The Queasy Cardigan Music Awards 2025

Hiya!

Welcome to the THIRD edition of the Queasy Cardigan Music Awards (QCMAs) A.K.A my top songs of the year!

In this post, we’ll be covering my top ten songs released in 2025 (*curious ooo*) and, as always, the songs listed are in no particular order. This was probably the toughest list that I have ever put together. I literally could not catch a break with the music releases last year because it was just BANGER after BANGER after BANGER the whole of 2025. So, sorry (not sorry) if your faves are missed.

Check out the Queasy Cardigan Instagram and TikTok to see the rest of my faves from 2025. There, you can find my top books, TV shows, films, video games, wrestling moments and albums of the year in a more bite-sized format.

Without further ado, so long as you, my V.I.R (Very Important Reader), are all seated and ready to have a scroll and a read, we can begin the QCMAs 2025!

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10) I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone - Reneé Rapp 

Reneé Rapp has recently explained that she doesn’t want to create R&B music. Let alone, have her music regarded as such due to her opinions on its connection to Black culture (learn more here). Yet, arguably, to Reneé’s dismay, this is one of her most R&B inspired songs. 

Whilst I wouldn’t say the production of the song is particularly unique, it successfully leans into a more R&B sound by forefronting her emotive and soulful voice. The hook of the song being Reneé’s piercingly beautiful vocals caught my attention from the get go. This, in turn with the jumpiness of the melodies and the coldness of the lyrics, makes for a unique vocal performance that deepens the meaning of the song as it actualises her conflicted feelings towards her addressee.

9) Gorgeous - Doja Cat

This song has one of the most novel and fitting music video concepts I have ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it above. Essentially, the whole music video is shot as if it's an AD for a made-up beauty brand, which encompasses both the song’s messages on physical and feminine beauty and Doja’s signature silly-but-make-it-hot performance style. 

She blends the mellow and gentle chorus of the track with her epitomical charismatic and vocal-fry-heavy rap verses perfectly. My favourite part of the song comes in the second rap verse where she says “She like white gold in her hardware with an install and a long nail. With a eyelash and it's glued on, she ain't so Christian in Louboutins” - I just can’t help but enjoy the rhythm and intonation of her vocals and the playfulness of the lyrics.

8) Young - Little Simz

I #livelaughlove silly songs and this song does not disappoint. It’s a track about being young, broke and overwhelmed but also being able to have so much fun dreaming and exploring and messing up, which, as a young‘un myself, is very relatable.

The unseriousness of the song is just infectious and it is reflected both lyrically and musically. From the purposely off-key chorus to the overly posh accent in the verses, everything about this song tells me Little Simz had a lot of creative control and a lot of fun making this song. The dramaticness of lines like “Bills, bills, please no more” and the overly British lines that she uses such as “I asked Jenny for a quid” and "Who's that over there givin' it the biggen?” create such a lively and frivolous energy. The music video is also just as silly, so please watch it above if you haven’t already. Lastly, the song unexpectedly ending with her saying “I just wanna play my bass here” and then following through with a peppy bass solo is so comical and iconic.

7) Horcrux - Loyle Carner

Quite frankly, I am not a big enough Harry Potter fan to be able to properly explain the significance of the song’s title but, thankfully, Loyle is. In the Apple Music bio for his 2025 album hopefully!, he stated that he used the concept of the Horcruxes to illustrate how, in a less fantastical but similar way to how Voldemort uses the Horcruxes to “take a piece of his soul and put it somewhere else”, he aims to pass on the best bits of himself to his children.

“Horcrux” is, for me, the absolute peak of his latest album as I love how the instrumentation of the song and his voice crescendos and decrescendos throughout the song. Pair that with his immaculate way with words and rap ability and you have a really dynamic song. My favourite moment of the whole album comes from the studio version of the track where, during a more intense rap verse, he keeps in a voice crack that happens when he says “Horcrux”. The rawness of this moment really just encapsulates how passionate he is about his children and made the song so memorable for me.

6) Purple Lace Bra - Tate McRae

Now, I am a total sucker for a strings intro so this track from the get go did it for me. 

I wish I could have a strings intro for myself. 

I love them so much…

…ANYWAY, strings aside, this song is POPPING.

The energetic verses reflect some of the best vocals I’ve heard from Tate McRae. In particular, I love the melody and vocal agility of the second verse. Especially as it stands in contrast to a sensual and softer chorus that is styled more typically to how she usually sings. The lyrics are also perhaps some of the most daring and bold I have heard from Tate. The bridge, for example, includes the line “I'm losin' my mind 'cause giving you head's the only time you think I got depth”, which I, and many others, were taken aback by when it first released. Also, this may be common knowledge to a more hardcore fan but I found out that the namesake of this song is the “Purple Lace Bra” that Tate wears in the “It’s ok, I’m ok” music video (learn more here) - crazy right?

Last thing to note about this track is that on the Therapuss podcast (watch it here) Tate stated that the song is not really about a romantic relationship. She explained that it’s more about her relationship with the media and dealing with the impacts that they have had on her confidence, which gives greater insight to the lyricism of the chorus in particular where she is questioning whether she is enough.

5) Cinnamon - Danica Bryant

Danica Bryant is a master at disguising really sad concepts in upbeat songs and “Cinnamon” is a great example of this. Coming from her debut album Feast, which released last year, “Cinnamon” explores dealing with the self-insecurity you can feel whilst in a relationship; the song contrasts this message with a very calming instrumentation and production. 

Bryant also has this amazing ability to create really deep and memorable melodies for literally every line of a song and “Cinnamon” is no different. The verses are so bold and clear and the way she sings “hurt” and “care” in the chorus is just beautiful.

Fun fact is that Danica Bryant was technically my first ever interviewee. It wasn’t for this blog as it didn’t even exist at the time: it was for my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), which was essentially a lite version of a dissertation. I chose to dedicate a big part of my project to her and her song “White Knuckles” (listen to it here) and was able to contact her via email to get some extra insight on the creation of the song. I am still incredibly grateful for it today as it set me on this fantastical path talking about pop music - it also got me an A for my project!

So, Danica, if you’re reading this, firstly thank you again and also let me know if you want a proper Queasy Cardigan interview!

4) Man Of The Year - Lorde

When this song came out, I said to myself (and probably others) “This will be one of my top songs of the year” and lo and behold I was right about MY OWN opinion.

Lorde doesn’t miss with her songs EVER and with this song, like with much of her discography, it is so vulnerable and personal that I feel like I am literally in her mind when I hear it. The instrumentation and production is quite bare, but this works in Lorde’s favour as it just further highlights the emotional weight of her vocals and lyrics. It is an unguarded exploration of her gender identity that is so captivating that it’s hard to not feel something when you hear the track. 

The music video was also the perfect visual to go along with this song - I never thought that duct tape could be so moving!

3) New York - Addison Rae 

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW YOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRKKKKK

Did you really think that Addison was gonna be SNUBBED in a Queasy Cardigan post? They quite literally created the most satisfying way to say a city’s name - how could I not include it?

From the beginning to end…guys…the whole song is perfect. The track has an excellent build, playful lyricism, a fat beat drop, a cheeky spoken intro, and, like with the rest of the album, is created by women - what more could you want?! And speaking of that beat drop, it makes me want to na na na equally as much, if not more, than I do when I hear the intro to Rhianna’s ‘S&M’. 

I’m SOOOO proud of Addison - keep up the good work!

2) Midnight Sun - Zara Larson

“Midnight Sun” is a fun, unserious, upbeat dance pop song that is really needed in the music market at the moment. I love sad girl music just as much as the next person, but I think we needed a club banger and Zara delivered. 

ALSO, how does she hold that note in the chorus for so long - that girl had LUNGS! She even does it live like it’s nothing (listen to my favourite example here). 

I also wanted to commend Zara for having such a good rebrand for this era and for beginning her re-rise to main pop girly status. I love that she rebranded by literally just embodying and building her brand of that AI dolphin meme (learn more about it here). Those overwhelmingly bright colours really set her back onto a popping career path. Maybe GenAI isn’t that bad of a thing for the creative industry after all? I mean, a broken clock is correct twice a day, right?

1) Room of Fools - FKA Twigs

I had the accidental delight of seeing FKA Twigs perform at ALL POINTS EAST last year. She LAST MINUTE had to replace Doechii and literally put on one of the best setlists I have ever seen in my life. Her voice was SO angelic and ethereal but also SO technical. Her stage presence, crowd interaction and fashion were also SO on point. It was there that I got to see her perform ‘Room of Fools’, which is my fave from her 2025 album Eusexua and is the last entry of this list (*sad face*). 

It’s the growl on the first “Room of Fools” in the studio version, the synthy hook and the initial beat drop, amongst myriad other details, that just gets me ready to groove upon every listen. Twigs IS a visionary.  I don’t know how she managed to create a song that is beautiful, danceable and hot all at the same time. Let alone how she did it for TWO albums last year - she was working overtime in 2025!

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Honourable Mentions:

WWE: Glamour Is Forever (Blake Monroe) - def rebel

What Was That - Lorde

Kiss It Kiss It - Reneé Rapp (my favourite Christian Rock song)

Illegal - Pink Pantheress

Dead and Gone - Leigh-Anne

Sunset Blvd - Selena Gomez

When Did You Get Hot? - Sabrina Carpenter

Self Saboteur - JADE

WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! - Raye

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Don’t forget to check out the Queasy Cardigan Instagram and TikTok to see the rest of my faves from 2025 in a snappier format.

Thanks for reading - HAPPY NEW YEAR!