I’m sharing a playlist with my 10 favorite songs of 2025. My K-Pop consumption intensified this year, which is reflected in the playlist and led me to reflect on the evolution of my musical taste.
I don’t usually share much about my personal life, but I started out listening to the rock and metal of the era, back when I was a teenager during the best decade in history: the 90s!
I soon discovered music from previous decades, like The Beatles and The Doors, but I mainly immersed myself in 70s progressive rock: Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, etc. It is a genre still very special to me, boasting brilliant modern exponents like Dream Theater and Steven Wilson.
At the same time, I was always very enthusiastic about video games, so I grew up absorbing their incredible soundtracks, with Japanese composers being my favorites, especially Nobuo Uematsu.
A steady dose of anime, and their amazing openings, added another layer to my taste for Japanese music.
On the other hand, as a musician, I had the opportunity to consolidate my academic training, studying for a degree in music composition, which allowed me to expand my knowledge and get involved in other genres, such as jazz.
In parallel, my interest in playing electric guitar shifted in favor of analog synthesizers, along with delving into electronic music like that of Vangelis or Jean-Michel Jarre, extending into genres like techno and synth-pop.
And well, two great constants have always been my insatiable curiosity and an inclination for listening to complex music; so, finally arriving at K-Pop, I consider it a genre that satisfies those needs perfectly.
Current K-Pop contains high complexity: multiple musical sections within a single song, intricate arrangements over dense harmonies, with sophisticated and highly dynamic vocal melodies. It is intelligent, insightful music, very well composed and produced, with meticulous attention to detail.
Furthermore, I believe what brought me here is the natural consequence of what has tuned my ears. K-Pop combines a complexity that reminds me of progressive rock, where more is more; intensity and energy that rival metal; the elaborate sound of electronic music; the aesthetics of Asian pop; and finally, formal aspects of music theory.
The new prog for the digital era? I wouldn’t go that far, but I would say it is avant-garde music that has managed to assimilate the best in modern musical history and innovate upon it.
Additionally, saying that the visual aspect of K-Pop isn’t bad is an understatement. In my case, paying attention almost exclusively to female K-Pop acts, I find it hard not to get hooked on it.
All things considered, it is an experience deliberately designed to be highly stimulating. Truth be told, K-Pop seems to me almost like the result of a laboratory of scientific precision. Its mere existence amazes me, and I am enthusiastic about witnessing what is to come.
If I had to point out the most fascinating experiment from this laboratory in 2025, it would undoubtedly be my favorite album of the year: Blue Valentine, the debut album by NMIXX, a work that condenses everything I have mentioned: bold production that isn’t afraid to break structures, complex songs that require multiple listens to be assimilated, highly elaborate electronic sound textures, and vocal arrangements that border on the virtuoso.
I highly recommend listening to that album, especially with headphones, and trying to hear the subtle details of each song.
I want to add a few points about the playlist of my favorite songs of 2025, which I created with dedication.
The sequence opens with Alicia, the main theme from the video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a very emotional and special piece for me. Of course, I included several K-Pop representatives, with DYT and Phoenix being, in my opinion, especially excellent and representative of the genre’s current complexity.
One of my favorite moments of the year was Shieldmaiden, from the latest album by the Finnish trio Auri, an absolutely beautiful and emotionally intense progressive folk song. On the other hand, Dream Theater was the band I listened to the most this year according to my Apple Music Replay stats, and Night Terror, from their latest progressive metal masterpiece, is one of my favorites from that release.
I also included a couple of Japanese pop songs: Cat’s Eye, the cover the incredible Ado did of the classic 80s opening, and exit, an exciting electronic composition by the trio Perfume, which seemed like a great finale for this playlist.
Anyway, I think 2025 was a good year for music globally. The industry seems to be producing more releases than ever, maintaining high quality, where established old artists perfectly share space on streaming platforms with young new talents, regardless of their geographic origin.
Soon they will have to share that space with music created by artificial intelligence as well, a phenomenon that will undoubtedly be one of the most relevant and debated topics during the coming year. We shall see.
Have an excellent 2026, everyone!
