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  • The 25 Best Pop Songs Of 2025: Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, & More!

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    2025 was truly the best year in pop music we’ve had in a while! It seems like artists are simply locking back into what makes a true pop song and mastering that art. Narrowing this list down to simply 25 songs was quite the challenge, but we think this list is the best of the best throughout all facets of pop music! From Olivia Dean and Chappell Roan to Greyson Chance and so many more, let’s jump in!

    Taylor Swift – ‘The Fate of Ophelia’

    There is no way to talk about the great pop resurgence of 2025 without highlighting The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift. For us, the entire album is full of examples of a true-to-form pop song, but we had to choose to highlight ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ due to it being inescapable since its release. This song is pure ear candy, and will get stuck in your head for hours even after just hearing a few seconds.

    Olivia Dean – ‘Man I Need’

    Olivia Dean is taking the pop music world by storm with ‘Man I Need,’ and to us that makes perfect sense. In anyone else’s discography, ‘Man I Need’ would be an easy career highlight, and yet, it’s one of many songs on Olivia’s most recent album, The Art of Loving, that blew us away upon the first listen and could have easily taken this spot.

    Sabrina Carpenter – ‘House Tour’

    Man’s Best Friend is stacked top to bottom with pop gold, but after listening back through the album, ‘House Tour’ had to be our choice! Everything from that infectious chorus to the “my house is on pretty girl avenue” line made this one of those songs that will soundtrack nights out for us through the foreseeable future.

    Jonas Brothers – ‘Love Me To Heaven’

    The Jonas Brothers have been experts at the pop music game since Nick first uttered the words ‘red dress’ back in 2008, so it’s no surprise to us that they are only getting better and better 17 years later. Their newest record, Greetings From Your Hometown, had an obvious stand-out to us the first time we listened, and that was ‘Love Me To Heaven.’

    Audrey Hobert – ‘Phoebe’

    Who’s The Clown? by Audrey Hobert was truly on an endless loop here at THP! Upon first listen, it was automatically clear that we were witnessing the artistic birth of someone who had a crystal clear understanding of how to bring themselves through in the music, be specific while staying relatable, and develop a sound that was particularly hers. We could have easily put any song from the album here, but ‘Phoebe’ is a forever favorite of ours!

    Greyson Chance – ‘Waiting Outside The Lines ‘25’

    No, we are not trying to transport you back to 2011, but there is so much beauty in taking a certified nostalgia-packed hit and reimagining it with years of life lived and heightened vocal ability to back it up. We can’t help but have a permanent smile on our face listening to this track and diving into Greyson’s current catalog (which everyone should do themselves the favor of doing)!

    Jensen McRae – ‘Novelty’

    If you asked us what album impacted us the most this year, one of the easiest answers would be I Don’t Know How But They Found Me! Anyone who has dived into Jensen’s discography knows what a savant she is. Her relationship to her pen is one of one, and this album may be the best example of that in her discography so far. ‘Novelty’ is the song that immediately jumps out at us as a must-listen.

    Lady Gaga – ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’

    Lady Gaga is synonymous with pop music at this point. She has always had the skill on lock, and in many ways, has influenced so much of what the modern genre looks like. MAYHEM was a true return to form for Lady Gaga, and showed that her knowledge and talent with the pop music world has never faltered. ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’ is an instant smash and is still on repeat.

    5 Seconds of Summer – ‘NOT OK’

    We will forever preach our love for 5 Seconds of Summer and how they get better with every release! (If you didn’t know, this band is literally why THP exists!) EVERYONE’S A STAR came out just over a month ago and is the band’s most ambitious, larger-than-life project yet. But of course, every element was nailed perfectly. Each of the guys has so many standout moments, but there are even more moments when it is so clear why they continue to make music together: everything flows seamlessly.

    Sadie Jean – ‘She’s Dating My Boyfriend’

    Sadie Jean is the exact singer-songwriter your playlist is in need of, and we had to highlight a track off her debut album, Early Twenties Torture! Every song on this record feels like Sadie had a insider’s look at our deepest thoughts and struggles, was able to turn them poetic, and then put them to music. That skill of relatability is rare. ‘She’s Dating My Boyfriend’ is our favorite example of that peek inside our minds.

    Laufey – ‘Lover Girl’

    Laufey has seamlessly blended the worlds of pop and jazz music and made a fusion that leaves us regularly at a loss for words. A Matter of Time is Laufey’s most recent album. And upon our first listen, it was clear that this is a generational album, one of those records where anyone who gives it a chance will fall in love with it. ‘Lover Girl’ is our favorite song off the record, so we had to highlight it!

    Amber Mark – ‘Let Me Love You’

    Amber Mark is the pop star you’ve been looking to add to your playlists! If you’re a fan of artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Dean, Amber’s album, Pretty Idea, and specifically our favorite track, ‘Let Me Love You,’ is going to be right up your alley! We are predicting that 2026 is going to be a huge year for Amber! And with music of this quality, it makes complete sense!

    Justin Bieber – ‘Yukon’

    ‘Yukon’ was one of our most-streamed songs of the year; it’s that serious to us! SWAG, for us, felt like Justin coming back into his own, making the music that feels true to form. With ‘Yukon,’ that infectious chorus we’ve come to know and love from Justin Bieber is the shining star, which definitely adds to why we are constantly playing this track on a loop.

    Lydia Night – ‘The Bomb’

    You may know Lydia Night from her time with the band The Regrettes, but trust us when we say she has turned into a full-blown solo pop star. Lydia released her debut album, Parody of Pleasure, back in August, and all thirteen songs are expertly crafted! ‘The Bomb’ has been a standout since we first dove into this album. The song is playful and reminiscent of early 2000s pop.

    Role Model – ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’

    Obviously, ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’ has taken the world by storm this year, so there was no way we weren’t going to give Role Model his flowers. We haven’t heard a chorus quite as infectious as ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’ in quite a long time. It’s impossible not be in an instant good mood when it hits.

    Myles Smith – ‘Stay (If You Wanna Dance)’

    If you were as obsessed with Myles Smith’s ‘Stargazing’ as we were, then ‘Stay (If You Wanna Dance)’ is the perfect addition to your playlists! Myles is someone who you continue to find new things about his artistry to dig into with each listen.

    Zara Larsson is a pop star in the truest sense of the word. Her entire album, Midnight Sun, is a pop masterclass, in which she’s the only person equipped to teach. When we first heard the title track ‘Midnight Sun,’ we knew that this was a whole new ball game in terms of pop music, and that we would take every opportunity to praise what Zara is doing with her artistry.

    HAIM – ‘Relationships’

    This song is pure ear candy and truly a discography highlight from one of our favorite trios! The chorus has serotonin woven into every line and lyric. And it makes us want to be out at night in the city with friends, dancing to every word. Their most recent album, i quit, is chock-full of tracks where you will see these themes.

    Conan Gray – ‘Vodka Cranberry’

    Conan Gray was born to make the exact music he’s making right now. He releases such infectious pop tracks with lyrics that both feel true to self for Conan and still connect deeply with his audience. ‘Vodka Cranberry’ blew up this year, and to us, it only makes perfect sense. This is a solidified hit.

    Tate McRae – ‘Sports Car’

    If you didn’t know, Tate McRae is a name that we have been screaming from the rooftops since we got to interview her years ago (which you can read here!). Tate blends musicality with dance seamlessly to draw people into who she is as a musician. ‘Sports Car’ and its visual components showcase exactly why Tate has quickly become a household name.

    Avery Cochrane – ‘Shapeshifting On A Saturday Night’

    Hailing from Seattle, Avery Cohrane is bound to be the name you can’t escape this next year in pop music! This year, she released her track, ‘Shapeshifting on a Saturday Night,’ and blew us away with the established pop sound she was crafting. If you’re a fan of artists like Chappell Roan or Olivia Rodrigo, we think you will love Avery!

    Addison Rae – ‘Headphones On’

    It’s no secret that Addison Rae has had a massive year. From the success of ‘Diet Pepsi’ and her tour to her debut album, Addison, everything about her career so far has been the beginning of a pop star who will be talked about and celebrated for years to come. For Addison, pop is a true work of performance art, following in the footsteps of the likes of Britney Spears. ‘Headphones On’ off her debut album summarizes everything we love most about Addison as an artist.

    Reneé Rapp – ‘I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone’

    We yell the chorus to ‘I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone’ at truly astronomical levels. Everything about this track resonates with us. Something that Reneé Rapp never fails to do is draw the listener in and weave her story in a way that feels relatable to others. On top of the lyrical content of the song, Reneé’s vocals are otherworldly here.

    Demi Lovato – ‘Joshua Tree’

    The 2025 version of Demi Lovato is the only artist who could craft an album like It’s Not That Deep. This record is a amalgamation of someone who has gone through it all. Someone who has experienced hardships and heartache and is in the complete opposite space now. And a lot of it is backtracked with songs you want to be in the club dancing to. That’s the duality of pop and of Demi, and it’s beautiful. To us, ‘Joshua Tree’ best represents the album as a whole.

    Chappell Roan – ‘The Subway’

    Ending our best 2025 pop songs with one that is still inescapable like ‘The Subway’ only felt right. Chappell Roan is a once-in-a-lifetime artist. She creates with such intention and really takes her time with each project, which comes through in the music. ‘The Subway’ will be looked at years from now as one of the great songs of the decade.

    Check out more of our end of year coverage here!

    We would love to hear from you! What is your favorite pop song of 2025? Is it something off the new Taylor Swift album? Maybe a Conan Gray song? Or an Olivia Dean song? Let us know by commenting below or by tweeting @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

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    Hailey Hastings

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  • The Swiftie’s Guide to the Super Bowl and the Grammy’s

    The Swiftie’s Guide to the Super Bowl and the Grammy’s

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    Nora and Nathan are here to walk you through everything you need to know before two big Taylor Swift events: the Super Bowl and the Grammy’s. They give a rundown on the Chiefs and the 49ers and how the game might go for Travis Kelce (1:00), the logistics of Taylor getting from Tokyo to Las Vegas in time for the game (37:01), and what squad she might be bringing along with her (60:14). Then they preview the Grammy’s and make some predictions on what awards Taylor might be bringing home with her (1:08:15).

    Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard
    Producer: Kaya McMullen

    Subscribe: Spotify

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    Nora Princiotti

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  • Yet another college course on Taylor Swift makes clear: She’s more than a pop star

    Yet another college course on Taylor Swift makes clear: She’s more than a pop star

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    If she could talk to Taylor Swift, recent UC Berkeley grad Crystal Haryanto knows what she’d say:

    “When I was a kid, I would listen to you because I wanted to learn everything about you. But as I grew up, I realized that I was listening to you because I was learning everything about me.”

    Though she may never get the chance to meet the pop star, Haryanto will soon be sharing her love for all things Swift with some lucky students and fellow fans.

    She put together a course, “Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version,” that will be available at Berkeley as a student-led, for-credit class during the spring semester, the latest in a wave of higher education offerings that highlight Swift’s ascent to global phenomenon.

    She’s not the first musical artist to be studied in a collegiate setting; Jay-Z, Queen and Bob Marley are among many who have drawn student interest for decades.

    “People … imagine it as being some kind of validation of that artist,” Robert Fink, a professor of musicology and humanities at UCLA, said of such course offerings. (UCLA does not have a class on Swift — yet.)

    The first to teach the Beatles or Bob Dylan at UCLA were English professors, who “had less of a phobia about that stuff,” Fink said. He explained that many university music departments “held onto a notion of popular music” as less-than-deserving of the attention.

    Nowadays, “probably it’s more likely to have a Taylor Swift than a Megan Thee Stallion class because people think of Taylor Swift as a lyric writer, and thus a poet, and thus somebody you can talk about as a text,” he said.

    Though Fink doesn’t plan to teach a course on Swift, he imagines such a class could discuss “genre and race and whiteness,” “the state of the music industry,” and feminism and girl culture.

    “People have started to realize: Oh, this is probably one of the representative artists of this period in the industry and culture,” he said.

    A number of other prominent universities have added similar offerings in recent years to appeal to a generation of Swifties who see her music as more than a fad.

    Stanford will offer a course focused on Swift’s songwriting in April. Earlier this year, another Stanford student taught a course on Swift’s 10-minute song “All Too Well.”

    Last year, classes about Swift’s songwriting and legacy thrilled Swifties at the University of Texas at Austin, Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and New York University — where Swift received her honorary doctorate alongside the class of 2022.

    Berklee College of Music currently offers a songwriting course tracking Swift’s evolution.

    Haryanto, who works as a research analyst in the Bay Area, will have a chance to put her own spin on the trend at UC Berkeley.

    “I had the most fun dreaming up the unit on personas, perceptions, and personalities,” she said in a statement. “There’s so much to unpack in terms of the relationship between Taylor as an individual and an image in the media, and how she constantly reinvents her music and style.”

    Alongside the musicality, the “entrepreneurship” part of Haryanto’s course title points to another aspect of Swift worth studying: her sprawling commercial empire.

    Swift’s Eras Tour has sold an estimated $700 million in tickets and added over $4 billion to the U.S. GDP, according to an analysis by Bloomberg.

    The tour made her a billionaire, one of only a handful of artists to reach that level of wealth.

    The official concert film from the Eras Tour brought in nearly $100 million at the domestic box office in its first four days, ranking as one of the biggest October movie releases ever.

    Swift’s power to influence the conversation extends beyond music to the National Football League, where early rumors of her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce were enough to spike viewership of a recent game among teenage girls by more than 50%.

    Fink, who chairs a newly created music industry program at UCLA, said he sees Swift as a “kind of ideal type”: the artist-entrepreneur who controls her career.

    In contrast to rock stars in decades past whose tours were marked by partying and trashed hotel rooms, Fink said, Swift and others such as Bruce Springsteen and James Brown have made seeming in control of their careers part of their image. “It’s different from the way people imagined how big pop stars are supposed to function,” he said.

    In rerecording her first six studio albums after the master rights were sold to an investment fund, “obviously there’s money reasons to do that,” Fink said, but also a “need to be in control of [her] stuff and do it [her] way.”

    After decades of teen sensations who were men, from the Beatles to the Backstreet Boys, there is power in young women having “somebody who is literally representing them,” Fink said.

    And those teens and young women looking for representation have plenty to find in Swift’s 10 studio albums.

    Her records “seem to mark the different stages of her growth as an artist and as a person,” said Nate Sloan, a musicology professor at USC and host of the “Switched on Pop” podcast, allowing listeners — and those who clamored for tickets to Swift’s career-spanning Eras Tour — to relive “their own growth and their own coming of age” through her music.

    Swift is an example of “the need for contemporary artists to mine their personal lives for their creative expression,” Sloan said.

    Some critics use that to “cheapen her songwriting to a degree,” distinguishing between crafting a story and channeling real-life emotions, Sloan said. He disagrees with that characterization, calling it a gendered critique.

    The music industry relies heavily on artists’ identities as part of their brand, and “female artists have even more pressure to do this than their male counterparts,” he said.

    Before, “we just expected artists to make a good record,” he said. That Swift can keep so many fans interested in her story “reflects the level of craft and intention that she brings to her work.”

    At Berkeley, Haryanto’s course will seek to break down “stereotypical critiques” of Swift, she wrote, discussing topics like “what it means to be a victim or a victor.”

    Admission will be application-based. Given the number of Swifties on any college campus, there might be some competition.

    Applications for the course open on Taylor’s birthday: Dec. 13.

    Former Times staff writer Cari Spencer contributed to this report.

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    Terry Castleman

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  • I’m Extremely Terrified to Admit I Don’t Like Taylor Swift

    I’m Extremely Terrified to Admit I Don’t Like Taylor Swift

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    Taylor Swift‘s fan base has always been rabid, and each day, it only gets bigger. When you’re consistently the only person in the room who doesn’t get the hype, it can be a terrifying prospect to admit you don’t like Taylor Swift. As the years have gone by, Swifties have become more than a dedicated fandom; they’ve become—dare I say—a modern day cult. And what do cult members do when you disagree with their charismatic leader? They blast your inbox with hate mail (at least in my experience).

    Although I’m the last person to get excited about the latest thing Taylor Swift is up to, I gotta hand it to her—she’s clever. Even if you’re not a fan of Ms. Swift, you’ve definitely heard all her songs. You can’t go a day without scrolling through your feed and seeing an obsessive update about her budding relationship with Travis Kelce. I bet you’ve also had to watch several of your pretentious music snob friends convert to Swifties over the years, making you wonder if they’ve started putting something in our tap water or if you are actually an alien from a different planet.

    As someone who has always preferred to discover music on my own and form my own opinion free from mainstream pressures, I’m the last person to hop on a bandwagon. However, the way Taylor Swift has taken over the world makes it increasingly harder to be one of the last non-Swifties still standing. In fact, not liking her music immediately makes people suspicious of you. And now, I have no choice but to come clean: I do not get the hype surrounding Taylor Swift.

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    Back in the day, not being a fan of the latest music sensation did not mean you were a bad person. But in the world of Eras Tour mania and concert tickets that cost upwards of $1,000, saying the words “I don’t like Taylor Swift,” means setting yourself up for judgment. To a much lesser extent, it reminds me of the fear communists must have felt during Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare; a time when admitting your left-leaning political ideals could cost you your job and reputation. And while harboring anti-Taylor sentiments won’t necessarily put you on a government hit list or get you fired, it will immediately make everyone think you’re an asshole. Or at the very least, that you’re not a supporter of women.

    In fact, Taylor Swift and her PR team have done a fantastic job of using “feminism” to shield the Reputation singer from criticism of all kinds. They’ve been disturbingly successful at equating not being a fan of Taylor Swift to not being a feminist. During an episode of her podcast High Low With EmRata, actress and newly converted Swiftie Emily Ratajkowski said it herself: “I was not a Swiftie, and now I’m like, you know what that means? That means I was a misogynist that I didn’t f–k with Taylor Swift.” She continues to unintentionally call attention to this PsyOp, stating: “This person is an incredible songwriter, an incredible performer, and anybody who says anything else? Like, they have issues… If you don’t like Taylor Swift, then, like, you don’t understand things.”

    Hearing this sent shivers down my spine, because I’ve always considered myself to be a feminist. I grew up listening to the Spice Girls and screaming “Girl power!” at anyone I stumbled across. And now, because Taylor’s music does nothing for me, I must not be a feminist? I counter that egregious statement with the fact that it’s not very feminist to expect all women to have the same taste in music. Is feminism a cult or is it about feminine individuality? I’ve always thought it was the latter.

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    That wasn’t the only time I’ve seen feminist ideals be used to protect Taylor Swift’s brand from even the most innocent form of questioning. Let’s harken back to the 2013 Golden Globes, when hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler sprinkled their set with jabs aimed at countless celebrities in attendance, such as Lena Dunham, Anne Hathaway, James Cameron, Ben Affleck, and Robert Pattinson. Then, they made the cardinal sin of cracking a joke about the untouchable Taylor Swift. Referencing her long string of highly publicized and short-lived relationships, they said she should “stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son.” In response to this wisecrack, Taylor Swift told Vanity Fair: “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women,” which prompted Amy Poehler to apologize for her part in telling the joke.

    I don’t know about you, but I don’t think feminism exempts anyone from being made fun of, especially if you’re one of the most successful stars the music industry has ever seen. And if the Swiftie fandom can’t handle an innocent joke, then that makes me feel even less excited to join the ranks.

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    The truth is, my apathy toward Taylor Swift has nothing to do with her as a person. I’m actually quite impressed with the empire she’s built, and if I ever had the chance to meet her, I have a strong feeling I would like her. To be frank, the brand she’s cultivated is downright genius and I do respect her for writing her own songs. However, her music does nothing for me, personally. Listening to some of her songs feels equivalent to reading a middle-grade chapter book for girls who like horses. There’s just no “edge” for me, as I feel like I’m being served a perfectly inoffensive product with no controversy, shock factor, or self-deprecating vulnerability to invite me in.

    I keep being told that I need to just buy a movie ticket and watch Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour because seeing her incredible performance will instantly convert me to a Swiftie. And to that, I say: Too much work. I don’t usually spend money on music before I’m sure if I even like the music. And if Taylor Swift’s fandom definitely isn’t a cult, why is there so much pressure to join it? Why do I need to be converted? Why are you Swifties proselytizing me? It’s not personal—I just don’t think I would make a very good cult member. But that doesn’t mean I’m not glad you’re all having fun!

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