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December 27, 2025

	By Caryn Ganz

K-pop — or, more precisely, culture indebted to K-pop — was everywhere this past year. If you’ve heard “Golden,” the earworm from Netflix’s smash “KPop Demon Hunters,” the mere mention of its title has likely lodged it back in your brain. The girl group Katseye, whose assembly by record labels was captured in another Netflix show, is indebted to K-pop, yet also tweaks it. But we didn’t hear much from perhaps the most innovative group in the genre — NewJeans — because it was fighting to break its contract; a court ruled against its members and its future is uncertain. Next year the superstar boy band BTS will return from a hiatus as its members served mandatory military service, but, Jon Caramanica writes, that “won’t be much more than a bandage atop an unhealed wound.” K-pop is at a turning point, and as Jon explores in a notebook looking back at the year, a crop of young Korean artists who have grown up in its shadow may herald the path forward.

We did some more reflecting this week — Lindsay Zoladz brought us her annual Amplifier newsletter of songs (new and old) that defined her 2025, and asked our readers to share theirs, too. Gabe Cohn reminded us of some words of wisdom from musicians we lost in the past 12 months. And Taylor Swift ended her Eras Tour era with the final episodes of a documentary series going behind the record-breaking trek.

But we also looked ahead: The team compiled nine new artists we’re keeping an eye on, and I’ve started listening to what’s coming in early 2026 … which is my excuse for not finishing my own best albums and songs lists before this weekend. But I’m looking forward to a snowy weekend in with our critics’ best albums, songs and jazz lists as I make my final cuts!

Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times In 2025, K-Pop Battled Its Demons The genre peaked in terms of global awareness with “KPop Demon Hunters,” while the industry’s most promising new act was mired in a legal morass. By Jon Caramanica

Nicholas Albrecht for The New York Times 10 Songs That Explain My Year From Gustav Mahler to Lady Gaga, a peek into Lindsay’s past 12 months in music. By Lindsay Zoladz

Clockwise from top left: Neal Boenzi/The New York Times; Fairchild Archive/Penske Media, via Getty Images; Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images; Sara Hirakawa for The New York Times; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Artists We Lost in 2025, in Their Words Robert Redford, Roberta Flack, Diane Keaton and Brian Wilson are among the cultural luminaries who died this year. By Gabe Cohn

9 Artists to Watch A gifted Queens rapper (Lexa Gates), a noisy British band (Maruja), a Drake-approved emo songwriter (Julia Wolf), a lo-fi power-pop project (Sharp Pins) and more. By Jon Caramanica, Joe Coscarelli, Jon Pareles and Lindsay Zoladz

Mark Von Holden/Invision, via Associated Press Sean Combs’s Lawyers File Appeal, Arguing His Sentence Was Unjust The mogul’s lawyers say that a judge issued an excessively steep sentence for prostitution offenses after Mr. Combs was acquitted of more serious charges. By Julia Jacobs and Ben Sisario

British Police Drop Case Against Band That Chanted ‘Death, Death to the I.D.F.’ Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo, caused international outrage by chanting the message at the Glastonbury music festival this year. By Alex Marshall

Barry Manilow Is Diagnosed With Lung Cancer The “Mandy” and “Copacabana” singer said he would undergo surgery to remove a cancerous spot on his left lung, and he postponed several concert dates. By Derrick Bryson Taylor

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Jerry Kasenetz, a King of Bubblegum Pop Music, Dies at 82 With his producing partner, Jeffry Katz, he made lightweight ditties like “Yummy Yummy Yummy” that soared up the charts in the late 1960s. By Alex Williams

Columbia Records Michal Urbaniak, Pioneering Jazz Fusion Violinist, Dies at 82 One of the first jazz musicians from Poland to gain an international following, he recorded more than 60 albums and played with stars like Miles Davis. By Alex Williams

Brill/ullstein bild via Getty Images Chris Rea, British Singer-Songwriter and Hitmaker, Dies at 74 A blues-influenced guitarist, he built a lasting career, particularly in Europe, with soft-rock ballads like “Driving Home for Christmas” and “Fool (If You Think It’s Over).” By Sopan Deb

Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times Taylor Swift Caps Her Eras Tour Era Seven takeaways from the final episodes of “The End of an Era,” the Disney+ series exploring her globe-trotting concert extravaganza. By Esther Zuckerman

Critic’s pick ‘Song Sung Blue’ Review: A Christmas ‘Caroline’ Craig Brewer’s toe-tapping weepie about the triumphs and tragedies of a Neil Diamond tribute band is exactly the movie we need right now. By Jeannette Catsoulis

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