According to The Official Charts (UK), theses are the biggest songs on 2025. My question is, where are all the bands? Now just to be clear, I am not posting this as I have any issue or dislike of any solo artists or any of those in the lists below. It’s just a shame that bands are not seeing the same chart sucess of the solo crowd. I was always of the belief that the singles charts were for artists and the album charts was where the bands found their stride. If you look at the ‘biggest’ album chart of this year you see, Oasis, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Arctic Monkeys, Queen and Linkin Park, not what you would call new and up and coming. So whare are the new bands.
It is easy to look in the more niche charts to find them, The Indie Chart would be your safest bet but as stated these are niche, big, but niche, and not enough to break these lists below.
The Biggest Singles of 2025
The Biggest albums of 2025
1 – ORDINARY
- ALEX WARREN
2 – MESSY
- LOLA YOUNG
3 – PINK PONY CLUB
- CHAPPELL ROAN
4 – GOLDEN
- HUNTR/X/EJAE/AUDREY NUNA/REI
5 – APT
- ROSE & BRUNO MARS
6 – THAT’S SO TRUE
- GRACIE ABRAMS
7 – BEAUTIFUL THINGS
- BENSON BOONE
8 – LOVE ME NOT
- RAVYN LENAE
9 – MAN I NEED
- OLIVIA DEAN
10 – DIE WITH A SMILE
- LADY GAGA & BRUNO MARS
11 – BIRDS OF A FEATHER
- BILLIE EILISH
12 – THE DAYS
- CHRYSTAL
13 – GOOD LUCK, BABE
- CHAPPELL ROAN
14 – LOSE CONTROL
- TEDDY SWIMS
15 – BACK TO FRIENDS
- SOMBR
16 – UNDRESSED
- SOMBR
17 – ESPRESSO
- SABRINA CARPENTER
18 – SAILOR SONG
- GIGI PEREZ
19 – TASTE
- SABRINA CARPENTER
20 – BAD DREAMS
- TEDDY SWIMS
21 – THE DOOR
- TEDDY SWIMS
22 – SPORTS CAR
- TATE MCRAE
23 – NICE TO MEET YOU
- MYLES SMITH
24 – MANCHILD
- SABRINA CARPENTER
25 – STARGAZING
- MYLES SMITH
26 – NICE TO EACH OTHER
- OLIVIA DEAN
27 – A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
- SHABOOZEY
28 – IRIS
- GOO GOO DOLLS
29 – THE FATE OF OPHELIA
- TAYLOR SWIFT
30 – CARRY YOU HOME
- ALEX WARREN
31 – MR BRIGHTSIDE
- KILLERS
32 – SHOW ME LOVE
- WIZTHEMC/BEES & HONEY
33 – STICK SEASON
- NOAH KAHAN
34 – TOO SWEET
- HOZIER
35 – NO BROKE BOYS
- DISCO LINES & TINASHE
36 – SODA POP
- SAJA BOYS/ANDREW CHOI/NECKWAV
37 – DREAMS
- FLEETWOOD MAC
38 – REIN ME IN
- SAM FENDER
39 – AZIZAM
- ED SHEERAN
40 – DIOR
- MK FT CHRYSTAL
1 – THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL – TAYLOR SWIFT
2 – SHORT N SWEET – SABRINA CARPENTER
3 – + – = DIVIDE X – TOUR COLLECTION – ED SHEERAN
4 – TIME FLIES – 1994-2009 – OASIS
5 – 50 YEARS – DON’T STOP – FLEETWOOD MAC
6 – THE HIGHLIGHTS – WEEKND
7 – WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY – OASIS
8 – MAN’S BEST FRIEND – SABRINA CARPENTER
9 – YOU’LL BE ALRIGHT KID (CHAPTER 1) – ALEX WARREN
10 – PEOPLE WATCHING – SAM FENDER
11 – THE ART OF LOVING – OLIVIA DEAN
12 – DIAMONDS – ELTON JOHN
13 – THE RISE AND FALL OF A MIDWEST PRINCESS – CHAPPELL ROAN
14 – THE ESSENTIAL – MICHAEL JACKSON
15 – SO CLOSE TO WHAT – TATE MCRAE
16 – STICK SEASON – NOAH KAHAN
17 – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – BILLIE EILISH
18 – BRAT – CHARLI XCX
19 – GOLD – GREATEST HITS – ABBA
20 – RUMOURS – FLEETWOOD MAC
21 – SOS – SZA
22 – AM – ARCTIC MONKEYS
23 – PAPERCUTS – SINGLES COLLECTION 2000-2023 – LINKIN PARK
24 – DEFINITELY MAYBE – OASIS
25 – CURTAIN CALL – THE HITS – EMINEM
26 – THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT – TAYLOR SWIFT
27 – GUTS – OLIVIA RODRIGO
28 – SOUR – OLIVIA RODRIGO
29 – MAYHEM – LADY GAGA
30 – THE SECRET OF US – GRACIE ABRAMS
31 – GREATEST HITS – QUEEN
32 – THE DIAMOND COLLECTION – POST MALONE
33 – 96 MONTHS – CALVIN HARRIS
34 – CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS – CENTRAL CEE
35 – GREATEST HITS – PITBULL
36 – ETERNAL SUNSHINE – ARIANA GRANDE
37 – FIREWORKS & ROLLERBLADES – BENSON BOONE
38 – PIANO MAN – THE VERY BEST OF – BILLY JOEL
39 – ÷ (DIVIDE) – ED SHEERAN
40 – BEST OF – 50 CENT
The decline of bands on music charts is due to several factors including the dominance of streaming culture and social media, a shift in popular music tastes towards pop, R&B, and hip-hop, and economic pressures making band logistics more difficult.
Key Reasons for the Decline
Rise of Streaming and Solo Artists: Streaming platforms (like Spotify and Apple Music) largely determine chart rankings and their algorithms and major playlists tend to favour pop, R&B, and hip-hop solo artists. Social media, a crucial element of modern music promotion, also rewards individual voices and personas over collective efforts, making it harder for a group dynamic to break through the noise.
Changing Musical Tastes: The genre of rock music, which has historically been the primary vehicle for bands on the charts, has lost its commercial mainstream appeal among younger generations, being pushed out by pop, hip-hop, and R&B.
Fragmentation of Media: The traditional media landscape has fragmented, meaning bands can no longer rely on a few major TV shows (like the former Top of the Pops in the UK) or radio stations to gain mass exposure.
Technological Advancements: Music production software allows individual artists to create the sound of an entire arrangement without needing collaborators or a traditional band setup.
Economic and Logistical Challenges:
- Cost: It is more expensive than ever to form, record with, and tour with a band, especially with rising living costs and logistical difficulties for international touring (e.g., post-Brexit issues).
- Venue Closures: A decline in local and grassroots music venues has made it harder for new bands to develop a live following and hone their craft.
- Label Preferences: Record labels often find it more cost-effective and simpler to manage a single solo artist than a whole band, with fewer expenses related to management, promotion, and potential interpersonal conflicts.
