The Best Songs of 2025
The R&B songs we played, replayed, and had to tell everybody about in 2025.
Songs tell the real story of the year. Albums give us worlds to live in, but songs give us the exact moments lived. Three to five minutes where something clicks. A lyric that hits too close to home. A melody rewires your brain. A record you didn’t expect to love that suddenly lives in your head rent-free. A feeling that you thought only you felt, heard repeated in key.
This year’s Songs of the Year aren’t about virality or charts. They’re about stickiness. Emotional gravity. Songs that found me at the right time and refused to let go, from major label artists and independent singers alike. These are the records that stayed in rotation all 2025.
The Absolute Favorites
India Shawn – Kill Switch
Kehlani – Folded
DESTIN CONRAD – KISSING IN PUBLIC
Mariah the Scientist – Burning Blue
GIVĒON – KEEPER
kwn – do what i say
JayDon, Paradise – Lullaby
Elmiene – Useless (Without You)
Olivia Dean – A Couple Minutes
Leon Thomas – NOT FAIR
Isaia Huron – I CHOSE YOU
These are the songs that hit immediately — our top 11. The rest of this list isn’t ranked, but we needed to let it be known that the above 11 are our absolute favorites of the year, with India Shawn’s “Kill Switch” and Kehlani’s “Folded” being the leaders of the pack.
Songs of the Year, Continued
Teyana Taylor, Lucky Daye – Hard Part
Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller – It Depends
Coco Jones – On Sight
Durand Bernarr – Completed
Naomi Sharon – Bittersweet
Khamari – Head In A Jar
Terrace Martin, Kenyon Dixon – Body & Soul
threetwenty – The Light (I Need You)
Rochelle Jordan – Get It Off
Q – bad man
Ari Lennox – Vacancy
Jordan Adetunji, kwn – Too Many Women
Zyah Belle – Deserve
SAILORR – DOWN BAD
Ciara – Ecstasy
Ayra Starr – Hot Body
Josh Levi – SAY IT
Tyla, Wizkid – DYNAMITE
Jenevieve – Head Over Heels
Alex Isley – Thank You For A Lovely Time
Rema – Baby (Is It A Crime)
Devon Culture – Slow It Down
Sasha Keable – act right
No Guidnce – Lovers to Enemies
Halle – braveface
Leon Thomas – Baccarat
The Weeknd – Baptized In Fear
Keke Palmer – Off Script
dvsn – Excited
KIRBY – Jump The Broom
TA Thomas – Devotion
Tiana Major9, Yebba – Always
J.P. – Serenity
Ebony Riley – Only You
Annie Tracy, Leon Thomas –Catching Feelings
Natanya – Dangerous
CARI – Phuckups (Hold Me)
Nippa, Thisizlondon – Unfair
Justin Bieber – FIRST PLACE
Leven Kali – Are U Still
Gabriel Jacoby – be careful
Drake – RAINING IN HOUSTON
anaiis – Deus Deus
Kenji – LUSTER
SAULT – S.I.T.L.
Bren Joy – SHIVER
Lekan – Make It Right
Isaiah Falls, Odal – Searching
Tone Stith – SHUT UP
While there were plenty more songs that soundtracked our year, these are the standouts that deserved some extra love. Wanna listen to them in full? Check out the playlist via Spotify: