Is pop now officially an albums-driven genre? The year 2025 made a strong argument for the answer being “yes.” Acclaimed sets from rising stars like Addison Rae and Amaarae established them as leading voices without producing a huge chart hit, while the excitement over Olivia Dean and the KPop Demon Hunters film grew so overwhelming that their respective albums ended up spawning several major hits at once. Meanwhile, proven hitmakers like PinkPantheress and Rosalía used new albums to cement their stardom, while Lily Allen and Lorde used comeback albums to reassert their pop relevance.

And of course, the A-listers made their presence felt on the LP front: Bad Bunny proved he could still be blazing hot even with a January sneak-release, one that smoldered all through the calendar year. Lady

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