I do know that most individuals come to this weblog searching for Okay-pop, however I’ve made it my mission to additionally highlight world pop music every month. These “world pop round-ups” culminate at this time with my prime 50 tracks of the 12 months. It’s been an excellent 12 months for pop music, making this listing laborious to cobble collectively (and leading to a really lengthy “honorable mentions” listing). A part of that is by design. Not like my Okay-pop and J-pop lists, any track launched or promoted in 2025 is eligible right here. A track doesn’t need to be a single or have a music video to indicate up on this listing, however I do restrict myself to a most of three songs from every artist as a result of in any other case we run the danger of somebody completely dominating with a bunch of nice album tracks.
Get pleasure from, and I hope you uncover one thing new that appeals to you! Warning: my style closely favors pop music with a capital “P”!
SONGS 50-31
SONGS 30-11
SONGS 10-1
2025 YEAR-END MASTERPOST
10. Mika – Fashionable Instances
A surprising return for Mika. This channels every thing he does finest: large pop melodies, sweeping manufacturing and a way of pathos that provides the track further heft.
9. Madison Rose – Daydreaming
You needed to know we weren’t getting by way of one in every of these countdowns and not using a little bit of Madison Rose, proper? With Daydreaming, she delivers one other high-energy anthem with a glistening, singalong refrain.
8. Punchbag – Fuck It
That is the right anthem for our chaotic occasions. Fuck It channels a lot of what I beloved about 00s indie music and offers it an enormous pop makeover. It’s combative and rousing.
7. TPCX – Sin.
I wish to champion this band till I’m out of breath. Sin is a steamroller of a track, delivering among the largest, boldest vitality of the 12 months. You owe it to your self to place this on replay.
6. Woman Gaga – Vanish Into You
Vanish Into You punches you within the intestine from its very first be aware earlier than melding Bowie-esque melodies and anthemic, Queen-like fervor into a beautiful, affecting brew.
5. Nelli Matula – Hitaammin hautaan
That is simply impossibly stunning. The way in which Matula’s crystalline vocal glides over the plush, strings-assisted manufacturing sweeps you off your toes. Finnish pop at its peak.
4. Neea River – Nightmares
Nightmares is the platonic splendid of a particular kind of pop/EDM track. It makes each transfer you’d hope after which some. Adhering to system can develop into transcendent in its personal means.
3. Woman Gaga – Shadow Of A Man
Gaga doing a Michael Jackson pastiche is the sort of magical catnip I might have by no means dreamed of, but right here we’re and it’s each bit as spectacular as I might’ve hoped for.
2. Erika Vikman – Ich Komme
We could not have gotten one other album in 2025, however Erika launched her finest track but so it’s laborious to complain an excessive amount of. That is confrontational, balls-to-the-wall pop at its pinnacle and one of the vital fascinating issues launched all 12 months. I used to be obsessive about it on first pay attention and I’m much more obsessed at this time.
1. Woman Gaga – Abracadabra
It’s so uncommon to listen to a track for the primary time and suppose “that’s an on the spot traditional.” In truth, this occurs so sometimes that Abracadabra left me on a excessive for days after my first pay attention. That is Gaga fully-formed, doing what solely she will do. The track grew extra legendary with every efficiency and proves there’s nonetheless loads to be mined from one of these excessive idea, formidable, theatrical pop. She did one thing actually particular with this one.
3. Madison Rose – Monochrome: The White Album
2. Woman Gaga – Mayhem
1. Comanavago – Membership Morpheus
(sure, this technically got here out in late-2024, however I didn’t uncover it till this 12 months and the album is simply too superb to not embrace on one in every of my countdowns)