Last year by now, we were well into a Brat summer. And before Charli XCX’s megahit album, we had already received new albums from Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa. While Sabrina Carpenter’s album Short N Sweet was an August release, both of her singles Espresso and Please Please Please were dominating the airwaves by June, as well.
So.. Where are the mainstream hits of 2025? A quick look at the Billboard charts doesn’t provide many answers. As of mid-June, typically a gold rush for Song of the Summer contenders, the top 10 on the Billboard chart was dominated mostly by songs that came out last year – Shaboozey’s A Bar Song is a mainstay, ditto Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ team-up “Die With a Smile.” Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther”, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” are also 2024 releases. Morgan Wallen has given country fans some new ammunition and sure, Sabrina Carpenter released a splashy single “Manchild” and has a full album on the way, but she can’t do it all on her own.
New albums from Miley Cyrus and Lil Wayne have failed to propel anything into the Song of the Summer race, and things are starting to seem pretty dire, especially compared to the past few summers. Now maybe this is a bit premature and a massive song or two are coming our way in July, but this slow start to summer music season does beg the question: Is this just an anomalous year that hasn’t yet seen a big album grab the culture’s attention.. Or is this the way things are moving in a streaming-first society where everything’s on demand and nothing needs to grab everyone? The answer to that remains to be seen.
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