Who will have the 2025 song of the summer? We offer some predictions
What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words "summer," "sunshine," or another synonym — "California" — in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the summer after the late, great Beach Boy Brian Wilson composed them so expertly, anyway?
It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but The Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August, the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners.
So here are AP's 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories, with past victors for reference.
Find your song of the summer and then listen to our Spotify playlist, here.
Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: "NUEVAYoL," Bad Bunny
A song of the summer doesn't actually have to arrive in summer, or even in spring. History has proved this time and time again, lest anyone forget Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license" hit at the top of the year in 2021. But this summer, like every summer, is about Bad Bunny. On his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio pulls from Puerto Rico's rich musical history and hybridizes it. He does so from the very opener, "NUEVAYoL," which samples the fittingly named 1975 salsa hit from El Gran Combo, "Un Verano en Nueva York" ("A Summer in New York").
Past champion: "Boy's a Liar PT. 2," PinkPantheress, Ice Spice (2023)
Song of the summer for the chronically online: "Tonight," PinkPantheress
An internet hero releases another super hit: PinkPantheress' "Tonight" is an undeniable good time; all bassline house meets hyperpop vocals with a naughty chorus. The 24-year-old British singer-songwriter has proved she's got so much more to offer than a few viral hits — but her huge songs that blow up online? They tend to stay. That's more than can be said about past winners in this category.
Past champion: "Million Dollar Baby," Tommy Richman (2024)
Breakup song of the summer: "What Was That," Lorde
Lorde's first new single in four years recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album "Melodrama," casting aside the folk detour of 2021's "Solar Power." "What Was That" is reserved revelation, introspective electropop that takes a measured look at a relationship's dissolution. It feels good, and bad, which is the point.
Past champion: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," Bee Gees (1971)
Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: "Gnarly," KATSEYE
KATSEYE, the global girl group born out of K-pop development techniques, are "Gnarly," and they'd like you to be, too. The song is asymmetrical pop with a cheerleading cadence and extensive, expensive product placement. You're here for the girls, or you're not. Gnarly!
Past champion: "Bills, Bills, Bills," Destiny's Child (1999)
Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: "WASSUP," Young Miko
Flirting is central to these hot months; no other season has a fling named after it. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko knows this better than most, and her track "WASSUP" is all about charisma — and it doesn't hurt that it interpolates "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major and "Chulin Culin Chunfly" by Voltio featuring Residente.
Past champion: "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')," T-Pain featuring Yung Joc (2007)
Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: "Ordinary," Alex Warren
Last year brought Benson Boone's glossy soft pop-rock; this year, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" is inescapable. A big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to the pull at heartstrings. And it does — the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Past champion: "Beautiful Things," Benson Boone (2024)
Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: "Nokia," Drake
For the last year, Drake has mostly made headlines for his rivalry with Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest beefs in modern rap music history. He was no victor, but on "Nokia," he's certainly a winner. The song is a return to what Drizzy knows best: a massive rap-R&B-pop song for the ages, one that will live inside the minds of listeners for the whole year. Just, you know, replete with the nostalgic sounds of a Nokia ringtone.
Past champion: The difference here, of course, is that Drake won his beef with Meek Mill. But nonetheless: "Back to Back," Drake (2015)
The TikTok-approved, blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: "Boots on the Ground," 803Fresh
Social media is the wild west and inevitably sources its own song of the summer. Usually, there's an element of humor in the track — like 2023's "The Margarita Song" by That Chick Angel, Casa Di & Steve Terrell. This year is a bit different: 803Fresh's "Boots on the Ground" is an organic hit that centers a kind of soulful line dance — it's country-pop with trap hi-hats and fun for the whole family.
Past champion: "The Spark," Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew (2024)
Song of the summer for it girls: "Fame Is A Gun," Addison Rae
Charli xcx fans, fear not. Addison Rae's debut album is stuffed with bejeweled, hypnotic pop songs for the post-"BRAT" crowd. Best of all is the Grimes-esque "Fame Is a Gun," a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus. For fashionable listeners, and those who aim to become more fabulous.
Past champion: "Bad Girls," Donna Summer (1979)
Song of the summer of revenge: "Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter
Does it sound strikingly similar to "Please, Please, Please" at times? Sure. But has Sabrina Carpenter cornered the market on country-tinged, satirical pop songs about heterofatalism, an internet neologism for those who find heterosexuality embarrassing and hopeless? Also, yes. But you know, with a wink, vengeance and a danceable quality. Amen, hey men!
Past champion: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood (from her 2005 debut album, but released as a single in 2006)
Biggest song of the year, and therefore the default song of the summer: "Luther," Kendrick Lamar and SZA
Is a song released in November too dated to qualify for song of the summer? Perhaps. But here's the rub: Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 2025 — over half the year so far. Popularity makes the contender. It doesn't hurt that "Luther" is also one of the best songs of both this year and last, a tender R&B ballad that samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine." "Luther" has since been dethroned on the charts, but no other song has come close to its run this year.
Past champion: "Last Night," Morgan Wallen (2023)
Country crossover song of the summer: "What I Want," Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae
If terrestrial country radio is your leading metric for selecting the song of the summer, then Morgan Wallen's "I'm The Problem" is likely your pick. But a catchier track with true country crossover appeal is "What I Want" with Wallen and pop singer Tate McRae. It is the first time Wallen has featured a female vocalist on one of his songs. It's a rare embrace for the chart topper, who historically prefers to buck country duet tradition and double down on his vocal style — warm, muscular, masculine.
Past champion: "You're Still the One," Shania Twain (from her 1997 album, but released as a single in 1998)
Song of the summer released half a decade ago: "party 4 you," Charli xcx
The data doesn't lie and what is old is new is old is new again. In the year after "BRAT" summer, desire for more Charli xcx is still strong. As a result, fans have dug up a cut from her 2020 album, "How I'm Feeling Now," and turned it into their own summer anthem … five years later. So much so, in fact, that Charli released a music video for it in May.
Past champion: "Cruel Summer," Taylor Swift (released in 2019, crowned song of the summer in 2023)
Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: "Mutt," Leon Thomas
Look, "Mutt" also arrived in 2024, but in 2025 — bolstered by a deluxe release and a recent Chris Brown remix — makes "Mutt" an easy song of the summer pick for some listeners. It's difficult to hear that chorus and not sing along: "She said, 'Take your time, what's the rush?' / I said, 'Baby, I'm a dog, I'm a mutt.'"
Past champion: "Bird Dog," The Everly Brothers (1958)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
13 hours ago
- Nahar Net
A weird 'Superman' is better than a boring one
by Naharnet Newsdesk 09 July 2025, 14:37 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a … a purple and orange shape-shifting chemical compound? Writer-director James Gunn's "Superman" was always going to be a strange chemistry of filmmaker and material. Gunn, the mind behind "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The Suicide Squad," has reliably drifted toward a B-movie superhero realm populated (usually over-populated) with the lesser-known freaks, oddities and grotesquerie of back-issue comics. But you don't get more mainstream than Superman. And let's face it, unless Christopher Reeve is in the suit, the rock-jawed Man of Steel can be a bit of a bore. Much of the fun and frustration of Gunn's movie is seeing how he stretches and strains to make Superman, you know, interesting. In the latest revamp for the archetypal superhero, Gunn does a lot to give Superman (played with an easy charm by David Corenswet ) a lift. He scraps the origin story. He gives Superman a dog. And he ropes in not just expected regulars like Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) but some less conventional choices — none more so than that colorful jumble of elements, Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). Metamorpho, a melancholy, mutilated man whose powers were born out of tragedy, is just one of many side shows in "Superman." But he's the most representative of what Gunn is going for. Gunn might favor a traditional-looking hero at the center, like Chris Pratt's Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy." And Corenswet, complete with hair curl, looks the part, too. But Gunn's heart is with the weirdos who soldier on. The heavy lift of "Superman" is making the case that the perfect superhuman being with "S" on his chest is strange, too. He's a do-gooder at a time when no one does good anymore. Not everything works in "Superman." For those who like their Superman classically drawn, Gunn's film will probably seem too irreverent and messy. But for anyone who found Zack Snyder's previous administration painfully ponderous, this "Superman," at least, has a pulse. It would be hard to find a more drastic 180 in franchise stewardship. Where Snyder's films were super-serious mythical clashes of colossuses, Gunn's "Superman" is lightly earthbound, quirky and sentimental. When this Superman flies, he even keeps his arms back, like an Olympic skeleton rider. We begin not on Krypton or Kansas but in Antarctica, near the Fortress of Solitude. The opening titles set-up the medias res beginning. Three centuries ago, metahumans first appeared on Earth. Three minutes ago, Superman lost a battle for the first time. Lying bloodied in the snow, he whistles and his faithful super dog, Krypto, comes running. Like some of Gunn's other novelty gags (I'm looking at you Groot), Krypto is both a highlight and overused gag throughout. Superman is in the midst of a battle by proxy with Luthor. From atop his Luthor Corp. skyscraper headquarters, Luther gives instructions to a team sitting before computer screens while, on a headset, barking out coded battle directions to drone-assisted henchmen. "13-B!" he shouts, like a Bingo caller. Whether this is an ideal localizing of main characters in conflict is a debate that recedes a bit when, back in Metropolis, Clark Kent returns to the Daily Planet. There's Wendell Pierce as the editor-in-chief, Perry White, and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen. But the character of real interest here is, of course, Lois. She and Kent are already an item in "Superman." When alone, Lois chides him over the journalistic ethics of interviewing himself after some derring-do, and questions his flying into countries without their leaders' approval. Brosnahan slides so comfortably into the role that I wonder if "Superman" ought to have been "Lois," instead. Her scenes with Corenswet are the best in the film, and the movie loses its snap when she's not around. That's unfortunately for a substantial amount of time. Luthor traps Superman in a pocket universe (enter Metamorpho, among others) and the eccentric members of the Justice Gang — Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific and Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl — are called upon to lend a hand. They come begrudgingly. But if there's anyone else that comes close to stealing the movie, it's Gathegi, who meets increasingly absurd cataclysm with wry deadpan. The fate of the world, naturally, again turns iffy. There's a rift in the universe, not to mention some vaguely defined trouble in Boravia and Jarhanpur. In such scenes, Gunn's juggling act is especially uneasy and you can feel the movie lurching from one thing to another. Usually, that's Krypto's cue to fly back into the movie and run amok. Gunn, who now presides over DC Studios with producer Peter Safran, is better with internal strife than he is international politics. Superman is often called "the Kryptonian" or "the alien" by humans, and Gunn leans into his outsider status. Not for the first time, Superman's opponents try to paint him as an untrustworthy foreigner. With a modicum of timeliness, "Superman" is an immigrant story. Mileage will inevitably vary when it comes to Gunn's idiosyncratic touch. He can be outlandish and sweet, often at once. In a conversation between metahumans, he will insert a donut into the scene for no real reason, and cut from a body falling through the air to an Alka-Seltzer tablet dropping into a glass. Some might call such moments glib, a not-unfair label for Gunn. But I'd say they make this pleasantly imperfect "Superman" something quite rare in the assembly line-style of superhero moviemaking today: human. "Superman," a Warner Bros. release is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for violence, action and language. Running time: 129 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Nahar Net
6 days ago
- Nahar Net
Morocco bets on video game industry to provide jobs and diversify economy
by Naharnet Newsdesk 04 July 2025, 15:19 Morocco is laying down foundations to build a homegrown gaming industry by establishing a developer hub in the capital, training coders and launching programs to draw tech-savvy youth into the sector. State officials invited developers, students and tech companies from around the world to a gaming expo in Rabat this week, where guests tested new games, competed in e-sports tournaments and heard about new initiatives to bring the burgeoning industry to Morocco. Attendees at the Morocco Gaming Expo battled through shooting games, explored immersive virtual reality worlds, tested educational platforms and mingled with mobile providers eager to stake their claim in the growing mobile gaming market. The event, in its second year, is one of the few ways in which African countries are diversifying their economies and attracting new industries for their young workforces. Morocco is positioning itself as one of Africa's first countries to roll out targeted strategies for the gaming industry. Mehdi Ben Said, Morocco's Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, said the government aims to both attract international game companies to Morocco and incentivize Moroccan developers to create their own products. With youth unemployment close to 30% and many young people eyeing opportunities abroad, the gaming industry could be a way to spark job growth and diversify opportunities, he said. "The objective is not only to generate revenue, but also to empower youth," Ben Said said. "We must offer real alternatives to our young people by opening up new career opportunities." With more than $200 billion in annual revenue and 3 billion players, the global market for video games is undergoing rapid growth. But even as smartphones have become ubiquitous in the Middle East and Africa, the industry has remained concentrated in East Asia, North America and Western Europe. Driven primarily by game sales, Morocco's industry currently generates over $500 million annually, according to state officials, who aim to double this revenue by 2030. Morocco is launching training programs in game design, programming and virtual reality alongside an industrial park where startups can incubate new games. The initiative includes a $26-million investment to open "Rabat Gaming City," featuring training, co-working spaces and full-scale production studios. For students the industry offers a chance to turn a passion into a career, said Fadwa Bezzazi, coordinator of Universite Mohammed V's undergraduate club in computer science and virtual reality. Students, who are already spending money on mobile or PC games, want to find ways to put what they're learning in the classroom into practice. "I'm not going to say we're preparing them for the future, because that future is already here," she said.
Nahar Net
6 days ago
- Nahar Net
Who will have the 2025 song of the summer? We offer some predictions
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 15:12 What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words "summer," "sunshine," or another synonym — "California" — in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the summer after the late, great Beach Boy Brian Wilson composed them so expertly, anyway? It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but The Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August, the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners. So here are AP's 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories, with past victors for reference. Find your song of the summer and then listen to our Spotify playlist, here. Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: "NUEVAYoL," Bad Bunny A song of the summer doesn't actually have to arrive in summer, or even in spring. History has proved this time and time again, lest anyone forget Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license" hit at the top of the year in 2021. But this summer, like every summer, is about Bad Bunny. On his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio pulls from Puerto Rico's rich musical history and hybridizes it. He does so from the very opener, "NUEVAYoL," which samples the fittingly named 1975 salsa hit from El Gran Combo, "Un Verano en Nueva York" ("A Summer in New York"). Past champion: "Boy's a Liar PT. 2," PinkPantheress, Ice Spice (2023) Song of the summer for the chronically online: "Tonight," PinkPantheress An internet hero releases another super hit: PinkPantheress' "Tonight" is an undeniable good time; all bassline house meets hyperpop vocals with a naughty chorus. The 24-year-old British singer-songwriter has proved she's got so much more to offer than a few viral hits — but her huge songs that blow up online? They tend to stay. That's more than can be said about past winners in this category. Past champion: "Million Dollar Baby," Tommy Richman (2024) Breakup song of the summer: "What Was That," Lorde Lorde's first new single in four years recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album "Melodrama," casting aside the folk detour of 2021's "Solar Power." "What Was That" is reserved revelation, introspective electropop that takes a measured look at a relationship's dissolution. It feels good, and bad, which is the point. Past champion: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," Bee Gees (1971) Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: "Gnarly," KATSEYE KATSEYE, the global girl group born out of K-pop development techniques, are "Gnarly," and they'd like you to be, too. The song is asymmetrical pop with a cheerleading cadence and extensive, expensive product placement. You're here for the girls, or you're not. Gnarly! Past champion: "Bills, Bills, Bills," Destiny's Child (1999) Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: "WASSUP," Young Miko Flirting is central to these hot months; no other season has a fling named after it. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko knows this better than most, and her track "WASSUP" is all about charisma — and it doesn't hurt that it interpolates "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major and "Chulin Culin Chunfly" by Voltio featuring Residente. Past champion: "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')," T-Pain featuring Yung Joc (2007) Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: "Ordinary," Alex Warren Last year brought Benson Boone's glossy soft pop-rock; this year, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" is inescapable. A big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to the pull at heartstrings. And it does — the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Past champion: "Beautiful Things," Benson Boone (2024) Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: "Nokia," Drake For the last year, Drake has mostly made headlines for his rivalry with Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest beefs in modern rap music history. He was no victor, but on "Nokia," he's certainly a winner. The song is a return to what Drizzy knows best: a massive rap-R&B-pop song for the ages, one that will live inside the minds of listeners for the whole year. Just, you know, replete with the nostalgic sounds of a Nokia ringtone. Past champion: The difference here, of course, is that Drake won his beef with Meek Mill. But nonetheless: "Back to Back," Drake (2015) The TikTok-approved, blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: "Boots on the Ground," 803Fresh Social media is the wild west and inevitably sources its own song of the summer. Usually, there's an element of humor in the track — like 2023's "The Margarita Song" by That Chick Angel, Casa Di & Steve Terrell. This year is a bit different: 803Fresh's "Boots on the Ground" is an organic hit that centers a kind of soulful line dance — it's country-pop with trap hi-hats and fun for the whole family. Past champion: "The Spark," Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew (2024) Song of the summer for it girls: "Fame Is A Gun," Addison Rae Charli xcx fans, fear not. Addison Rae's debut album is stuffed with bejeweled, hypnotic pop songs for the post-"BRAT" crowd. Best of all is the Grimes-esque "Fame Is a Gun," a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus. For fashionable listeners, and those who aim to become more fabulous. Past champion: "Bad Girls," Donna Summer (1979) Song of the summer of revenge: "Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter Does it sound strikingly similar to "Please, Please, Please" at times? Sure. But has Sabrina Carpenter cornered the market on country-tinged, satirical pop songs about heterofatalism, an internet neologism for those who find heterosexuality embarrassing and hopeless? Also, yes. But you know, with a wink, vengeance and a danceable quality. Amen, hey men! Past champion: "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood (from her 2005 debut album, but released as a single in 2006) Biggest song of the year, and therefore the default song of the summer: "Luther," Kendrick Lamar and SZA Is a song released in November too dated to qualify for song of the summer? Perhaps. But here's the rub: Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 2025 — over half the year so far. Popularity makes the contender. It doesn't hurt that "Luther" is also one of the best songs of both this year and last, a tender R&B ballad that samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine." "Luther" has since been dethroned on the charts, but no other song has come close to its run this year. Past champion: "Last Night," Morgan Wallen (2023) Country crossover song of the summer: "What I Want," Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae If terrestrial country radio is your leading metric for selecting the song of the summer, then Morgan Wallen's "I'm The Problem" is likely your pick. But a catchier track with true country crossover appeal is "What I Want" with Wallen and pop singer Tate McRae. It is the first time Wallen has featured a female vocalist on one of his songs. It's a rare embrace for the chart topper, who historically prefers to buck country duet tradition and double down on his vocal style — warm, muscular, masculine. Past champion: "You're Still the One," Shania Twain (from her 1997 album, but released as a single in 1998) Song of the summer released half a decade ago: "party 4 you," Charli xcx The data doesn't lie and what is old is new is old is new again. In the year after "BRAT" summer, desire for more Charli xcx is still strong. As a result, fans have dug up a cut from her 2020 album, "How I'm Feeling Now," and turned it into their own summer anthem … five years later. So much so, in fact, that Charli released a music video for it in May. Past champion: "Cruel Summer," Taylor Swift (released in 2019, crowned song of the summer in 2023) Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: "Mutt," Leon Thomas Look, "Mutt" also arrived in 2024, but in 2025 — bolstered by a deluxe release and a recent Chris Brown remix — makes "Mutt" an easy song of the summer pick for some listeners. It's difficult to hear that chorus and not sing along: "She said, 'Take your time, what's the rush?' / I said, 'Baby, I'm a dog, I'm a mutt.'" Past champion: "Bird Dog," The Everly Brothers (1958)
