The 10 best global albums of 2025
Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan returns with mournful minimalism, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra’s 1982 album of Punjabi disco makes a comeback and Venezuelan-Guatemalan duo Titanic serve up ecstatic tracks
Despite his knack for slick pop, the principled and passionate Chris Rea never took the easy road
The late musician bristled against his record companies, his producers and fame itself – but that friction ignited both his AOR hits and his raw, spirited take on the blues
Barry Manilow to undergo surgery for lung cancer
The 82-year-old singer says the disease is in its early stages and he plans to be back on stage in February
Chris Rea obituary
Singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his enduring hit Driving Home for Christmas
Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas is an evergreen, everyman anthem that captures the season’s true spirit
By rejecting the bombast of 80s pop, the late singer-songwriter’s track has endured, and thereby perfectly captures the nostalgic feelings at the heart of Christmas
Joe Ely obituary
Country-rock pioneer from Texas whose fans included the Clash and Bruce Springsteen
Chris Rea, rock and blues singer-songwriter, dies aged 74
Middlesbrough-born musician had hits with Driving Home for Christmas, On the Beach and The Road to Hell
The 16 best Australian albums of 2025
Your guide to Australia’s best music of the year, including Folk Bitch Trio, Ninajirachi, Tame Impala and others
Timeless Christmas hit is the gift that keeps on giving for Wizzard
Research shows 97% of band’s streaming revenue comes from 1973 single I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Flamboyant, furious and full of hope: CMAT is the sound of 2025
The Irish singer-songwriter does what the best musicians do: perfectly crystallising their time while inspirationally taking a stand against it, says Guardian columnist John Harris
The Guide #222: From Celebrity Traitors to The Brutalist via Bad Bunny – our roundup of the culture that mattered in 2025
Not exhaustive, not definitive and unapologetically subjective: our annual tour of the best TV, music, films, podcasts, games and books of the last year
Kylie Minogue gets her – and Amazon’s – first Christmas No 1, with Xmas
Exclusive song for online retailer prevents a hat trick of Christmas No 1s for Wham!, as Kylie becomes first woman to secure UK No 1 singles in four different decades
The 50 best albums of 2025: No 1 – Rosalía: Lux
On her monumental, maximalist opus, the dazzlingly audacious Spanish singer balanced pop and classical, experimentation and accessibility
Grief inspired so much of the year’s best music – and that’s something AI won’t ever feel
As AI generated ever more pop slop, reflective songwriting by artists from Clipse to CMAT drew its power from its very humanity
‘I enjoy fame. It’s very exposing and raw – though you pay a price’: Addison Rae, the Guardian’s artist of the year
In just two years, Rae has gone from star TikTok dancer to being Grammy-nominated for best new artist. She reflects on her critically acclaimed debut and how she’s learning to reclaim and relinquish control