Who will have the 2025 song of the summer? We offer some predictions
NEW YORK — What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words 'summer,' 'sunshine,' or another synonym — 'California' — in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the summer after the late, great Beach Boy Brian Wilson composed them so expertly, anyway?
It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but The Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August, the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners.
So here are AP's 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories, with past victors for reference.
Find your song of the summer and then listen to our Spotify playlist, here.
Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: 'NUEVAYoL,' Bad Bunny
A song of the summer doesn't actually have to arrive in summer, or even in spring. History has proved this time and time again, lest anyone forget Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' hit at the top of the year in 2021. But this summer, like every summer, is about Bad Bunny. On his latest album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio pulls from Puerto Rico's rich musical history and hybridizes it. He does so from the very opener, 'NUEVAYoL,' which samples the fittingly named 1975 salsa hit from El Gran Combo, 'Un Verano en Nueva York' ('A Summer in New York').
Past champion: 'Boy's a Liar PT. 2,' PinkPantheress, Ice Spice (2023)
Song of the summer for the chronically online: 'Tonight,' PinkPantheress
An internet hero releases another super hit: PinkPantheress' 'Tonight' is an undeniable good time; all bassline house meets hyperpop vocals with a naughty chorus. The 24-year-old British singer-songwriter has proved she's got so much more to offer than a few viral hits — but her huge songs that blow up online? They tend to stay. That's more than can be said about past winners in this category.
Past champion: 'Million Dollar Baby,' Tommy Richman (2024)
Breakup song of the summer: 'What Was That,' Lorde
Lorde's first new single in four years recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album 'Melodrama,' casting aside the folk detour of 2021's 'Solar Power.' 'What Was That' is reserved revelation, introspective electropop that takes a measured look at a relationship's dissolution. It feels good, and bad, which is the point.
Past champion: 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,' Bee Gees (1971)
Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: 'Gnarly,' KATSEYE
KATSEYE, the global girl group born out of K-pop development techniques, are 'Gnarly,' and they'd like you to be, too. The song is asymmetrical pop with a cheerleading cadence and extensive, expensive product placement. You're here for the girls, or you're not. Gnarly!
Past champion: 'Bills, Bills, Bills,' Destiny's Child (1999)
Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: 'WASSUP,' Young Miko
Flirting is central to these hot months; no other season has a fling named after it. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko knows this better than most, and her track 'WASSUP' is all about charisma — and it doesn't hurt that it interpolates 'Lollipop' by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major and 'Chulin Culin Chunfly' by Voltio featuring Residente.
Past champion: 'Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin'),' T-Pain featuring Yung Joc (2007)
Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: 'Ordinary,' Alex Warren
Last year brought Benson Boone's glossy soft pop-rock; this year, Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' is inescapable. A big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to the pull at heartstrings. And it does — the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Past champion: 'Beautiful Things,' Benson Boone (2024)
Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: 'Nokia,' Drake
For the last year, Drake has mostly made headlines for his rivalry with Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest beefs in modern rap music history. He was no victor, but on 'Nokia,' he's certainly a winner. The song is a return to what Drizzy knows best: a massive rap-R&B-pop song for the ages, one that will live inside the minds of listeners for the whole year. Just, you know, replete with the nostalgic sounds of a Nokia ringtone.
Past champion: The difference here, of course, is that Drake won his beef with Meek Mill. But nonetheless: 'Back to Back,' Drake (2015)
The TikTok-approved, blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: 'Boots on the Ground,' 803Fresh
Social media is the wild west and inevitably sources its own song of the summer. Usually, there's an element of humor in the track — like 2023's 'The Margarita Song' by That Chick Angel, Casa Di & Steve Terrell. This year is a bit different: 803Fresh's 'Boots on the Ground' is an organic hit that centers a kind of soulful line dance — it's country-pop with trap hi-hats and fun for the whole family.
Past champion: 'The Spark,' Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew (2024)
Song of the summer for it girls: 'Fame Is A Gun,' Addison Rae
Charli xcx fans, fear not. Addison Rae's debut album is stuffed with bejewelled, hypnotic pop songs for the post-'BRAT' crowd. Best of all is the Grimes-esque 'Fame Is a Gun,' a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus. For fashionable listeners, and those who aim to become more fabulous.
Past champion: 'Bad Girls,' Donna Summer (1979)
Song of the summer of revenge: 'Manchild,' Sabrina Carpenter
Does it sound strikingly similar to 'Please, Please, Please' at times? Sure. But has Sabrina Carpenter cornered the market on country-tinged, satirical pop songs about heterofatalism, an internet neologism for those who find heterosexuality embarrassing and hopeless? Also, yes. But you know, with a wink, vengeance and a danceable quality. Amen, hey men!
Past champion: 'Before He Cheats,' Carrie Underwood (from her 2005 debut album, but released as a single in 2006)
Biggest song of the year, and therefore the default song of the summer: 'Luther,' Kendrick Lamar and SZA
Is a song released in November too dated to qualify for song of the summer? Perhaps. But here's the rub: Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 'Luther' held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 2025 — over half the year so far. Popularity makes the contender. It doesn't hurt that 'Luther' is also one of the best songs of both this year and last, a tender R&B ballad that samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of 'If This World Were Mine.' 'Luther' has since been dethroned on the charts, but no other song has come close to its run this year.
Past champion: 'Last Night,' Morgan Wallen (2023)
Country crossover song of the summer: 'What I Want,' Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae
If terrestrial country radio is your leading metric for selecting the song of the summer, then Morgan Wallen's 'I'm The Problem' is likely your pick. But a catchier track with true country crossover appeal is 'What I Want' with Wallen and pop singer Tate McRae. It is the first time Wallen has featured a female vocalist on one of his songs. It's a rare embrace for the chart topper, who historically prefers to buck country duet tradition and double down on his vocal style — warm, muscular, masculine.
Past champion: 'You're Still the One,' Shania Twain (from her 1997 album, but released as a single in 1998)
Song of the summer released half a decade ago: 'party 4 you,' Charli xcx
The data doesn't lie and what is old is new is old is new again. In the year after 'BRAT' summer, desire for more Charli xcx is still strong. As a result, fans have dug up a cut from her 2020 album, 'How I'm Feeling Now,' and turned it into their own summer anthem … five years later. So much so, in fact, that Charli released a music video for it in May.
Past champion: 'Cruel Summer,' Taylor Swift (released in 2019, crowned song of the summer in 2023)
Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: 'Mutt,' Leon Thomas
Look, 'Mutt' also arrived in 2024, but in 2025 — bolstered by a deluxe release and a recent Chris Brown remix — makes 'Mutt' an easy song of the summer pick for some listeners. It's difficult to hear that chorus and not sing along: 'She said, 'Take your time, what's the rush?' / I said, 'Baby, I'm a dog, I'm a mutt.''
Past champion: 'Bird Dog,' The Everly Brothers (1958)
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
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This isn't a polished, shiny sci-fi where everything looks like it was designed by Apple; it's beat-up and rusty and feels a little bit more like the world of Firefly . (I'm not sure why the store location is called the 'Haberdashery' other than maybe they liked the sound of the word—it doesn't appear to be a clothing store.) How to Play Red Dog Junction The Goal The goal of the game is to have the most points by the time the gold supply runs out. 4-player setup. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Setup Set up the various location tiles with the resource tray nearby. Place the scrap cubes on the table in space; the rest of the cubes stay in the tray. Put the D4 in the center of Red Dog Junction set to '1,' and then roll the other six dice and place them randomly in the six spaces around it. Shuffle the two stacks of Super Deals (there are 6-value tiles and 8-value tiles) and place them in the Haberdashery, face-up. Player setup. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Give each player a ship, a player aid card, a Home Base, and a set of starting crew: 3 Cowboys, 1 Miner, 1 Scavenger, and 1 Agent. Players will start with some gold based on turn order. Place your ship on its home base, and your gold in storage on your home base. Shuffle the cards and place the deck off to the side, and reveal six cards to form the market. You start with four crew types, but you may be able to recruit others during the game. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Gameplay On your turn, you may take two actions from the following: Load/Unload : Move any number of resources between your storage and your ship while docked at home. : Move any number of resources between your storage and your ship while docked at home. Move : Move from any dock space into space, or move from space to any open docking space. (Special: you may move from one dock to another at Red Dog Junction for a single move rather than having to move into space first.) Only one ship is allowed at a planet at a time. : Move from any dock space into space, or move from space to any open docking space. (Special: you may move from one dock to another at Red Dog Junction for a single move rather than having to move into space first.) Only one ship is allowed at a planet at a time. Mine : While docked at a planet, gain cubes of that color onto your ship. : While docked at a planet, gain cubes of that color onto your ship. Salvage : While in space, collect cubes from space into your ship. : While in space, collect cubes from space into your ship. Trade : While docked at Red Dog Junction, trade resources. : While docked at Red Dog Junction, trade resources. Purchase Gold : While docked at the Haberdashery, turn in resources to complete a Super Deal and earn gold. : While docked at the Haberdashery, turn in resources to complete a Super Deal and earn gold. Displace : Move ships from docks into space (requires Rustlers crew). : Move ships from docks into space (requires Rustlers crew). Swap : Trade resources with another ship while you're both in space (requires Outlaws crew). : Trade resources with another ship while you're both in space (requires Outlaws crew). Buy: Buy a card from the market row. This ship can salvage cubes from space—currently there's only scrap floating around. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu The strength of many of the actions is affected by how many crew you have. For instance, at the beginning of the game you have one Scavenger, so a salvage action lets you take 1 cube. If you had 3 Scavengers, then you could pick up 3 cubes for 1 action. Cowboys give you capacity for your ship—you start with 3 Cowboys so your ship capacity is 6 cubes; at the end of your turn if you have more than your capacity in your ship, you must choose cubes to jettison into space, where they could be salvaged by any players on future turns. This ship could trade 3 oxygen for 4 whiskey or 1 gold. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu When trading, you may exchange resources matching the two dice next to your ship, as well as gold, and the exchange rate is equal to the values of the dice. For instance, in the photo above, the oxygen die is 3, the whiskey die is 4, and the gold die is 1, so you may make any swaps at a ratio of 3 oxygen : 4 whiskey : 1 gold. Your trader crew cards give you more trades per action; you may also use a trade to increase or decrease one of the D6 next to your ship, manipulating the economy. (Note that there is no whiskey planet, so the only way to get whiskey is through trading.) Docked at Honest Jose's Haberdashery. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu If you dock at the mission center, you may turn in the required resources shown on one of the Super Deal tiles to gain the gold payment, and you also take the tile, which is worth 1 point. Remember: you still have to get the gold back home safely! Jose might be honest, but you can't trust your fellow players. Buy crew, officers, and boosts at the card market. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu You may buy cards from the market no matter where your ship is located, but you may only spend resources that are already in your storage, not from your ship. Crew cards will make your actions more efficient, and Boost cards are single-use cards that usually give you an extra action after you play them, letting you set up a powerful turn if you can time it right. Officer cards are the most expensive, each costing 8 resources, but they give you an ongoing ability for the rest of the gameand are also worth points. The Pathfinder can move directly to any open docking space without stopping in space; the Quartermaster can unload directly to your storage from space without being docked at home. Game End The game ends when all of the gold has been moved to player's storage (so if it's still floating in space or on a player's ship, the game isn't over yet!). Players earn points for all of their crew, officers, and mission tiles, and 1 point per gold in their storage. The highest score wins, with ties going to the player with the most remaining boost cards, and then the most crew cards. Why You Should Play Red Dog Junction One of the gimmicks for the older prototype (while it was still named Space Freight ) was the fact that it didn't have a rulebook, but that idea was scrapped. The other thing that stood out, though, was the big spaceships that held the resource cubes. There's definitely a bit of a toy factor there, but it also makes it really obvious who's carrying what, because although this is a pick-up-and-deliver game, there's also a lot of space piracy happening. Just because you've picked up some goods doesn't guarantee you'll actually get to keep them, unless you can get home and offload them into your base. Mining for ice. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Okay, so how's the gameplay? Your turns are pretty short, particularly at the beginning, because most of your actions are fairly simple. It'll take you two actions just to fly your ship somewhere and dock, and then maybe on your second turn all you do is mine two resources if you made it to a planet. Or, perhaps you started by loading some gold into your ship with the intentions of trading. Your goal is to just accumulate as much gold in your storage as you can, but there are multiple ways to go about that. If you see that the markets have made a particular resource more valuable (if the die is low, you can trade fewer gems per gold), then maybe it's worth making a run to that planet so you can load up and then go trading. Or, maybe there's a good combination where you could take your starting gold and trade it for something that's needed for a Super Deal. Either way, the two primary sources of gold are Red Dog Junction and the Haberdashery, turning goods and scrap (however you managed to acquire them) into gold, and then shuttling that back home. Powering up your actions with crew is also key, and each crew member can be purchased with a specific type of resource or you can spend gold, though that's usually if you're desperate to beat somebody else to the punch. Cowboys increase your ship capacity so you don't have to fly back and forth as often, and Miners and Scavengers let you gain more cubes per action. Agents make your trading stops more efficient, both because you can manipulate the market dice but also because you can make more trades per action. Then we get to the other crew: Outlaws and Rustlers. You don't start with any, but as soon as somebody acquires these, prepare to be boarded. Rustlers let you dislodge players from their docks, putting them into space. That's handy if somebody's mining a planet but you want that spot, or if they're hogging the space you need at Red Dog Junction. But the real one-two punch comes when you have Outlaws, which let you swap resources on your ship with somebody else—why go to the trouble of mining and then trading at Red Dog Junction, when you can just hang about in space, maybe scavenge some scrap metal, and then dump it on those merchants and take their gold? You get so many more actions if you don't have to spend them docking and undocking all the time. The Rascal is a special crew that is very expensive, but every turn you can decide which crew it is, so it gives you a lot of flexibility. Carrying a lot of cargo? It's a Cowboy this time. Time to mine? Let's make it a Miner. Boost cards cost 1 gold but can be quite effective. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Finally, there are boost cards—these all cost 1 gold, which means you're spending a point to acquire them, but they give you really amazing effects once. You might be able to manipulate dice at Red Dog Junction (including the gold die!), increase your ship's capacity temporarily, or get a boosted mine, salvage, or swap action. Whenever a boost card comes up in the market, everyone should take a look at it because even if it's not directly useful for you, it may be worth buying so your opponent can't use it against you. Once the game gets going, things can get pretty heated. Multiple players want to be on the same planet, or are racing for particular resources because an officer card just appeared in the market. If you see somebody collecting resources that match a Super Deal, is it worth trying to outpace them, or do you go for something else instead? When you're done trading, do you use some of your trade abilities to change the die and make the exchange rate worse for everyone else? Super Deals: are they worth the risk? (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Super Deals are worth 1 point just for buying them, but also give you a decent amount of gold. The problem is, if there are Outlaws about, there's no guarantee you'll get that gold home to storage. In our games, it was often a dilemma whether it was more efficient to complete missions or trade resources for gold, and one of the limiting factors was always the amount of time it took to fly back and forth between locations. The different crews between players can also make for some funny outcomes. In one game, one player had a lot of Outlaws so if they accumulated enough of anything, they could swap out and take pretty much my whole stash of gold before I got it home. But I realized I had a lot of Scavengers and they didn't—so if I jettisoned all my gold into space, at most they could get 2 of them in a turn, and I could try to scoop up the rest and flee for home! There can be a bit of a stalemate, though, depending on how determined players are. If you have gold and you're not in space, it will take you at least two turns just to get home, and then you can't unload until your next turn. But that means you're a sitting duck for anyone who has a Rustler and some Outlaws. If they undock you and take some gold, do you try to get it back, or just go back home and unload whatever you have left? We had some long tug-of-wars over gold in one of the games I played and eventually one player just had to give in so the game wouldn't go on too long. There are only 5 unique officers in the deck. (Prototype shown) Photo: Jonathan H. Liu The officers are a game-changer, and since there are only five of them in the entire deck, there's no guarantee that you'll even see all of them in any given game. We did feel like the Pathfinder, which allows you to teleport anywhere, felt like it was the most valuable of them, because saving an extra action per turn just lets you unload gold before anyone else can get to you, and it feels unstoppable. Some of the others can be pretty handy, but nothing really compares to teleportation. I would have liked to see either some more officers, either multiple copies of the same ones or some additional powers, because it's possible that the player who's first to get an officer can just run away with the game. Overall, Red Dog Junction is a solid pick-up-and-deliver game that can spark some really exciting moments, but can also feel a bit limiting at times because you only get 2 actions and flying through space is time-consuming. It's not too complex once you learn the different actions, though coming up with a winning strategy can still be a challenge. The components have a fun toy factor with the ships carrying the cubes around the board. For more information or to make a pledge, visit the Red Dog Junction Kickstarter page! Click here to see all our tabletop game reviews. To subscribe to GeekDad's tabletop gaming coverage, please copy this link and add it to your RSS reader. Disclosure: GeekDad was loaned a prototype of this game for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner featured on Andrea Bocelli's new single
Italy's Jannik Sinner waves after winning his match against Germany's Yannik Hanfmann during the Halle ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP) ROME — Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner is featured on Andrea Bocelli's new single, 'Dust and Glory' that was released Friday. The song, which blends Italian and English, mixes Bocelli's vocals with spoken verses from Sinner. It's a tribute to the struggle and beauty of life's journey, and 'the fine line that turns dust into glory.' There's also an accompanying four-minute music video featuring private footage from the childhoods of both Italian stars, with current scenes filmed at Bocelli's home in Tuscany. 'Talent doesn't exist; it has to be earned,' Sinner says in the recording. 'Sharing this journey with Jannik was fascinating,' Bocelli said. 'We're from different worlds but close in commitment and discipline in the constant search for authenticity and beauty. I have always been his fan, fascinated not only by his talent, but also by his humility and his inner strength.' Sinner added: 'I am very honored and happy to be part of this project with Andrea, who for 30 years has been a unique and extraordinary voice, a flag of our country in the world. I could never have imagined hearing my voice in one of his songs, all this is a strong emotion.' ___ The Associated Press
