Bad Bunny Dominates Global Charts, Set to Electrify Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show as Spotify Wrapped Reveals 2025’s Top Artists

Millenium TV has learned that Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny has been crowned the world’s most-streamed artist of 2025, accumulating over 19.8 billion streams on the popular platform Spotify. His critically acclaimed album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, celebrating his island’s rich musical heritage, also claimed the title of the year’s biggest album. This monumental success paves the way for his highly anticipated performance at next year’s Super Bowl LXI halftime show.

Spotify’s annual “Wrapped” personalized listening summaries, which rolled out on Wednesday afternoon, offered fans a deep dive into their musical journeys throughout the past year. While Bad Bunny reigned supreme globally, his presence was less pronounced in the United Kingdom, where he did not feature in the Top 10. Instead, pop icon Taylor Swift emerged as the UK’s most popular artist of 2025.

Globally, the throwback duet “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars secured the top spot as the world’s biggest song. In the UK, however, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” captivated listeners, spending an impressive 13 weeks at number one. This track was one of the few new entries to make it into Spotify’s UK Top 10, which largely saw older hits by artists such as Lola Young, Billie Eilish, and Gigi Perez maintaining strong positions. Notably, Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” originally released in 2020, was the fourth most-streamed song of the year.

The UK’s most listened-to album was Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 release, Short ‘n’ Sweet, boosted by popular tracks like “Taste,” “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please.” However, her newer album, Man’s Best Friend, did not reach the top ten. Billie Eilish, with hits like “Birds of a Feather” and “Lunch,” was the fifth most-streamed global artist, while Drake secured fourth place following the release of his latest album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.

Rival streaming services mirrored some of these trends in their year-end charts. Rosé and Bruno Mars’ pop smash “APT,” initially released in October 2024, was the top track on both YouTube and Apple Music. YouTube users, in particular, showed a strong affinity for K-Pop Demon Hunters, with four songs from the Netflix animation, led by Huntr/x’s “Golden,” making it into the site’s Top 10. The K-Pop Demon Hunters OST also became the second biggest album globally on Spotify, closely followed by Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.

Emerging British pop singer-songwriter Samira shared with Millenium TV that her recent single “Cardio” was intentionally crafted for high-energy gym playlists. She expressed her admiration for Lily Allen, stating, “I’ve been obsessed with her since I was young. She is an icon.” Samira also noted the unexpected popularity of her “confessional song” “Valentine’s Day” and her surprise that the UK was only her third-largest market, a revelation that will help guide her future touring plans.

Sunderland rocker Tom A. Smith, who has previously toured with Sir Elton John, remarked that his listening habits heavily influenced his writing this year, citing LCD Soundsystem and Soulwax as inspirations. He mentioned, “Bruce Springsteen has topped for the third year in a row though.” Despite the data, Smith emphasizes his creative process is driven by 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.

Singer Rose Gray, whose debut album Louder, Please was released in January, revealed that her personal Spotify Wrapped doesn’t reflect her true tastes, as she shares an account 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. She identified Madonna, Rosalía, Sega Bodega, and Charli XCX as closer to her actual top artists.

Professor Richard Whittle, an expert in artificial intelligence and public policy, explained to Millenium TV the significant impact of Spotify Wrapped. He described it as “an incredibly effective viral marketing tool that turns millions of users into enthusiastic promoters.” Professor Whittle added that many users even “adjust their habits throughout the year to engineer a ‘cooler’ Wrapped next time, which shows how powerful the feature has become.”