Barack Obama Shares 2025 Music Favorites, Featuring Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, and Rosalía

Former President Barack Obama has released his annual list of favorite music of the year, offering a snapshot of the artists and songs that soundtracked his listening in 2025. As in previous years, the playlist spans genres and generations, blending contemporary pop, hip-hop, R&B, and global sounds with thoughtful selections from established songwriters.

Among the artists featured are Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, and Rosalía, whose tracks “Abracadabra,” “Nice to Each Other,” and “Sexo, Violencia Y Llantas,” respectively, appear on Obama’s year-end playlist. The selections continue a pattern of highlighting both mainstream hits and emerging voices, reflecting the former president’s broad musical curiosity.

The list also includes songs by Chappell Roan (“The Giver”), Alex Warren (“Ordinary”), Drake (“Nokia”), and Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collaboration “Luther.” In addition, Obama revisited longtime favorites, including Bruce Springsteen’s “Faithless,” a nod to the artist with whom he previously collaborated on the Spotify podcast Renegades. Other notable inclusions include music from Jason Isbell, Burna Boy featuring Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, Victoria Monét, and Blackpink.

Photo Source: Image via Instagram / @barackobama Obama’s playlists have become an annual cultural moment in part because of their range. This year’s selections once again cross stylistic and geographic boundaries, pairing indie and alternative artists such as Jay Som and Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins (“Float”), the Beths (“Metal”), and Khamari (“Sycamore Tree”) alongside chart-dominant pop and hip-hop releases. The list also reflects attention to newer viral tracks, including “Pending” by Lil Naay and Myke Towers, which was released only weeks before the playlist debuted.

In keeping with tradition, Obama shared not only his favorite music but also his top films and books of the year. His film list includes several titles expected to factor into awards-season conversations, such as One Battle After Another, SinnersHamnetSentimental ValueJay KellyTrain Dreams, and It Was Just an Accident. He also highlighted No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook, Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, and Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell: 2+2=5.

Obama’s reading list for 2025 features a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Among the novels he cited were Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know, Susan Choi’s Flashlight, and Ethan Rutherford’s North Sun. His nonfiction picks included Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 1929, Beth Macy’s memoir Paper Girl, and Zadie Smith’s essay collection Dead and Alive. He also acknowledged Michelle Obama’s latest book, The Look, continuing a tradition of supporting her work alongside his broader cultural recommendations.

Since leaving office, Obama’s year-end lists have become a closely watched barometer of popular culture, often boosting visibility for lesser-known artists and sparking renewed interest in established ones. While the playlists are personal by design, they have also become a reliable reflection of the evolving music landscape, where global pop, independent songwriting, and mainstream rap increasingly coexist.