The Year in Music 2025: Welcome back — and other news

2025 saw some artists release long-awaited new music:

-- In October, Mariah Carey released Here For It All, her first album of original material since 2018. It featured a cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings song "My Love," and collaborations with Anderson .Paak, The Clark Sisters and Kehlani. In June, Mariah received the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards. In September, she was presented with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV VMAs. On Nov. 28, she launched a Las Vegas Christmas residency and in December, she set the all-time record for longest-running #1 hit when "All I Want for Christmas Is You" racked up its 20th cumulative week on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

-- Justin Bieber dropped not one but two albums: SWAG in July and SWAG II in September. SWAG, his first album since 2021's Justice, produced the hits "Yukon" and "Daisy," received critical acclaim and earned Justin four Grammy nods. He was also announced as the 2026 Coachella headliner.

-- Maroon 5 released Love Is Like, their first album since 2021, with features from BLACKPINK's LISA, and rappers Lil Wayne and Sexyy Red. It produced the single "Priceless." The band also launched a North American headlining tour. Singer Adam Levine had his own comeback, returning to The Voice for season 27 after a five-year break.

-- Lewis Capaldi returned to music after taking a hiatus in 2023 to focus on his physical and mental health. In June, Lewis successfully returned to Glastonbury, the festival at which he'd been unable to finish his set two years prior. He also released a comeback single, "Survive," and toured the U.K. He released an EP, also called Survive, in November and announced a North American tour for 2026.

And in other 2025 music news ...

Backstreet Boys became the first pop act to headline at Sphere Las Vegas, with a show celebrating their biggest album, Millennium. The residency was so popular that it was extended several times; it will wrap up in February 2026. The group also announced a residency in Düsseldorf, Germany, for September and October 2026.

After completing his "mathematics" series of albums, Ed Sheeran released Play, the first in what will be a series of albums named after media control buttons, including Rewind and Fast Forward. He was everywhere promoting the album, which included his experimentations with Indian and Persian music: playing at Coachella, doing a Netflix special, surprising fans at pubs and more. He also announced his Loop tour for 2026.

Teddy Swims was able to continue his 2024 success into 2025. He toured the world, broke records on the Billboard chart with the longevity of his song "Lose Control," became a dad, released collaborations with DJ David Guetta and country star Thomas Rhett, earned another Grammy nomination and sang at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.