All Songs Considered – The Year in Review, 2025
Host: Robin Hilton
Guests: Ann Powers, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, Stephen Thompson
Release Date: December 2, 2025
Podcast: NPR’s All Songs Considered
Episode Overview
This special year-end review episode unites the NPR Music team—Robin Hilton, Ann Powers, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, and Stephen Thompson—to look back at 2025’s biggest moments in music. Over an hour, they blend insightful analysis and playful banter to unpack the year’s defining albums, viral phenomena, controversies, generational shifts, and losses, moving chronologically through each quarter. Themes of pop legacy, industry challenges, generational change, and the fragmentation of audiences recur throughout.
Key Discussion Points & Timestamps
1. Was 2025 an Exceptional Year for Music? (00:57–01:47)
- The group debates whether 2025 was an unusually strong or weak year for music:
- Ann Powers: “A fantastic year ... as far as the deep, wide and not very well-defined middle.” [01:09]
- Isabella notes blockbuster albums missed the mark, but quieter releases and emerging artists shined.
- Robin and Stephen both agree it was “amazing,” though acknowledge dissent within the wider team.
2. Blockbuster Album Releases & Early Year Highlights
Bad Bunny’s Genre-Bending Triumph (03:14–05:05)
- Bad Bunny kicks off the year with a genre-melding, Puerto Rican-rooted album.
- Isabella: “It was a very, very big, ambitious swing. And he really kind of struck gold with this album.” [03:14]
- Ann: “He had so much swag to release what he knew was gonna be a huge contender for album of the year in January.” [04:00]
- Bad Bunny maintains prominence: Tiny Desk concert in April, announced as 2026 Super Bowl Halftime performer (foreshadowing future culture wars debates).
- Stephen: “He’s literally the most streamed artist on earth.” [04:33]
The Kendrick-Drake Feud & Super Bowl Halftime (05:33–06:19)
- Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance symbolically caps his dominant feud with Drake, considered unanimously a “victory lap.”
- Ann: “It capped the most amazing feud of the 21st century, which Kendrick won hands down.” [05:33]
- Stephen (Simpsons meme): “Stop, stop. He’s already dead!” [05:51]
- Kendrick’s performance lauded for both triumph and playfulness.
3. Politics, Institutions & Culture Wars
Trump’s Kennedy Center Takeover (06:19–09:05)
- President Trump fires the Kennedy Center’s board and is installed as chair, appointing Richard Grenell as interim president.
- Fallout includes programming staff fired, high-profile artists and directors resigning or canceling (Ben Folds, Renee Fleming, Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, Hamilton cast).
- Isabella: “It’s been really interesting to see how different artists ... are approaching it.” [07:47]
- Ann recounts Yasmin Williams’s on-stage protest and subsequent disruption by hecklers.
- Broader effects: immigration policy leads to tour cancellations for international acts (e.g., FKA Twigs).
4. The Grammys, Pop Phenomena & “Changing of the Guard” (09:07–11:46)
- A landmark year at the Grammys:
- Beyoncé finally wins Album of the Year for "Cowboy Carter" [09:20–09:35].
- Kendrick sweeps Record and Song of the Year for “Not Like Us” and charts with “Luther” featuring SZA, called an “inescapable R&B earworm” by Stephen [10:44].
- Rise of Gen Z performers: Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Chapel Roan, and others praised for electrifying performances.
- Ann: “For me, it was all about Gen Z taking the stage. ... We have a Changing of the Guard happening a lot this year.” [11:13]
5. Iconic Comebacks & Losses (11:46–14:54)
Reunions & Returns
- Surprise reunions from Alabama Shakes, Rilo Kiley, Pulp, Sugar, and Clipse, with new albums and tours bridging to new, younger audiences.
- Ann: “To hear thousands singing along and see them up on that stage, it made me so happy.” [12:01]
- Stephen: “It really is a golden age for these reunions because these artists music never really happened to go away due to streaming.” [12:33]
Losses in Q1
- Remembering Marianne Faithfull, Bill Fay, Roy Ayers, Roberta Flack, and David Lynch.
- Ann: “I think the beautiful thing with someone like Roberta is that her genius has been recognized ... widely, and she got to experience a lot of love in her final years.” [14:54]
- David Lynch is mourned for his unique musical influence [15:40].
6. Music & Movies: Original Film Soundtracks (17:43–24:43)
Sinners – The Ryan Coogler Vampire Film (17:56–20:33)
- Praised for its artistic music integration and exploration of Black music history.
- Ann: “It’s a profound meditation on how black Americans have given us so much musically and yet so much has been taken.” [18:49]
- Oscar buzz for “I Lied To You” (Miles Caton).
K Pop Demon Hunters – Animated Pop Phenomenon (21:19–24:43)
- Crossover hit film and soundtrack, especially "Golden." Vocalist EJ becomes a viral sensation.
- Stephen: “It was a true word of mouth sensation ... a source of almost unanimous joy and praise.” [22:09]
- Ann: “Please let her sing it at the Academy Awards.” [24:15]
7. The Sean Combs Trial & #MeToo Reckonings (24:54–27:12)
- Highlights the spring-long, highly publicized trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs for sex trafficking and racketeering.
- Isabella: “It was a big story of how ... Sean Combs had over the music and entertainment industry and how he wielded that power and ultimately who it harmed.” [24:54]
- Acquitted of major charges, but verdict reflects perceived societal regression since #MeToo.
- Ann: “Very depressing, I have to say, and disturbing.” [26:45]
8. Music Documentaries & Mental Health (27:29–30:12)
- Billy Joel’s fall, health news, and resulting doc And So It Goes spark wider discussion on musician mental health.
- Stephen: “Musicians have access to the mental health care that they need.” [28:33]
- Ann touts Swamp Dog Gets His Pool Painted as her favorite “movie about mutual care.” [29:19]
9. Live Music, Tour Cancellations & The Economics Crisis (30:12–34:10)
- Discussion on scale and impact of Oasis’s reunion tour—huge for fans, but subject to generational and regional divides.
- Dire touring landscape: artists cite high costs, major acts cancel tours (e.g., Garbage).
- Robin: “It felt like a particularly grim year for live music to me, both in streaming and in touring.” [33:07]
- Ann: “So many artists feel squeezed ... even airlines changing their policies about how you can ... bring your instrument on board.” [33:13]
- Artists like Caroline Rose push back in small ways but admit it’s not sustainable. [33:42]
10. Third Quarter: Losses & the Power of the Internet
- Final show and passing of Ozzy Osbourne, also Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, and viral resurgence of Connie Francis's “Pretty Little Baby” thanks to TikTok.
- Stephen: “She got to experience this wave of intergenerational love and appreciation ... the fact that young music fans have at their fingertips access to this incredibly vast archive allows some of these elders to receive their floating flowers.” [37:01]
11. The Fractured Pop Landscape & Album Cycles (38:07–44:13)
- Albums from Sabrina Carpenter, Lorde, HAIM, Weekend, Addison Rae spark conversation about fleeting cultural moments and the “morning after” hangover post-2024’s pop peak.
- Ann: “It was an underperforming year for pop phenomena. That doesn’t mean the albums are bad ... But it didn’t feel like these artists were ruling the Zeitgeist.” [39:58]
- Isabella: “It’s also just a symptom of how fractured audiences and fan bases are ... we’re all in our own individual algorithms and playlists and bubbles.” [41:02]
- Stephen: “How many artists their fan bases exist in silos ... It’s amazing how many artists essentially never hit the Billboard charts but can fill stadiums.” [42:01]
- Ongoing micro-scenes and artist bubbles highlighted with Conan Gray, Addison Rae, Geese, and the "sneaky year for boys in pop" (Alex Warren, Role Model, Benson Boone, Geese).
12. The Streaming & Algorithm Effect
- Push vs. genuine demand for acts like Geese, and the cyclical backlash/echo-chamber created by algorithmic recommendations.
- Robin: “I just assumed all my friends with similar music tastes would also love [Geese], and it’s so mixed. ... This is my point. Like, even the thing that we should all be uniting around, people are not uniting around.” [46:56–47:02]
13. Lilith Fair Documentary & the Folk-Pop Revival (47:02–51:08)
- Building a Mystery highlights the legacy of Lilith Fair (with Ann Powers on screen!), sparking renewed interest in women singer-songwriters and folk-influenced pop.
- Ann: “Women have really firmly claimed their place as visionaries ... and the playing field has changed across the board in every genre.” [50:13]
- Ann advocates for a Lilith Fair revival: “Bring it back, bring the tour back.” [50:52]
14. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl & the Politics of Pop (51:08–53:19)
- Bad Bunny announced as 2026 Super Bowl performer, generating predictable controversy and some backlash, which the hosts attribute to both latent xenophobia and his unapologetically political stance.
- Isabella: “He’s standing up for immigrants, he’s standing up for Latino communities ... he famously says he doesn’t care what other people think.” [52:26]
- Ann: “I honestly can’t think of anyone else who should play the Super Bowl this year.” [53:19]
15. Taylor Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl” & the Year of Backlash (54:29–56:38)
- New album arrives, prompting unprecedented backlash, fueled by a pre-release leak allegedly dissing Charli XCX, and “variant fatigue” from 27 limited editions.
- Ann: “I did not expect the backlash to be so intense.” [54:53]
- Stephen: “She has reached this level of omnipresence where she’s essentially too big to fail.” [55:58]
- Reflection on inevitable pop fatigue as segment closes.
16. Rosalia’s “Luxury” – Album of the Year? (56:38–58:33)
- Rosalia’s surprise drop is a critical favorite among hosts.
- Robin: “Album of the year for me. Stephen, I think it’s album for you.” [56:38]
- Isabella: “She’s back and her crown’s on her head. That halo is firm on the top of her head.” [57:24]
- Ann: “Who else brought it to the level of opera? Who else brought it to the level of La Boheme? Only Rosalia.” [57:36]
Memorable Quotes
- Stephen on Kendrick/Drake feud: “Do you know the Simpsons meme where the kid goes, ‘Stop, stop. He’s already dead.’” [05:51]
- Ann on Gen Z at the Grammys: “For me, it was all about Gen Z taking the stage ... Changing of the Guard happening a lot this year.” [11:13]
- Isabella on music in silos: “We’re all so segmented that it’s hard to have ... monoculture moment.” [41:02]
- Stephen on the internet’s role in legacy appreciation: “The fact that young music fans have at their fingertips access to this incredibly vast archive allows some of these elders to receive their floating flowers ...” [37:01]
- Robin, jokingly, on solving national crises: “We should be uniting around Geese. This could solve our national crises, all of them, if we just united around Geese.”
- Ann on Rosalia: “Who else brought it to the level of opera? Who else brought it to the level of La Boheme? Only Rosalia.” [57:36]
Conclusion and What’s Next
- The episode wraps with reminders of upcoming year-end coverage: best albums and songs, listener poll, and the annual holiday extravaganza.
- Robin: “We’ve got a whole month’s worth of year-end stuff coming all through December.” [58:54]
- The team’s reflections land on a year that was rich, fractured, and rapid—highlighting profound musical innovation, generational change, renewed respect for legacy artists, and the challenges of a shifting, often fragmented industry.
Key Takeaways
- 2025 saw both seismic shifts (Bad Bunny, Kendrick’s dominance, Rosalia, Taylor Swift’s backlash) and the deepening of micro-scenes and audience fragmentation.
- Politics and social issues deeply impacted the industry, from venue takeovers to the legacy of #MeToo.
- The economics of streaming and live performance became a bigger crisis, while the digital realm allowed for previously impossible waves of legacy appreciation.
- Despite monoculture’s decline, music’s power to unite, console, and spark conversation remains undiminished.
“It was a fantastic year ... as far as the deep, wide and not very well-defined middle. I think it was absolutely great.”
— Ann Powers [01:09]
“Who else brought it to the level of opera? Who else brought it to the level of La Boheme? Only Rosalia.”
— Ann Powers [57:36]
Compiled by All Songs Considered | December 2025