GL.25.14: DARCEY LACHTMAN
GL.25.15: Caseysimone Ballestas
GL.25.16: Ryan Joyce
GL.25.17: Desa Warner
GL.25.18: Claren Warner
GL.25.19: Vikram Joseph
GL.25.20: Kevin Wyckoff
GL.25.21: Sidney Southerland
GL.25.22: Jazzmen Williams
GL.25.23: Megan Swidler
GL.25.24: Carl Anderson
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Darcey's Burn Your Hits
This year was an interesting blend of political unrest and unbridled joy. Music splinters in great directions during times of turmoil and uncertainty: punk resistance, soulful lyricism, and absolute bangers to which to shake some ass.
In 2025, I went to some great concerts - including Alanis Morrisette, Kendrick and SZA, Kneecap, Kylie Minogue & the Lowlands music festival - but none of these artists make this list because I’m sticking to tracks that came out in 2025.
With all its faults, TikTok has given me access to tons of smaller artists who dominated my listening this year, as well as dance routines to learn to the more popular hits. Some of these songs were artful responses to current events, politics, or intense interpersonal drama. According to Spotify, my musical age is 17 so enjoy this backslide into adolescence with me!
1. “The Hand” — Annabelle Dinda
It seems like every time I open my phone, this artist has written a new, impossibly beautiful song. I truly feel like she’s someone to watch and that I’m witnessing the birth of her career. The message of this song is that men view life through the lens of being explorers or sailors, trying to prove their worth through experience while women are taught to quiet themselves. It was incredibly relatable to many women and it went viral, but then in true TikTok fashion, people liked the raw version instead of the actual release on Spotify. This song prompted tons of response videos in which creators analyzed her lyrics like they were back in English class. I encourage you to listen to the Spotify version as well as the original on TikTok. The children yearn for media literacy!
2. “The Sick” — Bella Kay
This song caught my attention as one of the best representations of a toxic relationship that I had heard. This song doesn’t rage, doesn’t scream, but points out the specific kind of hatred you get for somebody who treats you worse than you thought you would ever allow yourself to be treated. There’s also a strong element of addiction, both in terms of relationships, as well as substances in this song. The poignant lyrics “you were wrong for what you did to me, but I was sick for kind of liking it” really stuck with me. This song spoke to me so much that I had to choreograph a dance to it.
3. “True Believer” — Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams of Paramore never ceases to amaze me. It seems like this year she came more into her own music style with this album and particular song. This song is loaded with historical symbolism and painfully clear imagery of turmoil in the United States. Many have said that “True Believer” is a spell, with the lyrics, “The south will not rise again, until it’s paid for every sin...strange fruit, hard bargain”. Another song that sparked media literacy videos on TikTok, I learned that this song references the song “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone. “Strange fruit” is a euphemism for black bodies hanging from trees in the United States. This song is haunting in the best and educational way.
4. “One Thing” — Lola Young
Another artist was brought to me by TikTok a few years back. I love Lola Young, and I feel lucky that I got to see her live at Lowlands this year! It was one of her last concerts before she decided to take a break for her health, so let’s hope she’s doing better! She was fantastic live, and performed all her songs back to back. She is an artist who reminds me of Amy Winehouse in her attitude and “messiness”. I hope she lives a long and eventful life and can practice her art when it suits her. This song is playful, lustful, and gets stuck in my head on a loop.
5. “Bunnies” — Oliver Richman
This year, video came out of bunnies jumping on a trampoline, which looked like it came from a ring camera or night time security camera. The video went viral, only for us to find out that it was AI and not real. I think until this point, the younger generation (mainly millennial and Gen Z) had declared that they could tell what was AI and not AI, but this fooled a lot of people. There was a distinct and collective sadness at the realization, and I believe that this song captured that feeling perfectly.
6. “everything is romantic (wuthering heights remix)” — I AM MUSIC
This is a strange one. This is from the trailer for a movie that’s not out yet, Wuthering Heights. It has a cinematic and romantic feel and is a remix of Charli XCX’s song “Everything is Romantic.” Anyone who has fallen deeply in love can relate to the way this sounds and it should be out on album next year. I also choreographed to this one because I couldn’t help myself.
7. “Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga
Another spell, I learned that this song was about Lady Gaga‘s incredibly painful condition of fibromyalgia. This resonated with the disabled community, not only because it’s about fibromyalgia, but also the dance really lends itself to those in any physical condition. Yes I learned the dance, and I challenge you not to move when you hear this song.
8. “I Get Hurt” — Victor Jones
This messy and chaotic anthem stopped me mid scroll when I first heard it. I think it’s the perfect mix of strength, nonsense and vulnerability. I got a bit obsessed with it and couldn’t stop listening for a few weeks in a row. I think it would make for an excellent soundtrack to the correct movie, but I don’t know that it will ever extend that far.
9. “Every Living Breathing Moment” — Grant Steller
This artist is only 20 years old and yet his music has graced symphonies, stadiums, and films. This is pep talk music, realization music, montage music, and inspirational music. To be able to put some footage from your vacation or some deep realization to this music is when you’ve made it.
10. “Na$ty” — KIRBY
This song lures you in with a seductive backtrack, and is really a catchy inquisition of your moral standing in America’s racial turmoil. It had me looking for references, researching and self examining. Her soulful singing, combined with the imagery of her tearing up brown paper bags(paper bag test, look it up!) in her music video, was an attention catching contrast.
11. “Thia Kane” — Emerson Woolf & the Wishbones
The song grabbed me instantly with the familiar twang of the genre, the feminine southern vocals and the punchy lyrics “I don’t want to die from being shot by a gun, but all my red hat tweaker neighbors have the right to carry one.” It’s catchy, real, classic and new.
12. “Ban This Song” — Moon Walker
Another song of our political climate, this one is certainly a thinker. It feels validating yet infuriating to listen to, and feels like the soundtrack to doom scrolling. It’s of this time, but also timeless, and speaks to the wider themes of fascism and ignorance. His voice sounds like it’s on a loudspeaker and that this song could’ve been made in the 60s … but it was made this year.
13. “I Got Flavor!” — LaRussell, Lil Jon
A new Bay Area hyphy banger is what I need to feel current in my roots. This one doesn’t feel cheap or contrived, it feels authentic to the bay and slaps every time.
14. “BRAND NEW BITCH” — Cobrah
This song sits somewhere between RuPaul’s drag race and the club. I placed her in the shake some ass category. Some songs make you feel invincible, some songs make you feel sexy. This song makes you feel both. Another song I chose to choreograph to, because it made me feel like a brand new bitch. This is a cunty anthem. Get into it.
15. “Expiration Dating” — Madeline
This song is a direct response to red pilled men(and society at large) telling women that they expire after 30. There’s been a huge push this year for young women to diverge into the roles of either “trad wives” or voluntarily independent single women. I think it speaks to the dichotomy of our politics as well as the dichotomy of romance in 2025 perfectly. The top question in the comments I saw this year of videos on this topic, “The male loneliness epidemic … If men suffer in silence, why do I keep hearing about it?”
16. “Opalite” — Taylor Swift
I’m not a Swiftie by any means, but I was tasked with choreographing a surprise flash dance to a Taylor Swift song for my good friends’ wedding this year. I searched through her discography for any song that was happy and romantic, to fit the vibe of a wedding. I couldn’t find any songs by Taylor that were happy also had a beat to dance to until her new album came out. “Opalite” was the perfect choice, because it was upbeat, catchy and I actually wanted to dance to it. It’s adorable, and it’s the first Taylor Swift song that I’ve genuinely enjoyed. The bride absolutely loved the surprise and during my choreography I listened to “Opalite” over 50 times. It’s a special one to me.
17. “… Let Down – Choir Outro” — Goomp
Originally by Radiohead, this rendition of “Let Down” is haunting and beautiful. Another viral soundtrack to many videos. This one makes me tear up every time for some reason. I don’t wanna say it’s better than the original, but it certainly makes me feel a lot of things. I think it’s the collective voices sounding so hopeful in the choir.
18. “Ms. Whitman” — Bhad Bhabie
This was the beef to end all white girl beef, and I was INVESTED. Bhad Bhabie (cash me outside girl) has made a fruitful career of social media and music since Dr. Phil, especially with the younger crowd. She became friends with Alabama Barker, who is Travis Barker‘s daughter. The beef allegedly started when Alabama slept with Bhad Bhabie’s baby daddy (try saying that 5x fast). Alabama grew up with money and for all intents and purposes is cosplaying black. Her opponent grew up under awful circumstances, and clawed and crawled her way into a better life by staying relevant for the last decade. Despite white girl appearances, she can actually rap. Before listening to this song, I urge you to watch the music video to “Gucci flip-flops”, and at least read the list of her top songs. You’ll be surprised at some of the artists that she’s collaborated with over the years. All of this is to say that Alabama did a couple of high budget diss tracks, before Bhad Bhabie won the battle with this song “Ms. Whitman” to a beat that inverts Kanye’s “carnival”. Watch the video, there’s a Travis Barker look alike in it. Kanye got involved to officially approve the beat because he’s happy to be messy against the Kardashians. Phew, enjoy the drama.
19. “HOLLYWOOD” — YG, Shoreline Mafia
A new west coast banger with a swaggy dance attached. Speaks for itself.
20. “¡BASTA YA!” — Cain Culto, Xiuhtezcatl
I got turned onto this artist through KFC Santeria. This song is a bit different and came out (it appears) in response to the ICE raids in the United States. Not only does it bang, it resists. With imagery of native American and native Mexican heritage, this is a powerful song to complement the resistance. In a time of washed out “cloud dancer”(thanks Pantone!) let’s strive for colorful tapestries.
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