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The highly anticipated annual personalized listening summaries for 2025 have been unveiled, revealing monumental achievements for artists worldwide and distinct regional preferences. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has been declared the globe’s most-played artist, amassing over 19.8 billion streams on the leading audio platform. His critically acclaimed album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” a vibrant homage to his island’s rich musical traditions, also secured the title of the year’s biggest album, paving the way for his upcoming performance at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
Despite his international dominance, Bad Bunny did not appear in the UK’s Top 10 artist rankings. Across the Atlantic, pop sensation Taylor Swift emerged as the most popular artist in the United Kingdom. The personalized listening data became available to users on Wednesday at 13:00 GMT.
Globally, the collaborative track “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars earned the distinction of being the world’s biggest song. Meanwhile, British audiences gravitated towards Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which captivated listeners for 13 weeks at number one, becoming the year’s top track in the UK. Millenium TV notes that “Ordinary” was one of the few new releases to break into the UK’s Top 10, as enduring hits from artists like Lola Young, Billie Eilish, and Gigi Perez maintained their chart presence throughout the year. Interestingly, Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” originally released in 2020, was the fourth most-streamed song globally in 2025.
In album news for the UK, Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 release “Short’n’Sweet” claimed the top spot, driven by popular singles such as “Taste,” “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please.” Her more recent album, “Man’s Best Friend,” did not achieve a Top 10 position. Internationally, Billie Eilish secured the fifth spot among most-streamed artists with hits like “Birds of a Feather” and “Lunch,” while Drake ranked fourth, coinciding with the release of his latest album, “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U.”
A similar pattern of listening trends was observed across other major streaming platforms. The pop anthem “APT,” a collaboration between Rosé and Bruno Mars, which debuted in October 2024, was the top track on both YouTube and Apple Music. Notably, YouTube users showed a significant interest in the “K-Pop Demon Hunters” animation, with four songs from its soundtrack appearing in the site’s Top 10, led by Huntr/x’s “Golden” at number three. The “K-Pop Demon Hunters” soundtrack also ranked as the second biggest album globally, followed by Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”
British artist Lola Young enjoyed a breakthrough year, with tracks like “Messy” and “Not Like That Any More” resonating deeply with fans, contributing to her impressive one billion streams in 2025. Central Cee’s debut album, “Can’t Rush Greatness,” also saw substantial engagement with 785 million streams.
Artists themselves are leveraging this data to better understand their audience and refine their creative strategies. British pop singer-songwriter Samira remarked on the data, explaining that her “confessional song” “Valentine’s Day,” which recounts being “ghosted” by a date, proved to be her most popular. “I love that the songs I wrote with the most personality in the lyrics are the ones that resonate best,” she stated. Samira also expressed surprise to discover that the UK was only her third largest market, trailing the US and Germany, a revelation she noted would “help guide us with our [gig] planning for next year.”
Sunderland rock musician Tom A. Smith, who has previously toured with Sir Elton John, shared that his listening habits deeply influenced his recent songwriting, citing “quite a bit of LCD Soundsystem and Soulwax.” He added, “Bruce Springsteen has topped for the third year in a row though.” Despite the data, Smith maintains a belief in artistic instinct. “As an artist that believes that the best way to express myself is to do what I think is right for me, musically I don’t really think the data is relevant,” he explained. “I do it for me and hopefully people will love it. But it is interesting to read.”
However, not all artists find their personal listening summaries a true reflection of their tastes. Pop star Rose Gray, whose debut album “Louder, Please” launched in January, revealed that her account is shared with her 17-year-old brother. “That’s my brother’s – dark ambient, drill, slow core, pop, emo, rap – sorry that’s not me,” she clarified, though admitting an appreciation for the genres. The 28-year-old artist indicated her own top artists would include “Madonna, I think it’s Rosalía, Sega Bodega or something a bit old school – Zero 7 or Air. Probably Charli [XCX] is in there, and Shy Girl.”
Richard Whittle, a Professor of artificial intelligence and public policy, commented on the phenomenon, highlighting how these year-end summaries serve as a powerful marketing tool. “Wrapped is an incredibly effective viral marketing tool that turns millions of users into enthusiastic promoters,” he explained. He further observed, “Many users even adjust their habits throughout the year to engineer a ‘cooler’ Wrapped next time, which shows how powerful the feature has become.” This “gamification” of listening data, as Millenium TV understands it, can subtly influence user behavior.
© Millenium TV
