MUSIC

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From veteran icons reclaiming their voice to newcomers reshaping modern pop, 2025 proved to be a year where critics looked past streaming dominance and rewarded ambition, risk and emotional depth. According to a wide ranging poll of polls conducted by BBC News, the best albums and songs of the year were not necessarily the biggest sellers, but the ones that pushed pop, rock and R and B into more thoughtful and adventurous territory.

The rankings were created by compiling more than 30 end of year lists from major music publications across the UK Europe and the United States. Over 200 albums and singles received votes, with points awarded based on chart position. The result was one of the closest races BBC News has ever recorded, particularly in the albums category.

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Olivia Dean has become one of the most powerful new voices in music this year and not just because of her chart success. The singer has taken direct aim at what she calls an exploitative and unequal ticketing system. Her stand has already delivered real results for fans who were hit with soaring resale prices for her North American tour.

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An Australian man previously jailed in Singapore for rushing at pop star Ariana Grande has once again attracted attention after being removed from a Lady Gaga concert in Brisbane. Johnson Wen, a twenty six year old with a history of disrupting celebrity events, said on Instagram that he was escorted out of Suncorp Stadium before the show even began. His removal came despite no disturbance during the event itself.

Wen's notoriety grew last month when he was sentenced to nine days in a Singapore jail for grabbing Grande during the Asian premiere of Wicked For Good. He apologized to the court and promised not to repeat such behavior, yet his public history has continued to raise safety concerns. The venue in Brisbane stated that security had been alerted that a known serial offender might try to attend the concert and disrupt it. As a precaution, he was identified as a person of interest and denied entry.

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Spotify Wrapped has arrived for 2025 and it paints a clear picture of how the world listened this year. The biggest headline is simple. Bad Bunny is once again the most streamed artist on the planet. The Puerto Rican star pulled in more than 19.8 billion streams and reclaimed the global crown with ease.