I Listened to 53 Albums in 2025. Maybe You Should Too.

How did I go from hardly listening to any music to 53 albums in a year? I attribute half of that to an internet comedian and the other half to wanting a new low energy hobby. It's been a blessing, though sometimes a painful experience, to hear a complete music project. It differs from hearing a single from an artiste, because for approximately 30 mins to an hour you enter the creative mind of a stranger, and see through their lenses the best and worst of what we (humans) have to offer.

Josh Johnson’s Take on the Music Industry

I started listening to Josh Johnson in late 2024 and tuning into his weekly Youtube shows has become habitual. Josh is much more than a comedian. He is a thinker, and an excellent communicator of complex concepts and by extension the human experience.

So it's the week of December 8th 2024, and I am listening to Johnson’s take on Drake suing Kendrick Lamar for lyrical content exchanged during their era defining rap beef. And the essence of the lawsuit was Drake alleging that the industry powers that be, force fed Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us” to us - the listeners. To which Josh Johnson is countering to say, this is how the music industry has always worked.

Josh goes on to say that he is a “firm believer that no matter what music you like... you have not met your favorite artist yet.”. And that he believes that your favorite artist is out there and trying to reach you, but the music industry's "machine" is getting in the way.

So, since my favorite artist is out there and apparently can’t get to me, I took matters into my own hands. I committed to picking a random artist, and listening to their entire discography at least one album per week.

The Musicians That Made The Cut

The 53 Albums I listened were spread across 7 musicians:

Michael Jackson (13 studio albums)
Lady Gaga (7 studio albums)
Arctic Monkeys (7 studio albums)
Eminem (12 studio albums)
Lorde (4 studio albums)
Panic! At The Disco (7 studio albums)
George Michael (3 studio albums)

My Favorite Album of 2025 And Notable Mentions Worth Buying

The first quarter of 2025 began with the King of Pop Michael Jackson’s discography, only to realize that he had 13 studio albums. Coincidentally, he also released his first studio album at age thirteen, and if you heard the pipes in the opening track “Ain’t No Sunshine”; you would be left with no doubt that a legend was in the making.

One MJ album outshone all others in 2025 and that was the classic “Bad”. With tracks like “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Man in the Mirror” and “Smooth Criminal”, this album is a 1980’s treat from start to finish. I got to say Michael is just on a plane by himself to the point where comparing him to any other musician feels trivial. I have a playlist called “absolute peak” on Spotify, and I have refrained from placing any of his tracks in it because how do I choose a few without choosing all?

Other notable listens of 2025 included Lady Gaga’s “Joanne”, Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP” and Lorde’s “Pure Heroine”.

Hidden Gems from 53 Albums

I added at least 110 tracks to my Spotify Liked Songs from these albums in 2025 but there are a few tracks that really stood out. Now, I am not saying these are the best tracks from all the albums that I listened to, but rather that if I could wipe my memory to hear these for the first time again, I absolutely would. When listened to using headsets, these tracks are an auditory and sensory experience. In order of preference, they are:

Ribs - Lorde
I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys
Stan - Eminem, Dido
Bloody Mary - Lady Gaga
Team - Lorde
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Michael Jackson has been intentionally excluded from this list.

Stay Tuned For 50+ More Albums in 2026