Rueben's Ramblings

I’ve shared for many years now how much music has played a key part in my life. As far back as I can remember, music was always playing in my childhood home. It all started when I was a little girl, listening to music while sitting in the middle of my big brothers’ shared bedroom on their old 1970’s turntable then listening to my big boom box and later the Walkman I had in the 1980’s all the way through to my iPod in the 2000’s to now with my Pandora account.

In fact, I wake up to music every morning rather than a buzzing alarm; and then I go to bed with music. Music may not mean to everyone what it means to me, but it does play a crucial part in television, Broadway, theatre and the box office.

The following are just some of the top performers for 2025:

Collaborations of the Year – Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile

Both Sara and Brandi are talented singer-songwriters who have, in the past, performed together either in impromptu or concert settings, but until now they had not done an official recording with each other. They were brought together for “Come See Me in the Good Light,” the documentary about Andrea Gibson, the spoken word poet, Poet Laureate of Colorado in 2023 and activist who passed away this July from ovarian cancer. Not only did they both serve as executive producers on the documentary, but their song “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet,” based on Gibson’s poetry, was used as the theme of the documentary.

Here is the video for “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet”:

Young Songwriter of the Year – Gracie Abrams

This young singer, who is the daughter of Alias and Felicity series creator J. J. Abrams has been in love with music for most of her life and has been working professionally since 2019. This year she was the recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an acknowledgement given to gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs. Besides being a talented songwriter, Gracie has performed as an opening act to Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. Her current single “That’s So True” became a fan favorite and a career peak for her.

Here is the video for “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams:

The Trouble With AI – “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust

There has been a lot of talk this year about AI from how it has already affected our day-to-day lives and as it takes over more and more aspects of it to Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress created by Eline Van der Velden that caused an uproar within the entertainment industry. What’s more: there is Breaking Rust, the country music artist project created by Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor that is presented with a cowboy persona, “who” had a single – “Walk My Walk” – that topped the Billboard charts and has amassed over 35,000 followers on Instagram. The main problem is this project was developed using generative AI tools to produce vocals, instrumentation and lyrics with NO human performers involved. It’s like welcoming Skynet into the music world, groan!

Here is the video for “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust:

Hit of the Summer – “Golden” by Huntr/x

This single comes from the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix from the Netflix animated musical film KPop Demon Hunters. The song is performed by Kim Eun-jae, known professionally as Ejae, as well as Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. “Golden” quickly became the hit single of the summer, being released on the Fourth of July and making its way up the charts after being played literally everywhere. It should be noted that at least three other songs from this animated film’s soundtrack made its way onto the charts and the movie featured voices provided by the aforementioned Ejae, Teen Wolf alum Arden Cho, Lost alums Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim, Community alum Ken Jeong and Lee Byung-hun from the G.I. Joe movie franchise and Red 2.

Here is a live performance of the single by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami:

Hitmaker of the Year – Sabrina Carpenter

Every year there is usually one artist who just seems to be, well, everywhere. In years past, artists like Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Lainey Wilson and Taylor Swift have been that hitmaker (and some would say that Taylor Swift seems to hold that title every year); but this year the hitmaker is Sabrina Carpenter, who was honored with the Hitmaker of the Year award by Variety. Her 6th studio album “Short N Sweet” hit number 1 on the Billboard charts, she earned her first Grammy nominations and headlined her first arena shows. And, on top of all that, she had three top 10 hit singles from that album, including “Manchild,” “Please Please Please” and “Espresso.”

Here is the lyric video for her current hit single Lyric video for “Manchild”:

Best New Female Artist [TIE] – Gigi Perez and Lola Young

First, let’s talk about Gigi Perez, the 25-year-old singer who was born in New Jersey but raised in Florida. She had a unique way of making it in the music industry. She began by uploading “do it yourself” tracks on TikTok in 2021, which spawned viral hits. That led to a deal with Interscope and gigs playing before Coldplay and Noah Cyrus. But then that major label dropped her in 2023, but that didn’t deter her. She self-released her current hit “Sailor Song,” which highlights her androgynous voice, and the rest is – as they say – history. That queer love song went from being a hit online to hitting the Billboard Hot 100, amassing – get this – 1.3 billion streams, and spawned her debut album “At the Beach, in Every Life.”

Here is the video for “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez:

Then there is Lola Young, the 24-year old singer-songwriter from the U.K. whose hit single “Messy” actually came out in May 2024, but has become a massive hit over the course of this year. You can’t really turn on the radio without hearing it in heavy rotation. This single wasn’t just an international smash – she got her first Hot 100 hit here in the States and topped the Pop Airplay chart – it has become an anthem for Gen Z, especially those with ADHD. To cap off her year, she was the recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Ivor Novello Awards (now in its 70th year); these awards are given out annually in London by the Ivor Academy for songwriting and composing.

Here is the lyric video for “Messy” by Lola Young:

Best New Male Artist – SOMBR

SOMBR, the 20-year-old New Yorker born Shane Boose, stands at an impressive height of 6-foot-7 and just might be the youngest Grammy nominee. His hit single “Back to Friends” showcases what is being called his smoldering vulnerability when he performs onstage. His album “I Barely Know Her” just came out in August, but it contains – in addition to “Back to Friends” – several Hot 100 singles like “Undressed” and “12 to 12”.

You can watch the lyric video for “Back to Friends” by SOMBR below:

Breakthrough Artist of the Year  – Alex Warren

Alex Warren is another self-starter who has been on a four-year journey in the music industry starting out on TikTok and YouTube where he independently released his first singles in 2021, to being signed to Atlantic in 2022, working on collaborations with Jelly Roll and Blackpink breakout star Rose to winning the MTV VMA for Best New Artist. The 25-year-old California native saw his hit single “Ordinary” stay in the Hot 100 for 10 nonconsecutive weeks this year.

You can watch the video for “Ordinary” by Alex Warren below:

What singer or band has been your “go-to” music during the past year? Which singles were the stand-outs for you this year? What song did you get sick of hearing on the radio? What was the top album in your opinion? Please share your thoughts on the music of 2025 below.

TOMORROW: Top of the Box Office