, PinkPantheress’s Illegal, led the songs tally. The exercise also underscored a year when critics favored invention over blockbuster sales; Taylor Swift’s blockbuster The Life Of A Showgirl drew only a handful of nominations, and Alex Warren’s Ordinary appeared in just one year-end list. The poll captures a moment when critics gravitated toward intimate storytelling, cross-genre experimentation and mood-forward textures rather than conventional chart dominance.
The methodology behind the rankings involved aggregating more than 30 end-of-year lists from outlets around the world, spanning publications such as Albumism, Billboard, BuzzFeed, Clash, Complex, Consequence of Sound, Dazed, The Guardian, Independent, LA Times, Les Inrockuptibles, Line of Best Fit, MOJO, Mondo Sonoro, NME, New York Times, Paste Magazine, Pitchfork, PopMatters, Rolling Stone, The Skinny, Slant, Stereogum, The Telegraph, Time Magazine, Time Out, The Times, Uncut and Vulture. Each record earned points based on its position in each list, with the top pick receiving 20 points, the second 19, and so on. When the tallies were complete, Rosalía’s Lux edged Geese’s Getting Killed by 52 points in the album category—the closest finish in the poll’s history—while PinkPantheress led the singles tally in a field that remained tightly contested. The results reflect a year in which critics celebrated sonic experimentation and distinctive voices across genres rather than simply the strongest sellers.
The 10 best albums of 2025, according to the poll of polls, are: 10) Addison Rae – Addison, described as shimmering and spacey, built by a small team to create a cohesive mood; 9) Lily Allen – West End Girl, a sharp, pop-hook-driven portrait of a faltering marriage; 8) Pulp – More, a return that channels mid-90s energy with mature reflections on love and aging; 7) Dijon – Baby, a harmony-rich R&B record that travels between intimate confession and expansive groove; 6) FKA Twigs – Eusexua, a futuristic suite of deconstructed club tracks with piercing hooks; 5) CMAT – Euro-Country, a riotous, socially observant ride through modern life; 4) Oklou – Choke, a delicately woven, nearly drumless dream-pop statement; 3) Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a jubilant, genre-spanning homage to Puerto Rican musical roots amidst commentary on change and loss; 2) Geese – Getting Killed, a jagged patchwork of influences that still feels cohesive under a distinctive voice; 1) Rosalía – Lux, a monumental, multilingual epic that pushes the boundaries of form and spirituality while retaining emotional clarity.
The 10 best singles of 2025, as tallied by the same process, are: 10) Wednesday – Elderberry Wine, a gently unsettling indie track built on a hypnotic cadence; 9) Kehlani – Folded, a soulful, nostalgically tinged R&B moment anchored by a memorable vocal performance; 8) Addison Rae – Headphones On, a pop manifesto about escaping into music and shutting out the noise; 7) Amaarae – SMO, a seductive, kinetic electro-pop excursion that leans into charismatic phrasing; 6) Bad Bunny – Baile Inolvidable, a live-salsa-infused celebration recorded with student musicians that carries a touch of heartbreak; 5) Huntr/x – Golden, a soaring anthem born from the vibrancy of Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack; 4) Chappell Roan – The Subway, a theatrical breakup narrative set against the bustle of New York City; 3) Lady Gaga – Abracadabra, a maximalist return that nods to her debut era with heightened gothic energy; 2) Olivia Dean – Man I Need, a bright, soulful call for self-respect and reciprocity; 1) PinkPantheress – Illegal, a flirtation with risk that reframes love and desire through a lean, dance-pop lens.
The poll’s methodology, which assigned points based on ranking position across more than 30 lists, produced a remarkably tight competition in both albums and singles. The top album, Lux, was just ahead of Getting Killed by Geese, while PinkPantheress’s Illegal dominated the singles field. The near-tie results underscore a year in which critics prioritized texture, experimentation and emotional honesty over conventional commercial peaks. The publications surveyed include 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 Inrockuptibles, 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. Critics emphasized the year’s musical breadth, with established artists and breakout talents bridging regional sounds and global genres.
Images accompanying this report illustrate the breadth of the year’s music, from Rosalía and Bad Bunny to Pulp and Addison Rae, reflecting a landscape where cross-genre collaboration and multilingual storytelling became increasingly central.
As listeners look back on 2025, the poll of polls serves as a barometer for critical taste rather than a commercial tally. The year’s most acclaimed albums and songs invite deeper listening across languages and traditions, highlighting artists who built immersive worlds rather than chasing the loudest moment on the charts. The list is a guide to what critics considered innovative, craft-forward and emotionally resonant in a year defined by experimentation and new voices crossing boundaries across cultures.
Beyond the top picks, the BBC’s aggregation underscores how 2025 produced a plurality of sounds that resisted simple categorization. The year’s most-discussed albums and songs arrived from a mix of established acts and emerging artists, signaling a music culture that values risk-taking and storytelling in equal measure. The final tally, while a snapshot, offers a concentrated snapshot of a year when the critical conversation around pop, indie, Latin, electronic and experimental music was unusually vibrant and globally oriented.
In sum, 2025’s best albums and singles reflect a year of audacious creativity and cross-pollination across genres and regions. Critics prominent in this poll highlighted artists who push at the edges of form, inviting listeners to engage more deeply with music as a living, evolving art form rather than a fixed listening experience. The poll of polls remains a useful, if imperfect, snapshot of a year where innovation mattered as much as accessibility, and where the most celebrated works encouraged repeat listening and sustained conversation about what pop can be.
