Dear, Readers – welcome to day 2 of Lizmas!
Before I say anything else, let me put out this disclaimer: my relationship with music has drastically changed. I don’t know if I officially got to the age where most of my playlist is considered “oldies”, but I cannot get myself to like mainstream music currently. There are some artists I still follow that release new music, but as for listening to new albums and all of that… well, it’s a top 5 song list instead of top 5 albums.
But! We stick to tradition around here, and we are going to talk about the top 5 songs I personally liked that was released in 2025.
That intro was short and sweet (no pun intended), so without further ado: let’s start this list!
5.) “Icarus” – Shadow Academy
This song was an unexpected find during this year, but came into my life during a time I was internally struggling with my OCD diagnosis. Danny Avidan (or Danny from Game Grumps) and Jim Roach make up the band “Shadow Academy”, and their music is on the opposite spectrum of genre that we are used to hearing. It’s a more serious band, with the genre falling under more alternative and indie.
Dan’s singing voice has always been smoothing and nostalgic in my opinion. His tone reflects his admiration for 80’s music; it’s smooth, and doesn’t strain when it hits notes higher than his usual range.
“Icarus”, for those not familiar with Greek mythology (aka, me) was a figure known to have traveled too close to the sun, and tells the story of the consequences behind overachievement and ambition. For me, the song definitely portrays that story: where do you go once you’ve everything you wanted to accomplish as a person, but still don’t feel complete? This summer, I found myself going through that thought process, and this song got me through a lot of the difficult thoughts and conversations regarding my OCD diagnosis. I still find myself listening to this song on days where I need to be reminded that there is a balance needed in life.
4.) “White Cat” – Yves
I don’t know the name of the company that Yves is under, but whatever voodoo they did to Yves image and music is a literal genius. I feel like she was previously on a list of my music favorites, but if I didn’t: Yves was a member of Blockberry Creative’s 12-member girl group, LOONA. After the members successfully terminated their contracts with the company, many of them went their separate ways, and some decided to remain as a group under a new music company. Yves, being one of the members that chose to go solo, as (in my opinion) the most potential to be an international solo artist. Her music is just different, and doing something that most a lot of soloists are doing. The imagery of the music videos and the sound engineering used has been unique and very outside of the box. Personally, she’s been a consistent favorite of mine since her first release, “Loop”, last year.
This song has been on repeat since it hit my playlist! Her voice and melody of the music almost melt together in a way, which makes my ears very happy. Sure, I still wonder what the song is actually about, but who cares! It’s good music, and it would’ve been a crime if it wasn’t on my list for this year.
3.) “Smashing Concrete” – WOODZ
When I tell you I was so excited to see that WOODZ was back from the military making music (!!!) it felt like it was 2023 all over again, crying over “Drowning” being performed at his concert. When X1 first disbanded in early 2020, WOODZ made his “unofficial official” solo debut (he was a soloist prior to being on Produce X 101) later that summer, having more of a true “K-pop solo artist” type of sound. He has always been the type of artist to experiment with different sounds, and no two songs sound alike on that album. His later albums sort of stepped away from that K-pop sound and into a K-R&B one, to then a K-Rock sound. His rock sound has been my absolute favorite simply because he has the vocal pipes for them.
I’m so excited that WOODZ is back making music, and I look forward to see what he comes up with in the future. WOODZ was my first ult bias (before Seungsik came along), and has been an artist I enjoyed because of the sheer talent he has. Not only does he sing, he composes, produces, and writes his own music. To me (and I know many other people agree), WOODZ is one of those special artists; one that puts their stamp on the industry and is notable when not in it.
2.) “LIKE JENNIE” – Jennie
Dare I say this is the only song on this list from my July top 5 list? If I had to pick a favorite album that was released in 2025, Jennie’s Ruby would be my first answer. Jennie, being known as one of the members of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, made her solo debut (under her own company, btw) in March 2025. When she teased “Like Jennie” in her highlight medley for her album, the internet simultaneously gagged. It was a song that was truly fitting to Jennie’s sound and image, going back to her rapping days on possibly one of the sickest beats in a song this year.
With this popularity comes people with their opinionated judgement, constantly commenting on something she says or does. She never publicly responded until releasing this song, which was pretty much like a fuck you to the people who talk about her. Because it’s true; everyone finds themselves comparing their standard in K-pop popularity to Jennie’s.
Also, don’t anybody come for me for saying this, but her album (to me) was the album out of all the BLACKPINK girlies that became an instant hit at first listen. Seriously, it’s such a good album!
1.) “Here All Night” – Demi Lovato
Since being 14 years old, listening to Demi singing her ass off on Disney in 2008, I always felt like she would become my next favorite artist. (Of course, Kelly Clarkson will forever be my main). Demi has also been an artist that had tried different genres throughout her career: pop-rock, pop, dance, R&B, rock; you name it. Her 2022 release, Holy Fvck, was my number 1 pick that year, as I always enjoyed Demi’s rock sound. I even went to her concert later that year, experiencing for the first time hearing her vocals live. With that album, she discussed a lot of her struggles from over the years: her drug abuse, overdose, and thoughts on what life has felt like since being sober. It was like listening to her own personal journal at the time, so when her got lighter with support, new management, and found love, it was understandable that her music would be more upbeat, going back to her pop days after metaphorically holding a funeral for her pop music.
“Here All Night”, Demi’s second single from her recent release It’s Not That Deep is a fun, dance-pop song. The lyrics paint this picture of a person who, for lack of a better term, was ghosted by the person they were romantically connected with, and to get over the heartbreak, they go to the club to dance all night, hoping the music makes them feel better. Even after listening to her entire album, this song is still my favorite, and I cannot wait to see her again on tour in Spring 2026!
There was so many good songs that didn’t make it to this list, so here are the honorable mentions of 2025:
- “THIS IS FOR” – TWICE
- “Perfectly Imperfect” – Kang Seungsik
- “Summer” – Lim Sejun
- “House Tour” – Sabrina Carpenter
- “Can You Entertain?” – Kim Lip
- “BURNING UP” – MEOVV
- “Blue Valentine” – NMIXX
- “Gameboy” – KATSEYE
- “Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
- “BEBE” – STAYC
- “No Need To Talk” – Jonas Brothers
- “GALA” – XG
- “ExtraL” – Jennie (feat. Doechii)
- “ZEN – Jennie
- “JUMP” – BLACKPINK
- “Gnarly” – KATSEYE
- “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
- “out of body” – Khalid
Letters From Liz. 