What is the story about?
Who were the top artists of 2025? According to Gaana, India’s biggest subscription-only music streaming platform, artists from across India such as Arijit
Singh, Tanishk Bagchi, and Sonu Nigam were the most listened to. Meanwhile, interest in regional languages was also high, as Punjabi, Haryanvi, Marathi, and Assamese all ranked high. Bollywood had a resurgence with the songs of Saiyaara and Skyforce, while indie artists like Kushagra, Aditya Rikhari, and Anuv Jain also rose. Find out which were the top songs and albums of this past year on the subscription-only platform Gaana. What was on your music playlist for 2025?
Regional music on the rise
Punjabi pop was the constant in the year, thanks to songs such as Guru Randhawa's Azul and Karan Aujla & Ikky's For a Reason. Other top rising languages included Bhojpuri and Haryanvi. Assamese grew the most in 2025, as 42 per cent of listeners tuned in. Sanju Rathod's Shaky and Sundari were standouts for Marathi, while in the south, Telugu listeners were drawn to Devi Sri Prasad’s Bujji Thalli and Viral Vayyari. Tamil songs like Oorum Blood, Monica, and Pathikichu were strong, while in Malayalam, Lokah's Neeye Punchiri, Minnalvala, and Jaalakaari were on repeat.
Bollywood and indie music both saw growth
Besides regional music, Bollywood music also had a 25 per cent increase in listeners. Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda's Saiyaara was the most listened-to song of 2025, while Skyforce's melodic Tu Hain Toh Main Hoon also ranked high. Indie artists also saw a growth of 14 per cent as Kushagra, Aditya Rikhari, and Anuv Jain's popularity grew this past year.
Top artists of 2025
Arijit Singh continued to dominate in Hindi music, while Pritam and Alka Yagnik remained a strong draw to listeners across all age groups. Other top artists included Saiyaara singer Faheem Abdullah and composer Tanishk Bagchi. Faheem said in a statement, “The love that I have received for Saiyaara is beyond words. Knowing that the song is the most listened to on Gaana, where every play comes from a paying listener, makes this recognition even more meaningful.”
While Tanishk added, "It’s always special when a song connects the way Saiyaara has. I’m grateful to everyone who listened on Gaana this year and happy to see it become one of the most played tracks on the platform. Thank you for giving the music so much love.”
After Sanju Rathod, Sonali Sonawane was another popular artist in Marathi, while Aditya Gadhvi stayed atop the charts in Gujarati music. In Tamil music, Anirudh Ravichander stood strong alongside veterans like the late SP Balasubrahmanyam and AR Rahman. Surprisingly, in Kannada music, Sonu Nigam was the most listened-to artist. The veteran singer shared, "This year has been a year of special love for me from Pardesia, to Bijuria and Jogiya and now Yeh Ishq Ishq Hai and Mayavi Hindi." And to know that I'm the most listened to artist in Kannada too on Gaana, pleases me to no end. I only have love and gratitude for the listeners and Gaana.”
Karan Aujla, Diljit Dosanjh, and Shubh were the stalwarts of Punjabi music, while Shilpi Raj, Pawan Singh, and Khesarilal Yadav ruled in Bhojpuri. The music of the late Zubeen Garg, Neel Akash, and Deeplina Deka contributed to the rise of Assamese music. International artists such as Justin Bieber, Alan Walker, and Ed Sheeran were the most-streamed English artists.
Music recap of 2025
While pop was the fastest-growing genre at 48 per cent on the platform, the trend showed that Indian-rooted genres like devotional also held strong. Non-film music also had its moment in 2025, and several listeners tuned in most to the 2020s, while the previous decades were popular in their own way in a wonderful mix of nostalgia and newness.
