As the year winds down, these albums offer the perfect soundtrack to wrap up 2025, whether you are reflecting on the months behind you, finalizing your New Year’s plans, or looking ahead to what next year might bring. Ranging from chart-topping power moves to deeply personal storytelling, these projects resonated far beyond streaming platforms, influencing fashion, visuals, and the way music moved through digital culture. Some artists behind these releases also graced the pages of V as cover stars, underscoring the intersection of music, style, and cultural relevance that defined the year. Below, V rounds up the albums to have on repeat as you close out 2025 and step into 2026.

Tyla — We Wanna Party (WWP)

Tyla, the South African singer-songwriter and V156 cover star, has captivated audiences with her distinctive blend of Afrobeats, R&B, and pop. Her EP We Wanna Party pairs infectious rhythms with sleek, controlled melodies, reflecting her ability to move between genres while maintaining a fresh, recognizable sound. Tracks like Bliss and Is It highlight that balance especially well through catchy hooks and groove-driven production that centers rhythm. Her latest single, Chanel, has gained strong global streaming traction and chart presence, further solidifying her as one of 2025’s defining breakout artists. Beyond the music, Tyla’s tour performances have further elevated her momentum, with high-energy choreographed sets matched by fashion moments that have become part of her spectacle.

Doja Cat — Vie

Doja Cat, the V155 cover star, favors reflection and a confrontational approach to pop on Vie, using the genre to directly address identity, self-perception, and performance. Tracks like Jealous Type and Gorgeous navigate the space between public image and private voice through focused production choices, grounding pop emotion in internal conflict, self-awareness, and the complexities of moving through the world. Sonically, Vie leans into an ’80s-inspired palette, with synth-forward grooves and retro pop textures. Debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, Vie landed as one of the year’s most impactful pop releases, sparking instant attention across streaming platforms.

LISA — Alter Ego

Alter Ego represents a defining moment in her solo identity. As part of V152’s seasonal cover lineup. The album is built around ideas of power and duality, moving between sharp-edged confidence and softer moments of intimacy. Tracks like Rockstar and Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me) illustrate that range, one leaning into attitude and assertiveness, the other revealing a more restrained, romantic sensibility. Throughout the project, LISA draws from global pop, hip-hop, and R&B influences. The album topped charts internationally and delivered multiple high-performing singles, marking one of the biggest solo debuts of 2025.

Role Model — Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye)

Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye) expands Tucker Pillsbury’s original release into a more fully realized emotional narrative. With the deluxe edition, he taps further into heartbreak with sincerity, adding songs that deepen the album’s sense of loss and reflection. Tracks like Sally, When the Wine Runs Out and Look at That Woman ground the project in direct, unguarded songwriting. On tour, “Sally” has taken on a life of its own, with audiences loudly singing the chorus back to him and turning the song into a shared moment of catharsis night after night. As the album gained viral momentum and wider attention, including a feature in VMAN55, streaming surges translated into chart visibility, marking Role Model’s most commercially successful era to date.

Bad Bunny — Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Debi Tirar Mas Fotos debuted at No. 1 across major global charts and quickly became one of the most streamed releases of 2025. The album finds Bad Bunny opening the year with a more reflective turn, delivering one of his most resonant projects to date. It unfolds as a personal archive shaped by love, loss, and the weight of superstardom, while still holding onto the rhythmic confidence that defines his sound. Tracks like Nueva Yol and Baile Inolvidable balance introspection with upbeat rhythm, allowing emotion to surface without abandoning groove. The album’s cover, featuring a simple plastic chair, reinforces that intimacy. In Latino culture, the plastic chair is a familiar, unpretentious object tied to family gatherings, street corners, and everyday life. Its presence mirrors the album’s tone, grounding a global superstar in shared memory. In that familiarity, it carries an intimacy that still feels monumental.

Lady Gaga — Mayhem

Mayhem is Lady Gaga’s return to the theatrical pop framework that defined her early work, with performance once again at the center. Drawing from industrial pop and dark disco while revisiting familiar sonic elements from her repertoire, the album is structured with live performance in mind. Tracks like Disease and Abracadabra sharpen the record’s intensity through tight production and deliberate vocal delivery. Debuting at the top of the charts, Mayhem quickly carried into widely shared performance moments, making it one of her most visible releases in recent years.

Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend

Man’s Best Friend positions Sabrina Carpenter at a new high point in her career, opening with her strongest first-week performance to date. Across the album, she explores relationships, intimacy, and the contradictions of desire, love, and attachment with clarity and confidence. Tracks like Manchild and Tears set the tone, pairing playful, sticky hooks with sharp, anecdotal lyricism. With singles dominating pop playlists and reaching career-high chart positions, Man’s Best Friend captures Sabrina Carpenter fully owning the emotional complexities of growing into herself — and V love it.

KAROL G — Tropicoqueta

Tropicoqueta captures KAROL G in a moment defined by confidence, joy, and cultural pride. Blending tropical rhythms with reggaeton and pop, the album delivers standout tracks like Tropicoqueta and LATINA FOREVA, songs that feel warm, free, and celebratory. The project went on to dominate the summer, topping Latin charts and breaking into global rankings. KAROL G further expanded her cultural reach as the first Latina to perform at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, reinforcing her position as one of the year’s most influential artists.

Addison Rae — Addison

Addison marks a clear turning point in Addison Rae’s career, signaling a rebranding and a shift in how she positions herself as an artist. The album embraces pop with strong replay value, balancing escapism with a more self-assured and refined identity. Standout tracks like Aquamarine and Fame Is a Gun reflect that evolution, combining confidence with a more streamlined sound. As the album gained traction, Addison emerged as a crowd favorite, with strong streaming numbers and viral momentum driving the album’s solid debut and securing her first major chart success as a full-length recording artist.

Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving

The Art of Loving presents Olivia Dean working within a measured, modern soul framework. The album settles into soft keys and classic soul influences, allowing the songs to unfold at an unhurried pace. Tracks like Man I Need and So Easy (To Fall in Love) underscore her strength as a storyteller, pairing vulnerability with a sense of hopefulness. The lyrics capture moments of longing, reassurance, and self-reflection, often lingering in the spaces between feeling and resolution. That intimacy has resonated widely, with songs gaining traction through short-form video clips and repeat listening.

(Header Image: Doja Cat for V155 Fall Preview 2025 Issue, Photography Steven Klein / Fashion Nicola Formichetti / Makeup Design Pat McGrath / Makeup Jenna Kuchera using Pat McGrath Labs / Hair Akki (Art Partner) using Hair Ritual by Sisley / Manicure for Doja Cat Saccia Livingston / Casting Greg Krelenstein (GK-LD))