album

AN unreleased track by rock legends Queen that “no one has ever heard” will be played publicly for the first time today.

Guitarist Sir Brian May, 78, will broadcast Not For Sale (Polar Bear) on radio station Planet Rock.

It was originally recorded during the sessions for the band’s 1974 album, Queen II, but did not make the final cut.

This remastered version will feature in the 2026 re­release of the album.

While a “bootleg” version of the song by May’s pre-Queen band Smile may already have circulated, he says “no one” has heard this version.

It will be played during Sir Brian’s Planet Rock Christmas Special at 6pm — featuring his favourite seasonal tracks.

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He said: “It’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version.

“It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album.

“But I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it.”     

Formed in the 1970s, Queen was made up of guitarist Sir Brian, drummer Roger Taylor, late frontman Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon.

The group has since had six UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums with some of their best known songs including Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and We Are The Champions.

De Los recently did a team huddle to determine our personal list of best albums, as well as our favorite songs released in 2025. This is not another garden variety Latin genre list, but a highlight reel of 2025 releases that showcases artists from Latin America and the diaspora.

20. Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco feat. the Marías, “Ojos Tristes”
Released months before their highly-publicized wedding in September, “I Said I Love You First,” the album by multi-hyphenate superstar Selena Gomez and hit songwriter-producer Benny Blanco, was first conceived from nights spent perusing each other’s vintage record collections. Gomez resonated with the spectral 1982 ballad “El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes,” as originally recorded by the O.G. sad girl en español, Jeanette. After seeing the Marías in concert, the couple hit up the band to further maximize their joint slay — and revamp the classic as a bilingual dream-pop track, simply named “Ojos Tristes.” It not only topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, but it introduced a new generation to Jeanette’s timeless allure. —Suzy Exposito

19. JR Torres, “Desde Abajo Vengo”
It never fails: True to its ever reliable, unassuming ethos, the genre of música mexicana invariably delivers some of the year’s most gorgeous tunes. The melody on this two-minute single by Culiacán, Sinaloa, native JR Torres is a pearl of astounding purity, a theme developed alternately by the accordion and vocal line, and one that — like so many norteño hits — conveys an ocean of longing. The lyrics belong to the himnos de superación canon: a self-taught man outlines his road to success, paved with honesty, resilience and hard work. But it is the music itself that cements “Desde Abajo Vengo” as a Mexican classic for the ages. —Ernesto Lechner

18. Juana Rozas, “WANNA HOTEL”
Juana Rozas understands the emerging queer Latin underground, in all of its swirling genre hodgepodge, better than most. Her album “TANYA” is an unrestrained porteña whirlwind, rapidly shifting between industrial, electroclash, and doom metal, with all of these disparate influences coalescing on the highlight track “WANNA HOTEL.” The song splits the difference between atmospheric trap heaven and hardstyle hell, placing you squarely in a warehouse mosh pit. It’s vertigo-inducing sonic whiplash, complete with thumping techno and copious nose drugs. You can try to head to the hallways for a breather, but it feels better to be in the depths of Rozas’ debauchery. —Reanna Cruz

17. Macario Martinez, “Sueña Lindo, Corazón”
There isn’t a better feel-good story this year than Macario Martínez’s unexpected rise to fame. The Mexico City native and now former street sweeper went viral in January after uploading a TikTok video that showed him riding in the back of a sanitation truck at night. Soundtracking it is a snippet of “Sueña Lindo, Corazón,” a tender, stripped-down folk lullaby for a wounded heart. The clip included the following caption: “Life asks for a lot and I’m just a street sweeper who wants you to listen to his music.” Listen they did. The video has been viewed tens of millions of times and was shared by the likes of Harry Styles. turning Martínez into one of the most promising rising talents in Latin music. —Fidel Martinez

16. Dareyes de la Sierra, “Frecuencia”
The opening line of “Frecuencia” — “Yo sé que voy a morirme por eso bien loco vivo” (“I know I’m going to die, that’s why I live crazily”) — hits a little bit different once you learn that singer José Darey Castro survived an attempt on his life in 2004. Don’t let the usage of traditional música Mexicana instruments fool you; the cadence of this braggadocious track about hedonistic excess and indulgence is closer to hip-hop. With “Frecuencia,” and the album it comes from (“Redención,” which translates to “Redemption”), the regional veteran with more than two decades of experience under his belt proves that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. —F.M.

15. Cuco, “Ridin’”
For his third studio album, “Ridin’,” Cuco said he wanted to embody the timelessness of Chicano soul without being derivative. “I wanted to go for more natural sounds with the soul sound, but I think it’s just inevitable for me sometimes,” the 27-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Hawthorne told De Los this summer. “I’m just going to end up doing some psychedelic parts with the music because that’s what I’ve always been.” This happy marriage of influences is most apparent in the LP’s titular track, which starts off feeling like you’re cruising with your sweetheart down a Southern California highway in a 1964 Chevy Impala before taking off into space. —F.M.

14. Mon Laferte, “Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa”
Recently, Mon Laferte told me that she was especially proud of a verse in this song where she rhymed the description of a former lover’s erection with the word architecture. The juxtaposition of poetic wordplay with graphic sexuality is one of the Chilean singer’s favorite devices — here, it adds a frisson of decadence to a lush orchestration reminiscent of John Barry’s 007 themes. A key track off Laferte’s noirish “Femme Fatale,” “Las Flores Que Dejaste En La Mesa” takes off with the quiet longing of bossa nova, boils into unhinged bolero territory, then incorporates the icy electro loops of trip-hop icons Portishead. Still, the heart of the song is Laferte’s vocal performance — wounded and incandescent. —E.L.

13. Planta Industrial, “Oi”
Hilariously named “Punkwave Sin Barreras” — a nod to the ESL learning series “Inglés Sin Barreras” — the debut EP by the Bronx Dominican duo Planta Industrial is a generous helping of punk rock, darkwave and dembow fusion. The project is powered by high school friends turned rappers, who go by the names A.K.A. The Darknight and Saso (recently featured on the song “Caribeño” with Rauw Alejandro). On “Oi,” a clever stand-in for the word “hoy,” the duo deploy frenetic breakbeats, Ramones-style gang vocals and a touch of Toño Rosario freakness to demand their dues from a cheapskate boss. “F— you, pay me, “ chant the MCs. “Mañana, no — oi oi oi!” —S.E.

12. Six Sex feat. MCR-T, “Bitches Like Me”
This year, Argentina established itself as the Latin rave epicenter, with Six Sex leading the charge. Alongside Berlin-based club DJ MCR-T, and a propulsive synth line from Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” the Buenos Aires baddie crafts one of the chicest earworms of the year. The beauty of using one of the best pop melodies of all time is that it’s already engineered for success, so MCR-T keeps it simple and silly with the addition of a thumping, four-to-the-floor beat. It plays out like a drunken freestyling session in your coolest friend’s apartment — with lines like “you are not that bitch” delivered with a heavily-accented affectation that feels seductive, but more importantly, unbothered. —R.C.

11. Rosalía feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia, “La Perla”
Although the Spanish singer would be ineligible for this list on her own, Rosalía’s diss track “La Perla” — a scathing, ranchera-style ballad dedicated to a certain pretty boy ex with a sizable collection of other women’s bras — shines bright among her otherwise sparkling collection of orchestral pop songs in “Lux.” Rosalía wisely recruited the swooning Mexican American sierreña trio, Yahritza Y Su Esencia, to help her better emulate a Paquita La Del Barrio dress-down of a lover gone astray. The spirit of “La Perla” articulates not what it sounds like to be loved Mexicanly, but to be loathed Mexicanly — á la Catalana. —S.E.

10. Netón Vega, “Me Ha Costado”
Netón Vega’s sprawling debut album “Mi Vida Mi Muerte” makes a formidable attempt to define the rapidly-shifting sound of corridos tumbados, courtesy of one of the genre’s eminent songwriters. On “Me Ha Costado,” Vega, who hails from Baja California Sur, combines blown-out 808s with a G-funk whine to create a pan-Californian posse track. There’s an overload of shot-calling swagger dripping from every section here, from Alemán’s bouncing hook to Victor Mendivil’s shoutouts to San Andrés and Mazamitla. If you close your eyes, you could see the trio’s lowrider rolling down Whittier Blvd, with all three mischief-makers hanging out the windows. —R.C.

9. Cardi B, “Bodega Baddie”
I am tired of celebrities pretending that they go to the bodega for street cred: “if you know, you know.” One thing about Cardi B, though? I believe she remembers where she came from. “Bodega Baddie” is a bilingual ode to the Bronx’s Dominican enclaves where Cardi From The Block spent her childhood. It’s less than two minutes long, but moves at such a breakneck pace that if you close your eyes, you’re transported outside a deli on Dyckman on a hot summer day — where the fire hydrants are open, 808s are shaking storefront windows, and the whole block is outside. It’s some of the most electric mise-en-scène this year, anchored by a sample of Magic Juan’s “Ta Buena (Tipico)” merengue. —R.C.

8. Kali Uchis, “Sugar! Honey! Love!”
The Colombian American soulstress has played many roles in her songs: a baddie, a psychic, a woman adrift at sea in a yellow raincoat. But in the making of her 2025 album “Sincerely,” she explored the profound vulnerability of becoming a mother — and her sighing revelations in “Sugar! Honey! Love!” melt most beautifully into the hazy pop ether. “I was already an emotional person, [but] since my pregnancy I’ve been able to feel a lot deeper,” she told De Los in May. “When your child is born, you’re reborn in a lot of ways. It’s a death and a rebirth of yourself. But I think a lot of joy and hope comes with that.” —S.E.

7. Adrian Quesada feat. Angélica Garica, “No Juego”
At the start of “No Juego,” we hear the sound of tape being rewound, as if to suggest that we’re about to listen to something from a different era. Sure enough, the psychedelia of the keyboard, guitar and drums transports us to the late 1960s, only to be brought back to the present by the self-assured delivery of vocalist (and El Monte’s own) Angélica Garcia. “No vine pa’ pedir permiso,” she briefly raps (“I’m not here to ask for permission”), before throwing theatrical vocal daggers at a former lover who couldn’t stay true. She’s letting us know that we’re in her world and she’s not playing around. “No Juego” is easily the crown jewel of “Boleros Psicodélicos II.”—F.M.

6. Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, “#TETAS”
Sometimes a song is only as successful as its concept. On “#TETAS,” the Argentine trickster gods Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso try to reverse-engineer a pop anthem, ChatGPT buzzwords and all. A flippant listener could dismiss “#TETAS” as just a winking novelty song — after all, what “serious” track contains a character named Gymbaland, the lyrics “let me be your Chad,” and a post-chorus counting dabs? The thing is, though, between the slinking bass line, the massive 80’s Yamaha pianos, and a final key change that soars through the ceiling, the song becomes the exact pop anthem that they’re trying to satirize. “This is a f— smash,” go the final lines of the song. We’re inclined to agree. —R.C.

5. Silvana Estrada, “Como Un Pájaro”
As we compiled the songs for this list, we struggled selecting just one track off Silvana Estrada’s stunning second album. At 28, the singer-songwriter from Veracruz informs her work with a level of maturity that most artists won’t achieve in a lifetime. Like most of the cuts in “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias,” “Como Un Pájaro” draws from the wisdom of the trova movement; enamored with the immediacy of stringed instruments, chronicling the process of healing using metaphors from the natural world. The song’s climax — Estrada’s lustrous voice intertwined with a swelling orchestral arrangement — will probably bring tears to your eyes. Fun fact: In concert, she reproduces the lilting whistled interlude to perfection. —E.L.

4. Astropical, “Fogata (Leo)”
Following a memorable performance at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, it became apparent that Astropical, the supergroup formed by members of Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo and Venezuela’s Rawayana, will probably never reconvene again. We’ll always have “Fogata,” though — a song about holding on to the precious moments of bliss when confronted with the ephemeral nature of… well, everything. The track combines the warmth of a beachside bonfire with slick, Afrobeats-soaked grooves. The stars of the show? The honeyed harmonies of Li Saumet and Beto Montenegro, now intertwined until the end of time. —E.L.

3. Isabella Lovestory, “Telenovela”
Who among us hasn’t thought — whether it be ironically or authentically — “my life is a movie?” Isabella Lovestory takes it one further: her sexcapades, in all their glamour and drama, are worthy of their own telenovela. Much of her sophomore album “Vanity” has main character energy, and Lovestory’s “Telenovela,” with its extended metaphors of Barbarella bad bitches, “tragica erotica,” and using “su lengua pa cambiar el canal” is the descriptive centerpiece. If it doesn’t bring a flush to your cheeks, you’re not listening hard enough; the way she coos “uy-uy-uy” will linger the next time things get a little hot and heavy. —R.C.

2. Fuerza Regida, “Marlboro Rojo”
If I sit on the porch of my Boyle Heights home for 15 minutes, I guarantee you that a pickup truck will eventually drive by playing a corrido at a window-rattling volume. For the last six months, the song of choice blasting from the blown out speakers of these mamalonas has been “Marlboro Rojo.” I get it. The track is so unapologetically — ugh, cringe word, I know — Mexican. What better way to announce your presence than with the boom boom of the sousaphone? 2025 was a marquee year for música Mexicana and no one was more on top of their game than Fuerza Regida. My personal favorite version of this song is from the Apple Music Live concert taped earlier this summer at Mexico City’s GNP Stadium. Hearing the tens of thousands of fans singing the chorus back to JOP gives me chills. — F.M.

1. Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”
Is there a Bad Bunny record that’s not a love letter to his native Puerto Rico? His 2025 juggernaut, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” however, goes far beyond the usual motherland worship; the album’s greatest takeaway is to cherish not just the place, but the people you call home, too. Invoking the feverish, tropical melodrama of salsa titans past and present, Bad Bunny delivers one of his most tremendous vocal performances — powered by his enduring love for a woman he used to know, comparing her to an unforgettable dance. But it’s just like Benito to cut through the gravitas of his own song by lauding an ex for her sexual prowess — namely, her boquita — but his magic as a hit songwriter is most potent in verses that oscillate between the sacred and profane. —S.E.

IT was the year when those noisy Mancunian brothers brought the Britpop Nineties back to packed stadiums everywhere.

It was the year when Pulp made a charming first album in 24 years, with Jarvis Cocker singing about getting older with a wry smile on his face.

But I contest that one band from the era has been the most forward-facing, the most creative and the most kick-ass – Suede.

Which is why their vibrant, visceral, unflinching and wildly adventurous Antidepressants is our Album Of The Year.

Back in September to mark its release, frontman Brett Anderson told me: “We’ve fallen in love with being a rock band again.” And this week I caught up with him again to impart some good news . . . 

Congratulations! Antidepressants is the SFTW Album Of The Year. Does that make you happy?

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Thank you. Very!

In all the years of Suede, where does 2025 rank?

Right up there. Somewhere between 2024 and 2026.

What have been the highlights of the year for you?

The South Bank takeover gigs in September were great – playing those new songs live for the first time was special.

I particularly enjoyed the Clore Ballroom show where we just did post-reformation stuff.

I thought that was an exciting and fairly unique thing to do for a band of our generation.

Also, I just love the South Bank. Walking over the footbridge from Embankment tube and looking at the skyline always gives me a sense of awe, a feeling of London being this big, beautiful, living thing.

Which of the new songs have you enjoyed singing live the most?

June Rain has a nice dynamic and slow sense of build which works great live. Plus the first half is spoken-word so I get to sit down a bit.

I personally think the album’s opening song Disintegrate should be the Christmas No.1 . . . do you agree?

Ha! Yes, love it. A kind of resolutely unseasonal Christmas song full of dread and fear.

Which album, aside from Suede’s, has been your favourite this year and why?

I liked Sprints’ All That Is Over. It was sharp and shouty and brainy and brash. (Sprints are an Irish garage punk band).

You told me that Suede are “the anti-nostalgia band”. What keeps you facing forwards rather than reflecting on the past (unlike some of your peers)?

Hmmm, huge question. I’ve always thought the point of any artist was to create rather than to repeat and consolidate.

That search for the next great song, the next great album, the next great moment has always been the carrot I’ve chased.

I come from a fiscally poor but culturally rich family background. My mum was an artist and a dressmaker and my dad was a classical music-obsessed taxi driver who made our furniture.

When I was a kid, we didn’t have any money, so if you wanted something you made it yourself.

I’m much less interested in what I wrote 30 years ago than in what I’m going to write next.

Have you started work on the third album of Suede’s “black and white” trilogy, following Autofiction and Antidepressants?

Yes, we’ve written a handful of songs already. I want it to be harder and more extreme than Antidepressants, a relentless onslaught, incessant and uncompromising and very rhythmic.

I already have a title which I’m keeping secret.

You also spoke to me of the importance of family relationships. Does that mean Christmas is a special time for you?

My family and my band are of course so, so important to me and in many ways they feed into each other. It’s hard to write about family without coming across as schmaltzy but luckily I can find the cloud in any silver lining.

Among my favourite songs I’ve ever written are Life Is Golden and She Still Leads Me On which have both been inspired by fatherhood and family.

And yes, Christmas is especially great when you have kids.

Happily though, now my son is older, there’s less pressure for me to dress up in a Santa suit.

What are your hopes for 2026 – for you, your family, the band, and for humankind?

For the band to write a great follow-up to Antidepressants and for humankind to stop scrolling. My hope for myself is always the same – to be a good husband and father.

2. ROSALIA

Lux

THE Spanish star known for her reinvention of ­folk and flamenco turned her attention to more bombastic, classical genres on this fourth album.

Backed by the London Symphony Orchestra it was a lavish production sung in a variety of languages. Bonkers but brilliant. JS 

People Watching

WITH its widescreen ambition, driving intensity and visceral lyrics, songs about “the human experience” couldn’t fail to draw comparisons with Fender’s “biggest hero”, Bruce Springsteen.

But it also marked the Geordie’s coming of age as a major artist in his own right. SC 

4. ROBERT PLANT with SUZI DIAN

Saving Grace

FOR six years, Led Zeppelin legend Plant has surrounded himself with acoustic musicians who live near his Worcestershire home, singer Dian among them.

Together, they gave us a ravishing mix of trad and contemporary covers. Rarely has he sounded so sublime. SC 

5. BIFFY CLYRO 

Futique 

A REFLECTIVE album shaped by friendship, family and loss, it captured Biffy Clyro at their most emotionally open.

Goodbye explored mental health, while A Thousand And One and Two People In Love delivered some of the most moving moments. JS 

6. MARGO PRICE 

Hard Headed Woman

FURTHER proof that Price tells it like it is. This was a stirring return to her country roots, following the trippy rock textures of Strays.

It drew comparisons with her beloved debut, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, but was inspired by another decade of life experience. SC 

7. TURNSTILE

Never Enough

THIS fourth album from the hardcore punks from Baltimore, known for their energetic live shows, crossed into the mainstream.

The title track had a catchy chorus and melodic guitar breaks while at its heart there was still an uncompromising mandate to rock out. JS 

8. THE DIVINE COMEDY

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

WE’VE long been intrigued by Neil Hannon – not just because he once wrote a song called Something For The Weekend.

These 11 tracks assumed a reflective tone, with love and loss prominent themes, and featured some of Hannon’s most sumptuous tunes. SC 

9. YUNGBLUD

Idols

THIS album sees Yungblud questioning hero worship and identity after a life-changing encounter with a fan.

Inspired by Britpop, it’s his most confident work yet, opening with a nine-minute rock opera and driven by limitless self-belief and ambition. JS 

10. LADY GAGA

Mayhem 

GAGA proved why we loved her in the first place, returning to her dance-pop roots.

She recalled the vibe of her 2008 debut The Fame yet delivered an album for the here and now.

It was marked out by strong singles Abracadabra and Disease. SC 

11. GEESE

Getting Killed

THIS was a case of do believe the hype. With mesmerising singer Cameron Winter at the helm, Brooklyn’s indie rock saviours might channel The Strokes, The Stones, or even Nirvana, but they’re too weird and original to be slaves to their influences.

On the brink of greatness. SC 

12. JACOB ALON

In Limerence

FEW debuts arrived so perfectly formed as this one featuring the tender storytelling of Scottish singer Alon.

With an impossibly pure voice which sat somewhere between Bon Iver and Thom Yorke, it was full of fragile hope.

Vulnerable and haunting ambient soundscapes. JS 

13. PULP

More

JARVIS and Co’s first album in 24 years was dedicated to dear departed bassist Steve Mackey – and it summoned the old mischief. “I am not ageing.

No, I’m just ripening,” cried the singer on Grown Ups, a song filled with lyrical twists and turns. SC 

14. CMAT

Euro-Country

WITH songs about Teslas and Jamie Oliver, there was a quirky, kitsch element to Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson’s third album.

It also plumbed deeper depths of emotional pain but was allied to soft pop melodies.

Issues tackled included social media and objectification. JS 

15. MATT BERNINGER

Get Sunk

TALL, elegant, blessed with a sumptuous baritone, The National’s frontman and lyricist is an, er, National treasure.

But he managed to save wonderfully evocative songs for his second solo outing, including the intoxicating ebb and flow of opener Inland Ocean. SC 

16. DAVE

The Boy Who Played The Harp

HIS first album in four years found Dave drawing on the power of his biblical namesake King David to explore vulnerability and masculinity.

With James Blake’s ghostly production on Selfish and Chapter 16 (ft. Kano), it struck a reflective mood. JS 

17. JASON ISBELL

Foxes In The Snow

THE Alabama-born artist recorded his latest offering without his ace band, the 400 Unit, but with an old acoustic guitar for company.

“This is the first time I’ve done an album with just me and a guitar,” he told SFTW of the exquisite, stripped-back song cycle. SC  

18. BILLY NOMATES 

Metalhorse 

METALHORSE emerged from a personal, tumultuous period for Tor Maries.

A loose concept album set in a dilapidated funfair it featured radio hit The Test, while Strange Gift offered hope.

Closing song Moon Explodes was especially moving, written after Maries’ MS diagnosis. JS 

19. BIG THIEF

Double Infinity

FEW vocalists could handle the word “incomprehensible” like Adrianne Lenker on this LP’s fuzzy joy of an opening track.

Though the indie darlings have contracted to a three piece, there was nothing shrinking about their fearless, exilharating sonic adventure .SC  

20. OLIVIA DEAN

The Art Of Loving

MELLOW and sumptuous, the second album from the stylish Londoner was smooth soul to relax into.

Tracks such as Nice To Each Other and Lady Lady were warm and all-enveloping, exploring affairs of the heart with a particular emphasis on self-care. JS 

21. LILY ALLEN

West End Girl

LILY’S fifth album, the first in seven years, was also her most vulnerable and intensely personal.

It came after her split from actor husband David Harbour and the songs laid it all out in heartbreakingly painful detail.

Infidelity and betrayal were constant themes. JS 

22. BON IVER

Sable, Fable

DIVIDED into two distinct halves, the first was an understated return to the folky stylings of Justin Vernon’s wintery debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago.

The second blossomed into more upbeat territory, primed for glorious spring sunshine. SC  

23. THE WATERBOYS

Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

MIKE Scott took us on a wild ride with this 25-track album celebrating “one of the great American lives”, actor and hellraiser Dennis Hopper.

He summoned a blizzard of musical styles and included cameos from Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle and Fiona Apple. SC  

24. AFRICA EXPRESS 

Bahidora 

EVEN before Blur completed their reunion gigs, Damon Albarn headed to the Mexican jungle with a dizzying array of 70-plus artists from four continents.

The result? A thrilling mash-up of African rhythms, electronic textures, Latin soul, rock, hip hop – everything! SC  

25. MAVIS STAPLES

Sad And Beautiful World

SHE bears one of the greatest living voices . . .  and it remained in towering form.

Well into her Eighties, Staples tackled our uncertain world with unerring compassion.

Guests included Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. SC  

26. BRANDI CARLILE

Returning To Myself 

THIS record found Brandi in an introspective, stripped-back mood after a landmark year.

Working with Aaron Dessner, Andrew Watt and Justin Vernon, the album reconnected her with loneliness, self-belief and politics, from the reflective title track to the powerful Church & State. JS  

27. WOLF ALICE

The Clearing

THE fourth album from the Brit award winners was a grandiose affair, a bold and confident leap forward.

Tracks like Bloom Baby Bloom incorporated all their strengths with bombastic choruses and lush melodies, showcasing Ellie Rowsell’s exceptional rock vocal range. JS 

28. STEREOLAB

Instant Holograms On Metal Film

A STRONG return after 15 years from the much-loved Anglo-French combo.

Led, as ever, by Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, the album revisited their distinctive blend of art-pop and motorik beats, really hitting the mark on the effervescent Electrified Teenybop! SC  

29. RICHARD ASHCROFT

Lovin’ You

ASHCROFT’S first album of new music since 2018 arrived after he supported Oasis on tour.

From the Joan Armatrading-sampled Lover to the title track, which sampled Mason Williams’ 1968 Classical Gas, it was a vocally focused, emotionally wide record. JS 

30. WET LEG

Moisturizer

MORPHING from duo to fully-fledged band, the follow-up to their debut album was still as oddball as ever, but it came with a tighter focus.

Tracks like Davina McCall and Jennifer’s Body were heartfelt, kooky love songs backed by ragged, punky basslines. JS  

31. SOMBR

I Barely Know Her

A SPECIAL debut full of heartbreak from the bedroom pop star who quit school to make music.

His melancholy voice accompanied by his own guitar, bass and keyboards and drums, made this magical, with Dime and disco-tinged 12 To 12 emerging as standouts. JS 

32. MOLLY TUTTLE

So Long Little Miss Sunshine

THE Grammy-winning singer forged her reputation at the forefront of the bluegrass revival.

Now she has spread her wings with this ravishing work of myriad styles. It also provided her with the confidence to be open about her alopecia. SC  

33. TOM GRENNAN

Everywhere I Went, Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be

THE down-to-earth singer from Bedford laid his feelings bare on this reflective fourth album shaped by growth, friendship and vulnerability.

It balanced anthemic pop with emotional depth, from Shadowboxing to Boys Don’t Cry. JS 

34. TAYLOR SWIFT

The Life Of A Showgirl

RECORDED in stolen moments during the record-shattering Eras tour, it found Swift reflecting on love and life in the spotlight after falling for NFL star Travis Kelce.

Working with Max Martin and Shellback, it was polished, theatrical pop with self-aware glamour and emotional insight. JS 

35. JOHN FOGERTY

Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years

FOGERTY celebrated the recent end of his decades-long fight to get his publishing rights back.

It meant he could belt out timeless hits Proud Mary, Born On The Bayou, Bad Moon Rising and Up Around The Bend with unbridled joy rather than lingering bitterness. SC  

36. MIDLAKE

A Bridge To Far

BEST remembered for their second record, 2006’s The Trials Of Van Occupanther, these enduring Texans rekindled their love of melody-rich folk rock. Two decades on, A Bridge To Far might just have been their best since that hallowed album. SC 

37. TATE MCRAE

So Close To What

THE Canadian singer’s third album was slick and polished futuristic pop and highlighted her journey from teenage dancer to arena-selling pop princess.

Tracks like Purple Lace Bra were multilayered with beats, synths and strings, and created a sultry, sizzling mood. JS 

38. BEIRUT

A Study Of Losses

FOLLOWING Zach Condon’s sortie to the Arctic Circle for 2023’s exquisite Hadsel came this work of unerring beauty.

The 11 songs and seven instrumentals, spanning nearly an hour, struck a melancholy tone but they left a lasting and profound impression. SC 

39. ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION

Arcadia

TO Robert Plant’s duet pal Krauss, her latest project was “like stepping into an old pair of shoes”.

Her first album with her virtuoso bluegrass band since 2011 evoked bygone times, while still connecting with 21st Century listeners. SC

40. TOM SMITH

There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light

AFTER 20 years fronting Editors and two records with Andy Burrows, Tom Smith stepped out on his own.

His first solo album stripped everything back to the core of his songwriting, capturing the honesty, anxiety and hope that shaped this new chapter. JS 

41. FKA TWIGS 

Eusexua 

THE album title was a made-up word taken from euphoria and sexual to describe “a feeling so intense it transcended the human form”. 

And it lived up to its name.

On the arty, left field side of electronica, this third record was her most complete and satisfying. JS 

42. THE DELINES

Mr Luck & Ms Doom

WHEN ex-Richmond Fontaine frontman Willy Vlautin (lyricist/guitarist in this band) is involved, you tend to get songs with disturbing narratives about people from the wrong side of the tracks.

This firmly ticked that box – and then there was Amy Boone’s enriching, expressive vocals. SC 

43. DAVID BYRNE

Who Is The Sky?

THE world may be going to hell in a handcart, but at least Talking Heads legend Byrne kept a smile on his face.

That was the vibe you get from his latest effort, most notably on rousing opening track Everybody Laughs, which came with a cameo from longtime collaborator St Vincent. SC 

44. BLOOD ORANGE

Essex Honey

ECLECTIC and imbued with an aching sense of loss and nostalgia, Dev Hynes’ fifth album as Blood Orange was an exploration of his upbringing in London.

A collection of memories recalled through spindly indie, jazz, chunky beats and evocative soundscapes. JS 

45. DAMIANO DAVID

Funny Little Fears

FOR Maneskin’s Damiano David, this felt the right moment for a solo album, revealing a more personal, previously hidden side.

It was less rocky than Maneskin, confronting fear and identity through piano-led pop inspired by Keane, The Killers, and Elton John. JS 

46. RON SEXSMITH

Hangover Terrace

THE Canadian has assembled a fine body of work, marked out by sumptuous melodies and perceptive lyrics.

He returned with one of his strongest collections.

Recorded in London, the album visited his childhood, his current concerns and much more in between. SC 

47. MY MORNING JACKET

Is

SINGER Jim James hoped the band’s genre-hopping tenth album would help people “navigate the chaos in the world”. 

If the overall vibe was psychedelic rock with plenty of reverb, MMJ employed elements of pop, country, soul, reggae, you name it. SC 

48. ETHEL CAIN

Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You

FEW artists have been able to express the intimate, sometimes painful, feelings about first love as well as the singer from Florida.

Evoking a haunting, Southern gothic atmosphere, her ambient rock sound-scapes framed a raw, heartfelt song cycle. SC 

49. CAR SEAT HEADREST

The Scholars

THE career trajectory of Will Toledo is nothing short of breathtaking.

He started out making lo-fi DIY albums in his parents’ car and now, as frontman of a fully fledged band, he made this crazily ambitious rock opera in the vein of Tommy or Ziggy Stardust. SC 

50. ADDISON RAE

Addison

THE debut album from the former TikTok star, who rose to popularity with her dance videos, broke the code.

Stepping confidently beyond influencer fame, she moved into sleek, self-aware pop.

Playful hooks and glossy production balanced vulnerability and attitude. JS 

ANNE-MARIE has vowed to shake things up for her upcoming fourth album – her first since 2023’s Unhealthy.

The Ciao Adios singer told The Sun that she’s determined not to return with a record that’s a copy-and-paste job of her first three albums.

Speaking backstage at Capital Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard, after she put on an intimate gig in Barclaycard’s Out Of The Blue area for lucky fans, Anne-Marie said: “Next year there will be new music.

“I think I need to switch it up a bit… Will I be rapping? Who knows.

“I am definitely switching it up.

“I need to make it exciting again, you know.

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“I can’t just come back as the same Anne Marie I have been for ten years.

“I am going to do a little spice.”

Since the release of her last record, the singer has welcomed two children, a daughter and a son, with her musician hubby Slowthai.

She says she’s turned to longtime friend Ed Sheeran – who co-wrote her 2018 hit 2002 – for advice on juggling being a popstar and a parent.

Anne Marie explained: “Be a parent, it’s hard.

“It’s like everyone says.

“It’s the best thing ever and the hardest thing at the same time.

“I think working is definitely hard.

“I find it harder than I thought I would, but they are beautiful little aliens.

“It does make you want more even though you are in hell.”

She continued: “I go to Ed for a lot of advice really.

“About kids but also about everything really.

“Now that we have kids he is like the perfect person to speak to.”

In September Anne-Marie released a teaser of what’s to come with her new track Depressed.

Admitting Christmas time isn’t always easy for people, Anne-Marie said: “I am very aware that people feel alone at this time of the year which makes me sad.

“But I think as long as you get through it and think of the next year and all of your dreams and plans that you want to achieve next year, you will be okay.

“Also just snuggle up on the sofa and watch a movie with some chocolate.

“Just take care of yourself and give yourself some love.

“Next year we start afresh.

“My go-to film at any time of year is Liar Liar with Jim Carey.

“Anything Jim Carey is my go-to.”

Leon Thomas recently dyed the tips of his signature locs dark green. His new hair color — a stark contrast from the vibrant red he’d been rocking for the last four years — is the first thing that stands out about him when he strolls into the Los Angeles Times building on an unusually rainy day in October.

When asked about his hair, which peeks out from underneath a black beret-style hat, a wide grin stretches across his face.

“I had a vision,” the 32-year-old singer says, leaning in. “In [this] vision, I had more tats, a six pack and I had green dreads. And I was like, ‘You know what, let’s work on it.’” He’s been working out more consistently and he has his eyes set on a couple of tattoo artists in L.A. and Europe, but the new hair kicked everything off.

“That’s how the rest of my life has worked: I’ve seen something in my head, I’ve seen a version of myself that’s not there yet and then you work hard to get there.”

This instinct has carried Thomas throughout his 20-plus-year career in the entertainment industry, and has cleared a path for him to emerge as a leading force in modern R&B music. After years of dedicating his skill to acting, writing and producing chart-topping bangers for artists like Drake, Ariana Grande and SZA (he won his first Grammy for her record “Snooze”), for the first time Thomas is up for six Grammy nominations including album of the year and best new artist for his own work.

“I feel like this is a byproduct of me finally having a machine that works,” Thomas says about his team. He signed to EZMNY, a record label co-founded by Grammy-nominated artist Ty Dolla $ign and A&R executive Shawn Barron, in 2021. He takes an audible breath before continuing, “Not to sound cocky or anything, but I just always felt in my heart of hearts that once people could finally hear what I had to offer, it would be a different story. I’m glad that God gave me the foresight to see that.”

He has good reason to be feeling himself these days. “Mutt,” his breakout 2024 single, quietly simmered for months before it was pushed into ubiquity. The track’s metaphorical meaning — comparing his own flawed behavior in relationships to a “mutt” or a dog with good intentions — along with a sensual bassline and knocking drums eventually became a sleeper hit. It also became a favorite for Tems, SZA, Keke Palmer and Issa Rae, who shouted out the song in interviews.

“That’s how the rest of my life has worked: I’ve seen something in my head, I’ve seen a version of myself that’s not there yet and then you work hard to get there,” said Leon Thomas.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

By early this year, the song, which is the title track from his sophomore album, had cracked the Hot 100 Billboard charts, recently climbing to No. 1 on Billboard’s radio songs chart, earning double platinum status.

The success of the album and the deluxe edition that followed launched Thomas into a whirlwind of promo: radio and podcast stops, interviews galore and after-party appearances. Meanwhile, he’s still made time to make records with other artists like Wale, Disclosure, Odeal and Sasha Keable. He kicked off his “Mutts Don’t Heel” tour in October, and this year alone, he’s had more than 70 performances, including the Hollywood Bowl with Inglewood-born singer SiR, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and the BET Awards (where he won best new artist). Earlier this year, Thomas stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk, a live set that has more than 4 million views and has since been turned into an EP. (His Tiny Desk performance also received a Grammy nod for best R&B performance.)

“It’s been nonstop like something great happening every single week,” says Barron, co-founder of EZMNY.

Long before fans were belting out the lyrics “I’m a doggggg / I’m a mutt,” Thomas was getting his first taste of what it takes to be a musician from his family. Thomas’ late grandfather, John Anthony, was an opera singer who starred in the 1976 Broadway production of “Porgy & Bess.” His mother — a singer — and his stepfather — who played guitar for B.B. King — were part of New York’s Black Rock Coalition and “didn’t believe in babysitters,” says the Brooklyn native who now resides in L.A. He has fond memories of doing his homework while his parents were performing and hopping on stage at times to hit a dance move for a packed crowd.

At just 10 years old, Thomas booked the role of Young Simba on Broadway after a family friend encouraged him to audition. He went on to star in more productions, including “Caroline, or Change” and “The Color Purple,” before booking his first film, “August Rush” (starring late actor Robin Williams), which required him to learn to play the guitar. As a result, he began writing his own songs, one of which impressed his parents so much that they booked studio time and a session bass player to help him to lay down the track. “It definitely influenced my perspective on if I could actually make professional music or not,” recalls Thomas, who plays five instruments, including drums (his first love), guitar, bass, piano and saxophone.

“Not to sound cocky or anything, but I just always felt in my heart of hearts that once people could finally hear what I had to offer, it would be a different story. I’m glad that God gave me the foresight to see that,” said Leon Thomas.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

By age 13, Thomas had signed a development deal with Nickelodeon that came with a Columbia Records recording contract. After appearing in various shows like “The Backyardigans” and “iCarly,” he snagged the role of André Harris, a high-school-age singer and multi-instrumentalist, on the tween sitcom “Victorious” alongside star-in-the-making Grande.

When the show ended in 2013, Thomas began working with one of modern music’s most decorated architects, Babyface, who introduced him to producer and songwriter Khris Riddick-Tynes. Together, Thomas and Riddick-Tynes formed the Rascals and began producing records like Rick Ross’ “Gold Roses” featuring Drake (which received a Grammy nomination), “I’d Rather Be Broke” by Toni Braxton and SZA’s “Snooze,” which won best R&B song at the Grammys in 2024.

Still, pivoting from wholesome Nickelodeon star to a grown R&B artist didn’t happen overnight. “The biggest thing for me was just taking time away from the artistry in order to really allow people to celebrate the brand that I had built, but give me room to build something else,” he says. “Space and time can be a tough thing because you’re gonna have to reintroduce yourself even though you did a lot of work in the beginning to build what you had before, but I think it’s beautiful to kind of build a brand from scratch.”

That’s one of the reasons why the cover of his reintroduction project, “Genesis,” features a distorted forest instead of his face. “I didn’t want them to connect with what I was saying, what I was talking about, the feelings [and] the sounds,” he says. With every release, he’s slowly revealed more of himself.

Onstage, Thomas channels the intensity of some of his musical heroes — James Brown, Prince, Jimi Hendrix and D’Angelo. His music may sit comfortably under the R&B umbrella, but he bends and flips genres with ease, especially rock and funk. In TikTok recaps from his current tour, he can be seen ripping on the bass and guitar, whipping his body into turns and effortlessly hitting vocal runs, which fans have attempted to imitate. With him, you never have to question if the mic is on.

“Sometimes I go see R&B artists live and it’s very chill,” he says, but “the school I come from is competitive.” He recalls stories that his stepfather has told him about performing at the Village Underground in New York when he was coming up. “They used to do something called cutting heads, so the first guy would go do his solo, then the guy who came out on the second set had to go even further. He’s playing with his teeth, he’s spinning, he’s on the floor, he’s wildin’,” Thomas says excitedly.

“So I’m in that school of thinking when I hit a stage and for this tour where I get to curate things and really put it together like I want to, there’s gotta be that energy of cutting heads,” he adds.

Just days before launching his 27-city tour, Thomas released a cinematic trailer featuring Rae — who played his neighbor and hookup buddy on “Insecure” — to introduce his latest project, “Pholks.” The seven-track release, created in collaboration with musicians Rob “Freaky Rob” Gueringer and David Phelps, a.k.a. “D. Phelps” (who also worked on “Mutt”), is an homage to the funk, rock and soul artists who’ve inspired him. Led by the singles “Just How You Are” and “My Muse,” which could trigger a “Soul Train” line at any moment, the project feels warm and nostalgic, yet anchored in forward-thinking production and playful storytelling that helps push it into the future.

In April, Ty Dolla $ign brought Thomas out to perform during his headlining set at Coachella, a moment that was a no-brainer for Ty, who recently called Thomas “the new king” of R&B.

“I just can’t even believe that I was the one to be able to do this,” Ty says about working with the singer.

“Sometimes I go see R&B artists live and it’s very chill,” Leon Thomas said, but “the school I come from is competitive.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

In the midst of this busy season, Thomas has been more intentional about maintaining his mental health. “I’m doing a lot of grounding meditations,” he says, noting that family and his tight circle of friends have been an essential support system. “I’ve been picking up the Bible a little bit more.”

He also finds steadiness in revisiting wisdom passed down from his late grandfather, who passed away last year, and reflecting on his “why:” bringing a classic, musician-centered energy back to R&B and encouraging young artists to pick up an instrument.

“When a little kid sees me playing guitar on the Grammy stage or if they see me performing on Instagram playing drums, I want them to ask their mom for a guitar or some drum lessons,” he says. With the rise of AI, he says that live musicianship may become less common. “I hope that we can inspire a revolution of intelligence, people who are intelligently making music and coming from a standpoint of history.”

Thomas will close out his whirlwind year with two shows at the Wiltern on Dec. 22 and 23 before embarking on the European leg of his tour in March and heading to Australia in June. In the meantime, he’s trying to avoid thinking about the Grammys in February — though everyone, including myself, is making it impossible for him not to.

Whether he walks away with a golden gramophone or not, Thomas has already created a body of work that has reinvigorated not only R&B but also music in general, and he plans to continue pushing himself creatively. He’s known all along what he’s capable of and the career he’s destined to have because he’s envisioned it. It’s the world that’s had to catch up.

PinkPantheress broke out in 2021 with a series of charming and inventive singles that placed her high, breathy vocals over skittering beats built around easily recognizable samples. It was as though the English singer and producer were trying to insert herself into pop-music history from behind a laptop in her bedroom — which is pretty much what ended up happening.

In 2023, her song “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” a collaboration with Ice Spice, went to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100; several months later, she landed a song on the hit soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Last year she went on the road as an opening act for Olivia Rodrigo, and now she’s nominated for her first two Grammy Awards: dance/electronic album for this year’s “Fancy That” and dance pop recording for the project’s opening track, “Illegal.”

With nine songs in only 20 minutes, “Fancy That” maintains the TikTok-era economy of PinkPantheress’ early work. It’s also full of samples from the likes of Underworld, Basement Jaxx and Panic! at the Disco — one reason, perhaps, the singer, 24, describes it as a mixtape rather than an album. (An accompanying remix set, “Fancy Some More?,” features appearances by Basement Jaxx, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Ravyn Lenae and Groove Armada, among many others.)

Yet “Fancy That” showcases an expanding emotional palette too — it’s by turns funny, wistful, horny, melancholy and unimpressed. She spoke about it over matcha lattes in Los Angeles, where she lives when she’s not back home in London. “If you’re a musician, it’s sold as the place to be,” she says of L.A. “I was trying not to like it, but I really do.”

You’re enjoying the city despite yourself.
I think for me, it was just a case of: When I’m comfortable somewhere, I don’t enjoy exploration. What I know to be safe is where I stay.

Why?
It’s something with the way my brain works — I don’t think it’s a choice. My brain associates change — different environments and travel — with fear. I don’t go on holiday because of that reason. I find it very difficult because I genuinely don’t feel safe. Doesn’t matter where I am.

What do you do in L.A.?
I hang out with my friends. I get food. I do all the regular things. But it’s taken me years. When I first got here, I wasn’t like, Oh my God — the Hollywood sign! It was just like, Lemme find my footing. I think getting my house was when I was OK. I don’t like the stress of going out somewhere and being worried about how I come across to people.

If you’re at a restaurant, it’s hard for you not to think about the fact that someone might know who you are.
On occasion, if I’m not disguised well enough.

What are the disguises?
I think I’m gonna stop wearing my hair out in public.

So pop stardom — enjoyable or not?
It’s as absurd as everyone says. But it is 100% what I’ve always wanted to be. So I can’t complain now.

I mean, you could.
But I shan’t.

That would be poor form?
I’m a big believer of my words having an effect on everything I do going forward. So if I was to become comfortable complaining about my job — when I worked so hard to get here — then it’s gonna carry with me and it’ll come out in my behavior.

Do you drive?
I love driving. That’s another reason I like it here, because I can drive.

You like driving here more than in London?
I have a nicer car here. Well, actually, I don’t have a car in London anymore. The police took it.

Why?
Don’t know.

You must know.
I actually just don’t know. I literally got there and it was gone, and I was like, Fine. It was so cheap — like 2,000 pounds.

What kind of car was it?
A Peugeot 208.

In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, you named the people you called your blueprints: M.I.A., Kelela and Tinashe. All are well–regarded trailblazers, but none of them, I would say, is a pop superstar. That made me wonder: Do you want to be top of the pops?
I feel like in order to be top of the pops, I’d have to compromise a lot about my artistic choices. However, if the post-“Brat” era has taught us anything about music, it’s that you can actually be as experimental as you want, and if it translates, it will translate. So actually it’s not necessarily a recipe that’s too formulaic, as one would think.

Do I want to be top of the pops? I think that might be too much pressure. I don’t enjoy having to explain myself, and I worry that being big would make me have to explain a lot about myself. However, I do want to be well-regarded. I do want to be influential. And I do want to not have to worry, How well will this do? It’s less about top of the pops and more about having a very loyal fan base, which I prioritize above everything else.

I spoke with Lorde recently, and she told me she aches to be understood even though she wishes she didn’t. You said you don’t like explaining yourself. But do you feel compelled to?
I would say I definitely under-explained myself early on. And unfortunately that was a crucial error because — had I been on top of explaining my music and my musical mind from the jump — maybe now I’d be taken more as a producer. But because I didn’t, and because of the way I present myself, I do think people take me as more surface-level pop, and I’m actually not — I’m actually fully an art girl, like all the women I’ve mentioned.

So it’s kind of gone from not explaining myself to explaining too much. I hated that, too, because then it got people asking me more questions. Now I don’t want to explain anything anymore.

You’ve got the Sugababes on your remix album. Great example of an act that’s beloved in England but couldn’t get arrested in the States. Why do you think some U.K. acts cross over and some don’t?
If you have someone on your marketing team that prioritizes America, then I’m 99% sure you can always do it. I don’t think American people are put off by Britishness — I don’t think the music is too crazy for them to get it. The reason I did well in America was because I used a platform where the majority of users are American.

You mean TikTok. Did you use TikTok because that was the platform you were good at or because you knew it was the platform with the broadest reach?
I had no idea how it worked — I just thought about what has the most reach. I’m a child of the internet. I’ve always been online.

What’s bad about the internet?
There was a time when I would have said nothing.

At what age?
Sixteen — even older, honestly. The whole push of generated stuff has made it so unbelievably different. Back when I was on the internet, you wouldn’t have to second-guess any post you saw.

Whereas now you have to question whether something is real or AI.
Is this propaganda or is this not? That’s bad.

Is TikTok still fun?
I don’t really go on social media at all, so I don’t know.

You just make your posts —
And dip. Or I interact with people that help me towards my craft. People that make fan edits, I love it, so I’ll interact with them. But I don’t really scroll.

Did someone say to you, “Listen, you need to stop scrolling”?
No. I actually have no vices, so I didn’t have a problem with it.

Everyone’s addicted to scrolling.
Hell no — I’m not. If I want to stop something, I can stop right now.

Do you drink? Smoke weed?
I can’t do any drugs. I get drunk once or twice a month, and that’s my limit. I make sure to count that.

Why no drugs?
I’m a hypochondriac.

What are you afraid of happening?
Dying. Also, it’s just not enjoyable for me. When I get drunk, that’s the best amount of chaos I can experience in my inner self.

Dying?
Too much coke could kill you — cause an arrhythmic heart. And as I’ve said, if I fear something, I’m not gonna step foot towards it.

“I don’t think American people are put off by Britishness,” says PinkPantheress. “I don’t think the music is too crazy for them to get it.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Who said no to being on the remix album?
No one said no. But I don’t ask people that I know are gonna say no — I just refuse to ask them. There was one person that was like, “Oh, I saw this too late” [makes “Yeah, right” face]. And one person didn’t reply. Maybe two people didn’t reply.

Were your feelings hurt?
No. Yeah. Maybe. When it comes to features and everything like that, I very much understand — I get how the mind of a singer works. I think people that get hurt are maybe not putting themselves in their shoes.

Surely you’ve said no to people at this point.
It’s a horrible feeling. And I try and make it work as much as possible. But sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. The vibes are off.

Have you heard the Lily Allen album?
Yes.

Thoughts?
Really good. And earnest.

She’s just laying out all her business.
She’s a Brit — that’s what we do.

Are Brits essentially earnest?
I think there’s something in our music that’s extremely earnest. That’s why you get someone like an Adele or someone like a Raye right now. You can feel them bleed. They’re bleeding out onto the stage — bleeding out onto the pieces of paper.

Beyond what we’ve talked about, I know virtually nothing about your personal life.
Exactly.

Whereas now I know a tremendous amount about Lily Allen’s. What do you make of that impulse to dump everything out into the world?
What I love about Lily Allen is that she’s always been very honest from Day 1. She’s an open book in interviews — she’s an open book everywhere. It works for her because it makes her very personable and makes her music all that more enjoyable because we feel like we’re actually experiencing her as a human being.

I would love to be that earnest. I simply don’t think I’ve gone through half the amount she’s gone through in her life. Because I fear so much, I end up not being in very exciting or controversial situations, and that could translate as boring. But I wouldn’t say I was a boring person. I relish in the mundaneness of interacting with others and the excitement of being myself. I’m actually obsessed with myself. When I’m with my best friend, we’re just so fun together. Other people, they’re like, “The f—?”

You’re on Coachella next year. You’ve talked about festivals not being your ideal performance venue.
I’m definitely better now, for sure. Two years ago, I was pretty s—.

What’d you learn from the tour you just finished?
Oh, a lot. I learnt that I’m in control of my body. I learnt that I’m in control of pretty much every element when I’m onstage. One thing I’m realizing as I talk is that the reason I don’t like drugs is because I like full control. When I’m onstage, for some reason, I always imagine that I’m gonna lose control — I’m gonna have to faint or have to run. I don’t know why, but that’s my biggest fear with performing, and hence why I’ve always been quite nervous.

But doing that tour made me realize that I can choose if I want to have a good time right now. And I chose to have a really good time — it was a really fun experience. I’m still learning how to dance. I’m still learning how to look good onstage. I think I’m built in quite a funny way, which makes me look long. And when you’re shaped in a long way and you have long limbs, you look bad at dancing.

You’re taller than I expected.
Every single person says that.

Why do we all think you’re going to be shorter?
My voice is quite high. I also think I shrink myself — less in physical ways and more in how I portray myself. I’m not like [shouts], “I’m here!” I’m more like [whispers], “I’m here.”

Throughout 2025, De Los has championed the rise of the Latino artists from their respective musical silos and into the broader global pop stratosphere. The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show headliner Bad Bunny and Inland Empire corrido kings Fuerza Regida scaled new commercial and cultural heights this year, as emerging acts like Silvana Estrada, Ela Minus and Netón Vega took exciting new detours in their sounds.

De Los recently did a team huddle to determine our personal best releases of 2025 — this is no garden variety Latin genre list, but a highlight reel of our favorite works by artists from Latin America and the diaspora.

10. Cazzu, “Latinaje”
Reeling from a romantic disappointment of mythological proportions and the lackluster reception of her previous album, Argentine trap queen Cazzu fired back with a maximalist travelogue that draws from salsa and cumbia, Argentine folk and electro-pop. Cazzu hails from the province of Jujuy, miles away from the musical snobbery that plagues much of Buenos Aires, and her genuine investment in a pan-Latino idiom is contagious. A sumptuous corrido tumbado about a red dress that went viral (“Dolce”) and an Andean-flavored ode to her daughter (“Inti”) are the emotional cornerstones of an album that refuses to harbor resentment and instead chooses to embrace plurality. Her absence from the main categories in this year’s Latin Grammys was nothing short of criminal. —Ernesto Lechner

9. Netón Vega, “Mi Vida Mi Muerte”
As one of música mexicana’s most in-demand songwriters, Netón Vega has crafted hits for every big crossover artist, from Xavi to Peso Pluma. Naturally, it’s about time that he delivered a full-length project of his own. Vega’s debut album, “Mi Vida Mi Muerte,” takes stock of the current sound of corridos tumbados and pushes it to its limits alongside the very collaborators that he helped top the charts. Vega’s chameleonic qualities as a songwriter allow him to bend the rules of what counts as “Mexican” music, and over 21 songs, he establishes that his vision includes Californian G-funk, blissed-out boom bap and even Caribbean reggaeton. Vega sounds equally as comfortable on the radio smash “Loco” as he does wailing over a bajo sexto, proving that the future of corridos, with him at the helm, can be more expansive than ever before. —Reanna Cruz

8. Juana Aguirre, “Anónimo”
If the music business thing doesn’t quite pan out for Juana Aguirre, Argentina’s newly anointed resident genius could find success as a film director — such is the palpable cinematic gravity of “Anónimo,” a stark masterpiece of digital mood conjuring. Aguirre builds her tracks slowly, armed with an unerring instinct for beauty and a ruthless, try-and-discard methodology. The results are childlike at times — parts of “La Noche” and “Lo_Divino” sound like nursery rhymes — while the nakedness of “Volvieron” brims with a solemn, ageless kind of grace. Her sonic spectrum is panoramic, from esoteric folktronica murmurs and camouflaged industrial noise to the cosmic stillness of “Un Nombre Propio” and the ritualistic piano of “Las Ramas.” Until “Anónimo,” the Argentine avant-garde had never sounded so intoxicatingly sensuous. —E.L.

7. Adrian Quesada, “Boleros Psicodélicos II”
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, multi-instrumentalist and producer Adrian Quesada enlisted some of the most enthralling vocalists in Latin music to record “Boleros Psicodélicos,” a love letter to Latin American psychedelic ballads from the ’60s and ’70s. The album, which featured original compositions alongside kaleidoscopic covers of the genre, was hailed as an instant classic after its 2022 release. Three years later, Quesada improved upon the winning formula by actually being in the same room as his collaborators — the first album was made in isolation. “There’s a little bit more life, energy to some of the songs,” Quesada told De Los of “Boleros Psicodélicos II.” That vibrancy is certainly felt in tracks like “Bravo” — Puerto Rican singer iLe’s voice is laced with plenty of venom to do justice to Luis Demetrio’s spiteful lyrics (“Te odio tanto / Que yo misma me espanto / De mi forma de odiar”) — and “Primos,” which has Quesada pair up with guitar vibemasters Hermanos Gutiérrez for the album’s only instrumental track. Here’s hoping that we get another installment of this brilliant series three years from now. —Fidel Martinez

6. Nick León, “A Tropical Entropy”
Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., just a hop, skip and a jump north of Miami, the electronic mixmaster Nick León broke through a busy pop music landscape this year as a producer with a distinctly Floridian point of view. In his latest album, “A Tropical Entropy” — the title harks back to a phrase from Joan Didion’s 1987 book, “Miami” — León crafted his moody “beach noir” sound by blanketing his dynamic assemblages of dembow, dancehall and other Afro-Caribbean rhythms with a foamy, oceanic ambience that flows and hisses throughout the record. Featuring the vocal talents of Ela Minus (“Ghost Orchid”), Erika De Casier (“Bikini”) and Esty (“Millennium Freak” with Mediopicky), it’s an audible feast for club kids whose afters entail collapsing on the sand and watching dolphins traverse the horizon at sunrise. —Suzy Exposito

5. Not For Radio, “Melt”
Released in October, “Melt” is the frosty solo album by María Zardoya, lead singer of Grammy-nominated L.A. band the Marías, who wrote and recorded 10 of her most soul-baring songs yet during a haunted winter sabbatical in the Catskills. Imbued with brooding elements of chamber pop à la Beach House, Broadcast and the Carpenters, there is much enchantment to be found in the details of Zardoya’s electric drama; like how the warm fuzz of an organ meets frosty chimes on opening track “Puddles,” or in the restless, skittish pulse of “Swan.” Zardoya’s yearning for a love lost crescendoes, and is most devastating, in the piano ballad “Back to You”; but it seems as though even her darkest, most melancholic moments are touched by the fae. —S.E.

4. Isabella Lovestory, “Vanity”
With 2022’s “Amor Hardcore,” Isabella Lovestory established herself as a neoperreo princess — the Ivy Queen for the Instagram era. The Honduran pop star’s follow-up album “Vanity” takes a different approach, trading sleazy sexcapades for campy vulnerability. As in her name, Lovestory is inherently a storyteller. Her lyrics are pulled from half-remembered dreams, speaking of herself in immersive, surreal contradiction. She’s a perfume bottle made of foam, or a strawberry made of metal. It’s a deceptively saccharine world, one that she sees as, in her words, a “poisonous lollipop.” And when the production falls somewhere between RedOne productions and Plan B deep cuts, that world becomes a post-cultural, hazy pop dystopia of both the past and a far-off, distant future. —R.C.

3. Fuerza Regida “111XPantia”
In summer 2024, while promoting the band’s previous album, “Pero No Te Enamores,” Fuerza Regida frontman Jesús Ortiz Paz assured me that the San Bernardino quintet was not abandoning the sound that made it one of the biggest acts in the música mexicana space. Simply put, JOP was scratching a creative itch by flirting with Jersey club, drill and house music. True to his word, the charchetas and tololoche are now back and on full display in “111xPantia.” Yet the band’s 9th studio album is by no means a rehash of their past work; Fuerza Regida is as experimental as ever, whether by incorporating a banjo on “Peliculeando” (what’s next, a collab with Mumford & Sons?) or sampling Nino Rota’s iconic theme song on “GodFather” (given the focus on excess, the lyrics are more Tony Montana than Michael Corleone). This year, JOP & Co. set a new benchmark for the ever-evolving genre, all while becoming the biggest band in the world; Fuerza Regida was notably the only non-solo act to crack Spotify’s end-of-year top global artist list. —F.M.

2. Silvana Estrada, “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias”
Estrada’s second full-length album is a musical masterclass in maintaining serenity through loss. With her head held high, the Latin Grammy-winning Mexican singer-songwriter soldiered through an extended period of grief to write “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias,” including a harrowing heartbreak and the shocking murder of a friend. The bones of songs like “Como Un Pájaro” and “Un Rayo de Luz” are folk ballads, which she initially wrote using her trusty cuatro; but with the mighty backing of an orchestra, Estrada’s compositions swell with a symphonic grandeur that bolster the songbird’s more empowered and optimistic stance in the face of disappointment. “¿Cuál еra la idea de aventartе sin dejarte caer? Qué manera tan desoladora de querer,” she sings with an arid, jazzy inflection on “Dime” — a plea to a half-hearted lover who cowers at the force of her integrity. —S.E.

1. Bad Bunny, “Debí Tirar Mas Fotós”
“Debí Tirar Mas Fotós” has managed to dominate conversation all year — from its No. 1 debut in January to this summer’s blockbuster residency and subsequent world tour. Much has been said already about Bad Bunny’s magnum opus; the album is a generation-spanning, full-throated celebration of boricua resilience, and simultaneously a pointed warning about the ongoing neocolonization of La Isla del Encanto. But perhaps, in the spirit of its title, its best function is as a series of timeless musical snapshots: There’s the sweeping voice of the jíbaro calling down from the mountains on “Lo Que Le Pasó A Hawaii.” Sweat from rum-soaked nights in Brickell and La Placita lingers on “Voy a LLevarte Pa PR” and “Eoo.” Hands fold together on “Weltita” as waves ebb and flow, and the warmth of a grandparent’s final forehead kiss lingers on “DTMF.” It’s a record that is designed to be intimately understood by Latinos, with Bad Bunny’s personal ethos of Puerto Rican independence managing to build a bridge between the island and those displaced from it. And with Benito’s Super Bowl victory lap right around the corner, “Debí Tirar Mas Fotós” is poised to dominate not just 2025, but the coming months as well, cementing him as — to paraphrase “Nuevayol” — el rey de pop, reggaetón y dembow.

Honorable mentions:

Reanna’s pick: Corridos Ketamina, “Corridos Ketamina”
There’s one night at the start of every Los Angeles autumn when you can begin to feel the chill of loneliness in the air. When I heard “V-Neno,” the opening track on Corridos Ketamina’s self-titled debut EP, I was taken back to the first time I felt it: walking around at 3 AM alone and moody as hell. The 14-minute EP is like if Lil Peep and Lil Tracy went down to Sinaloa for the weekend. Triple-tracked vocals drenched in reverb drift over sluggish guitar loops, all struggling to claw out of the K-hole. Yes, technically Corridos Ketamina are making narcocorridos (what you see is what you get: in an interview with the Fader, they put it simply, “Let’s make the first corrido about doing K”), but there’s something still warm and inviting at the core of these seven songs. Maybe it’s the familiar blend of emo, rap, shoegaze and corridos — or it’s the fact that this is a record that could only come out of Los Angeles, born out of late nights on empty freeways and in seedy apartments. —R.C.

Ernesto’s pick: Amor Elefante, “Amigas”
I dare you not to smile when you listen to “Hipnótico,” the synth-pop fantasia that kicks off “Amigas,” a welcome return to action for Buenos Aires quartet Amor Elefante. The band moves in the fertile periphery where sunshine pop meets dream rock, channeling the Police on the reggae vibe of “Universal Hit” and diving into Cocteau Twins ether on “La Vuelta.” If anything, “Amigas” illustrates the band’s bloom as composers of potential singles: drummer Rocío Fernández goes funky on the folk-driven “La Vuelta,” while keyboardist Inés Copertino flexes her disco diva status on the outro line to “Foto de una Coreografía.” In lead singer Rocío Bernardiner, Amor boasts one of South America’s most radiant voices. —E.L.

Suzy’s pick: Ela Minus, “Día”
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, and now based in Brooklyn, electronic artist-producer Gabriela Jimeno, or Ela Minus, first bonded with beats as a tween drummer in a hardcore band. That rugged punk rock intensity would later unify the vast, synth-laden sprawl that is her second album, “Día”: a chronicle of her displacement during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent ego death. She lets her listeners in with the vulnerable yet galvanizing dance track “I Want to Be Better,” which she has described as her “only love song” — but icily calls for the world’s end on the Latin Grammy-nominated club cut “QQQQ,” and rejects the parasocial worship of pop stars in “Idols,” chanting: “Chasing after phantoms / Bowing down to someone else’s idols.” Indeed — how embarrassing! —S.E.

Fidel’s pick: Cuco, “Ridin’”
Hawthorne’s own Cuco (real name Omar Banos) tapped into the soundtrack of Southern California’s lowrider culture — soul and R&B — to make “Ridin’” one of the best neo-Chicano soul albums in recent years. Tracks like “My 45” and “ICNBYH” (“I Could Never Break Your Heart”) are perfect accompaniments for slow drives down Whittier Boulevard. “Para Ti,” the only Spanish song on the LP, sounds like it could come out of one of your abuelo’s bolero albums. —F.M.

Abraham Quintanilla, father and manager of the late Tejano pop icon Selena Quintanilla, has died. He was 86.

“It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today,” Quintanilla’s son, A.B. Quintanilla III, wrote on his Instagram account on Saturday. The cause of death has not been disclosed to the public.

As patriarch of the famous Mexican American music family, Quintanilla played a critical role in the development of his daughter Selena’s career. After her tragic death in 1995, he dedicated his life to safeguarding her legacy and overseeing primary control over her estate. This included managing the rights to her image, name and likeness — at times, to controversial ends.

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1939, Quintanilla began his music career as a member of the singing group the Dinos in 1956, a Chicano rock group that was met with racial discrimination. In one instance, a club owner paid the group not to perform after realizing they were Mexican American youth; but the group was also sidelined by its Mexican counterparts for not making Spanish-language music.

Quintanilla’s exasperation informed a real quote that was later made famous by actor Edward James Olmos, who played Quintanilla in the 1997 “Selena” biopic: “We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time. It’s exhausting!”

Quintanilla would eventually step away from the group in the 1960s to start a family with Marcella Samora, whom he met in Tacoma, Wash., while serving in the U.S. Air Force. The family quickly grew following the births of A.B., Suzette and Selena. In them, he saw the potential to fulfill his own dreams of musical stardom.

With A.B. on bass, Suzette on drums and Selena as the tender vocalist, the trio would often perform at the family restaurant, PapaGayo’s, which later closed following the 1981 recession. The family was forced to sell their home in Lake Jackson, Texas, and move to Corpus Christi. In order to make ends meet, Selena y Los Dinos would perform on street corners, family parties and other social functions. Under the guidance of their father, who assumed the position of band manager, Los Dinos eventually signed with Freddie Records in 1984.

Selena was met with much skepticism from an early age as a young girl in a male-dominated genre, including by their first label head, Freddie Martinez. Still, Los Dinos persevered in the Tejano music scene, hopping from label to label before the group finally released eight albums under Manny Guerra’s independent labels, GP Productions and Record Producer Productions. With multiple albums under her belt, Selena was then able to dominate the Tejano Music Awards; she won the title of Female Vocalist of the Year in 1987.

Selena eventually caught the attention of Jose Behar, the former head of Sony Music Latin, who saw her crossover appeal — despite Selena’s primary language being English — and signed her to EMI Latin (Capitol Records) in 1989. This led to the release of her most career-defining hits across five albums, such as “Como la Flor,” “Amor Prohibido,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and the posthumously released ballad, “Dreaming of You.”

Following Selena’s murder in 1995 — by Yolanda Saldivar, the former president of her fan club — Quintanilla became a fierce protector of her image, which was often sensationalized by the public.

Because of the grisly and highly publicized nature of Selena’s death, Quintanilla felt that the film needed to be made sooner than later, in order to do justice to his daughter’s legacy, said “Selena” director Gregory Nava in a 2025 interview with De Los.

“For me, as a filmmaker, I wanted to really tell a true story,” said Nava. “I had conflict, not really with the family, but with Abraham. Her father was very protective of her.”

Tensions flared most when Nava began to shape the story of the singer’s elopement with guitarist Chris Perez, whom she married in 1992.

“You can’t put on the screen that it’s right for a young girl to disobey her father,” Nava recalled Quintanilla saying.

“Isn’t it a more important point to make that she is doing what she knows is right? And [that] she’s doing the right thing because she knows she loves Chris and Chris loves her?” Nava responded.

Eventually, Quintanilla relented. “I guess if I have to look bad to make Selena look good, I’ll do it,” Nava recalled him saying. “He has a soft heart. He finally saw that was the right thing to do, but it took hours of heated discussion.”

Although Suzette has said that the 1997 biopic came too soon in her eyes — and prompted criticism of her father, who some viewed as money-hungry and opportunistic — she ultimately stood by his decision, stating that there was a pressure within the family to control the narrative at the time.

Nava agreed.

“Abraham was very wise in pushing it through quickly,” he said. “Selena brought us all together, and it cemented her legacy in a positive way. All the negativity was dispelled by that movie. You see that in the film and you feel it.”

SHE’s the ultimate Queen of Christmas, best known for her soulful pop tunes, but I can reveal Mariah Carey’s next record will surprise fans.

After years of speculation, I’m told the Hero singer will release her long lost GRUNGE album next year.

While the exact date is still being worked out by the label, I hear it will drop in the second half of 2026.

The record, which is called Someone’s Ugly Daughter, was secretly recorded by Mariah back in the Nineties.

A source said: “Ever since she let slip about the existence of the record, fans have been desperate for it to be officially released and put on streaming.

“After years of casual talks about what to do, everyone has now agreed the album will be released in the second half of 2026.

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“It’s been a long time coming, but hopefully fans think it’s worth the wait.

“It’s certainly Mariah as you’ve never heard her before.”

The first anyone knew of the record was when Mariah let slip about it in 2020 memoir, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey.

She said: “I think this unearthed version will become, yes, something we should hear. I’m working on a version of something where there’ll be another artist working on this with me as well.”

‘So carefree’

Mariah says the reason she made the album was to push back at being over-controlled by her record label, adding: “I had no freedom during that time. That was my freedom, making that record.”

In the book, she said: “I was playing with the style of the breezy-grunge, punk-light white female singers who were popular at the time. You know, the ones who seemed to be so carefree with their feelings and their image.

“I honestly wanted to put the record out back then under, you know, the same pseudonym, just put it out and be like, you know whatever, let them discover that it’s me.

“But that idea was kind of stomped and squashed.”

I wait with bated breath . . . 

Hardworking Rita worth even m-Ora

EVEN if you’re not a fan of her music, it’s impossible to deny that Rita Ora is a hustler.

The I Will Never Let You Down singer is busy landing jobs doing everything from acting and presenting to modelling and working as a charity ambassador.

Which is why it comes as no surprise to us that the latest accounts for Ora Live and Ora Multi Services reveal she’s topped up her fortune with £4.8 million in profits.

It’s a sure sign Rita is going nowhere anytime soon as the figure is more than double the £2.3 million she made the year before.

Her companies manage her various income streams and reflect her broad career beyond singing.

Multi-talented Rita has also served as a judge on The X Factor and The Masked Singer and even had a film role in the Fifty Shades movie series.

Rita’s takings – which work out at £13,000 per day over the year to April – has helped to increase her net worth to £31 million.

It’s not a bad life, eh?

Kath: LA life not for me

CANADIAN comedian Katherine Ryan has ruled out moving to Hollywood after admitting she hates everything about Tinsel Town.

Letting rip, she said: “I would love some opportunities to do some comedy acting but I will never move to Hollywood because people seem quite sick there . . . in the head.

“I like England. I like people who aren’t positive all the time.

“I like the British way of telling the truth. I like a bit of taking the mick out of one another without getting offended.”

Not stopping there, Kath added: “Hollywood to me seems too sanitised. I would not be welcome.

“I’ve already not been welcome. I had a glass of vino in the morning when my daughter was swimming, they were like, ‘Maam, orange juice?’.

“I was like, ‘No, alcohol’. They nearly called the police.”

Taylor in her stride

TAYLOR SWIFT has hit back at critics who say she should take time out from the industry to give other artists space to shine.

The superstar seemingly breaks every possible record with each new track, causing some music fans to get Taylor-fatigue.

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor said: “There are corners that are like, ‘Give someone else a turn! Can’t you just go away so we can talk about how good you were?’.

“And like . . . ‘I don’t want to’.”

This morning, the first two episodes dropped of The End Of An Era – a six- part Disney+ docuseries that goes behind the scenes of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

You can bet come next week the show will have broken a few more records.

Tate: Why I can be a pop girl

TATE McRAE has opened up about her on-stage alter-ego Tatiana.

The Canadian star explained: “I started to black out onstage and become this person that I couldn’t explain, nor could my family or my friends, and I needed a reason for it.

“And I think it helps me grasp the strange theory of why I’m not nervous in front of 15,000 people, and why I can be nervous at a dinner party with four people.”

She added to Rolling Stone magazine: “Tate is this very introspective, very sensitive, very introverted, awkward Canadian.

“Maybe more on the shy side. I’m observant, and I feel very internal, all the time.

“And then, this persona that I’ve created is my way of being this confident pop girl.”

Sam: Stay with me, Ed

SAM SMITH made sure the final of their To Be Free: New York City residency went off with a bang.

The Stay With Me singer was joined on stage at Warsaw in Brooklyn by Ed Sheeran and Brandi Carlile.

Brandi and Sam duetted on her song Party Of One, while Sam and Ed gave a rendition of Who We Love – a track on Sam’s 2023 album Gloria.

The show was watched by American Vogue’s ice-queen former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In February, Sam’s residency will move to San Francisco and will play at the historic Castro Theatre for eight nights.

While nothing has even been hinted at, I wouldn’t be surprised if a run of shows in London is announced in the New Year.

Liam’s trackie record

HIS dress sense is similar to my own, so I was shocked to see Liam Gallagher named in Vogue’s inaugural 50 best dressed list.

The Oasis rocker was mentioned in the Dedicated Dressers category alongside Iris Law, Miquita Oliver and Amal Clooney.

Meanwhile, my favourite pop star Dua Lipa was in the Music Makers category alongside a line-up of stellar talent including Skepta, Central Cee, Lily Allen and Charli XCX.

Even those with a slightly eclectic taste were catered for, with The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, and actors Cynthia Erivo, Richard E Grant and Emma Corrin all getting a nod.

I never knew my Adidas tracksuit and tatty old Parka were so cool.

Xmas hit battle

THE official race for Christmas No1 kicks off today – with a new single from Kylie Minogue and WHAM!’s Last Christmas tipped as the front-runners.

Kylie’s song Xmas, which is on track to become her highest entry in the UK charts since 2010’s All The Lovers, leads the pack, while Denise Welch’s Slayyy Bells and Tom Fletcher’s One Of Us, from Paddington The Musical, are also in the running.

Classics including Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone, The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York, and Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath The Tree are also expected to climb the chart.

There are a load of non-festive tunes vying for a shot too, with Raye’s Where Is My Husband, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s For Good and Labrinth’s Where Love Lives.

Once again Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is tipped to finish in the top five.

The winner of the Christmas No1 will be revealed live on Radio 1 next Friday.

Change may be the only constant, but blazing infernos tearing through Pacific Palisades, Kaskade’s home for the last 15 years, was a new kind of change for him.

After 24 days of burning, his entire life looked different. Between tours, the famed DJ and dance music producer, born Ryan Raddon, spent the majority of his time at Palisades hot spots like the Village. Now he frequents Santa Monica and Brentwood by force. Of the 30 families in his church, only four of their houses remain standing, including his. Unfortunately, his brother’s house was lost to the fires.

“The community is destroyed. It doesn’t exist anymore. It’s hard not to be angry,” Raddon says, remarking that he’s been wondering if he should stay in the Palisades. His three daughters grew up there. Does he take away their childhood home?

When asked how this sudden and unprecedented shift affected the music he made for “undux,” his first album since 2015’s “Automatic,” Raddon takes several moments to collect his thoughts.

“I’ve done quite a bit of press for this record, and you’re the first person to bring that up,” he admits. He made two attempts to write a new album in the last three years, but he was already going through personal struggles before the fires. Divorcing his wife of nearly three decades and watching two of his daughters leave home led to melancholy songs that didn’t feel right to release. Eventually, he decided to finish the body of work, no matter what.

“I need to just make this, see what it is and get through it,” Raddon says. He was able to complete it with the help of songwriters he’s known for years, such as Cayson Renshaw, Finn Bjarnson and Nate Pyfer. “It is therapeutic to sit down and work with another songwriter. [Telling them] I have a lot going on I want to write about.”

The title of the album is “undux,” pronounced “undo,” because everything going on left him feeling undone. The result is a collection of tracks that skews deeper and less euphoric than previous Kaskade albums.

Raddon ventures away from his standard four-on-the-floor house music and into broken beats on “Started Over.” Warm orchestral strings and Renshaw’s ghostly vocals serve as vehicles for big emotional builds over the scattered drums, painting a sonic picture of how messy the heavy moments can feel.

“If Only” is a clean, guitar-driven indie dance tune that directly recounts Raddon’s experience in the aftermath of the blaze: “It’s all ashes / What the hell just happened? / Somehow I’m still standing / But I’m asking what for?”

The title of Raddon’s album is “undux,” pronounced “undo,” because everything going on left him feeling undone.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

There is still music on the album befitting of Raddon’s dozens of main-stage sets he plays every year. The lead single, “DNCR,” coasts on banging piano chords and an energetic kick. But he wrote the upbeat songs after working through the taxing emotions he brought into the process.

“Any time you’re being honest, and you’re going into the studio, you can’t avoid that stuff,” Raddon says. “This was a hard record for me to make.”

When Raddon’s manager heard “undux,” he was glad Raddon was feeling better, but he also delivered a stern warning: Only die-hards would appreciate the softer approach. Labels echoed this impression before the Vancouver-based electronic powerhouse, Monstercat, signed the album.

“When I sent the record out, people generally weren’t having it,” Raddon says. “Labels that I had worked with in the past, and some other people that are making noise in the space right now, said, ‘Call us back when you’re doing dance music.’”

“Undux” includes dance music. But it’s not all peak-time bangers like his biggest hits, such as “I Remember” and “Atmosphere.” In the years following “Automatic,” most of Raddon’s output was that kind of music. Streaming shifted listening habits away from long players and toward playlists and algorithms, both of which favor singles. Singles in the dance realm historically do the best numbers-wise when they’re primed for live.

Raddon’s most extensive releases in this period were his five “Redux” EPs. The Redux project channels his earliest years of DJing, when he was focused on keeping the dance floor moving. Kaskade releases get people moving, too, but songwriting defines that music. Using lyrics and melodies to tell the type of stories he needed to share after the fires.

“Making a single’s neat, but when you sit down in the studio, there’s so much pressure. I need to be able to play this at 2 a.m. in my set. That’s a weird box to work in,” Raddon shares. “When I’m making an album, there’s no thought of that. Let me just write and create.”

“The coolest thing for me is seeing dance music get a little bit of respect. [There’s been] so much success in bringing the music to a wider audience. It’s been a long road,” Raddon says.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

It makes sense that Raddon spent so many years producing for the live space. Right around the release of “Automatic,” he started a historic run on stage. In 2015, he brought the largest audience to an EDM act in the history of Coachella. In 2021, he was the first artist to play for a public audience at SoFi Stadium. In 2022, he broke the record for the biggest electronic music headlining concert in North America at the L.A. Coliseum with Kx5, his collaborative project with deadmau5.

Raddon has also been called upon to bring his art form to professional sports. In 2024, he became the first Super Bowl in-game DJ, and that May, he was the first-ever starting grid DJ at a Formula 1 race during Miami’s grand prix.

Despite so many individual wins, Raddon is most thrilled about the positive change this “decade of triumph” represents for the entire scene. He became one of the first figures of dance music legitimacy when he broke through with his 2004 hit “Steppin’ Out.” Now dance music has three Grammy categories.

“The coolest thing for me is seeing dance music get a little bit of respect. [There’s been] so much success in bringing the music to a wider audience. It’s been a long road,” Raddon says.

Raddon has been on top of the genre throughout that long road, making him one of dance music’s only consistent superstars.

Raddon especially emphasizes the ability to adapt. He started DJing when vinyl was the only option, and he recalls when certain DJs refused to play CDs when that technology developed. Now everyone uses digital files. The same principle applies to making music. He is rather calm in the wake of AI tools (though he admits he feels at ease about it because he’s already found established success with his music).

“This train is moving. You’re getting on, or you’re not. There’s no fighting it,” Raddon says.

The loss of his community in the Palisades and the shifts in his family life may be the most difficult changes he has ever faced. But he’s still on the train moving forward with the help of the music.

According to Humbe, it doesn’t matter how bad his day is going — a pink sunset can change everything.

As a kid growing up in the Mexican metropolis of Monterrey, the singer-songwriter would seek out the sky’s strangest shapes and study the way light broke through the cloud formations — it would comfort his anxieties and provide creative inspiration. So, when he set out to finish his most recent LP, “Dueño del Cielo,” released on Saturday, he found himself in one of the few places where the sun never truly sets: Iceland in the summertime.

“I envision this album as this planet of ashes. So, I wanted to go into that state, be lonely and create the inner dialogue heard on the album,” said the singer of his sixth album.

Humbe has been playing music from a young age, but he first rose to fame during the pandemic, sharing snippets of his music-making process online. Following the release of his breakout debut album in 2021, “Entropía,” the alternative pop singer earned a Latin Grammy for new artist and has since become well-known for his 2023 single “Fantasmas.” The track honors his late grandpa for Día de los Muertos and tends to go viral each year around the holiday.

“Dueño del Cielo” is the final installment of a trilogy, following 2023’s “Esencia” and 2024’s “Armagedón.” Nearly every track on the latest release signals transformation, in both its lyricism and its sonics. On the opening song, “Luz de Luna,” he gushes about not wanting to miss someone over a heartfelt piano ballad that slips between punky guitar rifts and unpredictable 808 drums. While on tracks like “Harry Stamper” and “Sábanas,” he embraces whimsical synthesizers and staccato vocal patterns to create a mystical soundscape.

On a recent promo trip to Los Angeles, De Los caught up with the 25-year-old Latin alternative pop singer in the days before the release of “Dueño del Cielo.” Humbe will be embarking on his first-ever U.S. tour next year, and will play at the Wiltern on April 9.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

“Dueño del Cielo” is out in a few days. How are you feeling about its release?
It’s surreal. I’ve been working on it for five years, so I can’t believe it. I started writing it at the beginning of the pandemic. The first song was the title track, and it was a song that embodied so much in me. It’s a rebirth and a moment of growth. “Dueño del Cielo” generally represents resurrection. I’ve always been so attached to my current version. I always think, if I like who I am right now, I will want to stick to it and never change. That’s when frustration comes.

This album taught me that change is part of life in the best way possible.

This album is also the final installment in a series, following “Esencia” and “Armagedón.” When did you realize you had a trilogy on your hands?
It feels like the universe spoke it [into existence] in a way. Sometimes things can’t only be coincidences. I realized all three albums were meant to be a trilogy, because they are all albums that essentially celebrate life.

“Esencia” is an album that celebrates the essence of one’s self. “Armagedón” represents how someone or something like a relationship or an addiction can change your whole essence. At first, it can seem just like a shooting star, but then you realize it’s a f— asteroid that’s gonna kill you. Then “Dueño del Cielo” is me finding and regaining that essence. It’s about realizing that from the ashes you can still be born.

What was going on in your life when figuring out how to end this series?
I’ve been searching for inner happiness. I can’t even think about a specific situation, because it’s honestly just a whole bunch of things that just make one’s glass full. I was just sick of everything. I was falling in a depression state without seeking out motivation.

But I realized that everything was due to me trying to find something that maybe wasn’t lost. I realized that life is about reinvention. It’s about deconstruction and reconstruction. That’s what I’ve been doing, and I will keep doing.

A portion of this upcoming album was made in a remote Icelandic town. When did Iceland come into the picture?
My brother, his girlfriend and I were in a sushi bar in Mexico City. We came to the realization that we are young and that we have free will. We figured I’ve been working on this album for five years, and haven’t finished it because we’ve been so distracted with everything else. So, why not take advantage of the fact that we are young, that none of us have kids, that we can travel and that it’s about to be summer in Iceland?

We bought the tickets at the sushi bar and left. It was crazy. We went for a month and a half. It was summer, so there was no darkness — only pure daylight. The darkest it got was blue hours. Living there was so poetic and beautiful.

I envision this album as this planet of ashes. So, I wanted to go into that state, be lonely and create the inner dialogue heard on the album. The album’s perspective changed so much there. It became so versatile.

How do you feel you changed as a musician in Iceland?
I got so much more sensitive towards everything. I gained so much perspective on how live instruments change a song. I used to work a lot with plug-ins and sound libraries. But this time, everything was recorded live.

After Iceland, we recorded everything in Miami. We were able to do the album in 10 days. Then, for the next three months, I kept finding small details to fix, even though I knew I was done. I had such a hard time letting it go that my mom had to tell me to stop.

At what point in the process did your mom have to step in?
I uploaded the album on my way to the sound check. Even on the day of my listening party in Mexico, I was still making changes to the album. That’s when my mom and the mixing engineer told me that it was time to let it go.

She didn’t say it before, so I guess it wasn’t done up until that very moment.

There are 22 tracks on this album, making it your longest project to date. Did you always know this was going to be a lengthy record?
I always wanted to do a long project. I’ve had it on my mind since I was a kid. I wanted to do something like Aerosmith or Queen when they would release those long a— projects that belonged to a concept, back when artists used to create concepts and create universes. That’s what I admired about artists, their ability to invite me somewhere in their fictional world.

What kind of world do you think you’re inviting people into?
I’m inviting them to the sky. Since I was a kid, that’s been a constant in my life. I’ve always been hypnotized by the sky, by the light and how light works with the clouds. Now I am actually in awe every time I see a pink sky or see a nice pair of clouds. It sounds stupid, but you really could have a s— day and end it with a beautiful sunset. It could all change the way you feel.

Were there any sunsets you witnessed while making the album that influenced its sonic direction?
There was this time in Iceland, when I was writing “Murallas.” It was so weird, because the weather was so foggy and it felt like we were in a cloud all day, but mid-session, it cleared up out of nowhere. It eventually became a beautiful sunset that lasted four hours. “Murallas” is such a sad song, and I couldn’t keep writing about something so sad when it was so beautiful outside. So, we stopped working on it and went outside to enjoy.

You started this three-album journey years ago. Now, after finishing its last installment, how do you think making this music has changed you?
I’m a more excited person about everything. I’ve refound a child in me that I thought I’d lost in a way. I really thought he was gone, and I found him again. I feel much more at peace today. It’s so clear to me now that everything changes all the time. That is something this album taught me: I’m ready for anything.

The press has often labeled Mon Laferte a “femme fatale” — a seductive woman who inflicts distress upon her love interests.

Nearly two decades into her singing career, the Chilean singer-songwriter has learned to embrace the old-fashioned trope of the wizened seductress in “Femme Fatale,” her ninth studio album, which she released in October.

“I came to the conclusion that there’s a perception of me as a woman who is really liberated — that’s why it’s dangerous. [She’s] a person who is sure of herself and that generates a lot of insecurity in other people,” said Laferte in a Zoom call, just after she attended the 2025 Fashion Awards with designer Willy Chavarria in London. (“I went to Camden and took a photo next to [Amy Winehouse’s] statue,” she noted, citing inspiration in the late R&B star.)

Laferte reckons with her dangerous womanhood on “Femme Fatale:” a compilation of jazzy, cabaret pop ballads, elevated by the roaring theatrical vocals she made famous in such past hits as “Tu Falta de Querer” and “Mi Buen Amor.” Prior to releasing the album, Laferte notably starred as Sally Bowles in a Mexico City production of the famous American musical “Cabaret.” It was a crash course on theater — which heavily influenced Laferte’s now most penetrating record to date.

Each song in “Femme Fatale” feels like a descent into a speakeasy. It tells stories of loves past — which at times feel nauseating for the 42-year-old singer, born Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte in Viña del Mar, Chile.

Among them is “Otra Noche de Llorar,” in which she mourns an unrequited love; then there’s “El Gran Señor,” in which she scorns a cowardly abuser of women. The record climaxes with “1:30,” a briskly improvised tune, in which Laferte balances stories of abuse, self-pleasuring and fake orgasms with historical themes — like the global industrial revolution, as well as Pinochet’s Caravan of Death in 1973.

“The song is really political and everything is my own story,” said Laferte, who admits that even she finds her song difficult to listen to. “The last part is the hardest — where I talk about a conquest — to the point where I can’t listen to that song. It’s really uncomfortable. It’s hard to talk about something so shamelessly.”

“Femme Fatale” is a deeply personal journey that leads to Laferte making peace with her past. The record concludes with the lively orchestral number “Vida Normal,” in which she grapples with the revelation that she’s turning into her mother — especially after giving birth to her first child in 2022 with husband Joel Orta, guitarist for Mexican band Celofán.

“It was a really honest way of saying that, after everything, I just want a normal life,” said the five-time Latin Grammy winner.

But before the Chilean femme fatale can settle into a vida normal, she will first embark on the 2026 Femme Fatale tour, which includes dates in Latin America and later the United States. Laferte’s first stop will be in her hometown of Viña del Mar for the International Song Festival. “It’s like returning home,” she said.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mon Laferte is a five-time Latin Grammy winner.

(Mayra Ortiz)

You were just in London for the Fashion Awards with Willy Chavarria, who was nominated for designer of the year. How was that experience?
I came as a guest of Willy’s. We had dinner and saw a lot of super fashionable people, many artists with their super cool looks. Fashion has always been interesting to me ever since I was a little girl, outside of singing, dancing and playing the guitar. I liked to draw women and their outfits, dresses, things like that… Perhaps that’s where my dreams began to be a designer. Aesthetically in my last album, “Autopoiética,” it was all baroque — I was a bit like Marie Antoinette, I wore large dresses in my shows. This time in “Femme Fatale,” [the style is] bohemian, with sequins and makeup running.

“Femme Fatale” is intense and sexy. Why did you decide to go with that phrase for the album title?
 ”Femme fatale has a bit of a negative weight to it. You think of a scornful woman that always brings misfortune and does evil things. And it’s a name that the press has given me: La Femme Fatale Chilena.

And I liked it. I like this title because I like to play with the concepts of a dangerous woman. I like that it’s dramatic, because I like music that is theatrical and dark. It doesn’t mean that I am that woman who is secure and free — I have been in various moments in my life, not all the time. But I like that people label me in that way.

How would you describe the musical style?
I wanted to take [the album] into the world of jazz so that it could sound nocturnal, so it could sound melancholic. In the last couple of years I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz, so why not make an album that I like to listen to? When I was a little girl, I listened to jazz in my home because of my mom, but I felt like it was boring. Later when I was in my teens I was like: “This is elevator music.”

But as I kept growing, I got rid of that prejudice. When I began to listen to jazz without any judgment, I began to find poetry and a lot of madness as well. I think it’s the improvisation aspect; you have to be very daring to enter the void, because your improv is coming and it’s to the death. That’s something that I’m passionate about. I think it’s demented and poetic at the same time.

This fall you were in a production of the musical “Cabaret” in Mexico City. How was that experience and did it inspire your music for “Femme Fatale”?
Yes! I feel like they complemented each other. I feel that my role as Sally Bowles in the theater fed that universe of “Femme Fatale.” There’s a song in the album, “Vida Normal,” that is a song that could go in a musical and that was the intention. My experience with theater was wonderful and I had a lot of fun and learned a lot in the intensive process.

I wanted to talk about the song, “Vida Normal.” You hint at becoming more like your mother and living a normal life, which feels a bit at odds with the “Femme Fatale” theme. Was that intentional?
Totally. Because the first song, “Femme Fatale,” describes me up to the present: I always bring chaos, I always destroy what I love, I’m an expert in self-sabotage. But I have been letting those things go with time, thankfully. With the songs in “Femme Fatale” I went deeper into my past, in order to kill that persona.

[“Vida Normal”] is really honest and represents me in the present. I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize myself when I’m barefaced or before getting in the shower — my body changed, especially after motherhood. It’s true that I see my mother’s face and it’s hard to recognize that. I’m getting old. I’m at that age where I don’t recognize myself as either young, or old, in my 40s. It appeared beautiful to close that album that way. It was a really honest way of saying that after everything, I just want a normal life.

One song that caught my attention was the jazz song “1:30.” You talk about fantasies that women don’t often talk about. What was the thought process behind this song?
I think those have been the hardest lyrics I’ve ever written. I touch on a lot of microtopics — masturbation, fake orgasms — I think many of us have gone through that. I talk about abuse, sexual abuse, the Caravan of Death that occurred during the dictatorship of Pinochet in Chile. The song is really political and everything is my own story. The last part is the hardest, where I talk about a conquest, to the point where I can’t listen to that song. It’s really uncomfortable. It’s hard to talk about something so shamelessly.

I talked with my musicians and told them that I wanted this to be fast, almost desperate, almost like the bass being the protagonist so that it gives you a sense of urgency, like [we’re] fleeing in a way. We played together like 8 times and I liked that take.

The album also features Natalia Lafourcade and Silvana Estrada on “My One and Only Love.” What was it like to work with these different voices that are often compared to each other?
As all three of us sang, I realized that we are so different, each our own universe. I guess we relate to being singer-songwriters but we are distinct universes. I think that [comparison] has to do with us being women; there’s so many male-led bands that one can say are similar too.

We’re all good friends. I’ve known Natalia for many years now and we love each other and they’re all talented women. All three voices sound very beautiful together and I love harmonizing. It was precious to sing together in a song that I find to be the most beautiful in the album. It’s sweet and honest. It talks about the difficulties between partners — and it describes me and my husband. At the end of the day we love each other and continue to be present.

Raul Malo, who as frontman of the Mavericks brought a Latin rhythmic flair and a sweeping sense of romance to country music, died on Monday. He was 60.

His death was announced by the band in an Instagram post that didn’t specify the cause or say where Malo died. Last year, the singer told fans that he had been diagnosed with cancer; in September, Malo wrote on Facebook that he had developed leptomeningeal disease — a condition in which cancer metastasizes to the membranes around the brain and spinal cord — and was calling off the group’s upcoming concerts.

This past weekend, bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden performed with a cast of friends and admirers at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to mark the Mavericks’ 35th anniversary. Among the acts who paid tribute were Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Patty Griffin and Marty Stuart.

Their sound built around Malo’s muscular baritone, the Mavericks broke out in the 1990s with an expansive style of country music that pulled from big-band pop, ’50s-era rock and the Cuban music Malo heard growing up in Miami as the son of Cuban immigrants. As a singer, Malo was frequently compared to Roy Orbison; in 2001, he told The Times about his love for Tony Bennett.

The Mavericks released their self-titled debut album in 1990 and were quickly signed by MCA Nashville, which put out “From Hell to Paradise” in 1992. (The album’s title track was Malo’s description of his parents’ journey to America.) The band’s next LP, 1994’s “What a Crying Shame,” went platinum and spun off a series of hit country singles including the title track, “O What a Thrill” and “There Goes My Heart.” The next year the band recorded a cover of Rodgers & Hart’s “Blue Moon” for the soundtrack of Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning movie “Apollo 13.”

In 1996, the Mavericks won a Grammy Award for “Here Comes the Rain,” a chiming roots-rock number from their album “Music for All Occasions,” which featured appearances by Trisha Yearwood and the accordionist Flaco Jiménez. The Mavericks were twice named vocal group of the year at the Country Music Assn. Awards, in 1995 and 1996.

For 1998’s “Trampoline,” the band leaned into torch-song balladry and classic R&B but struggled to connect on country radio. The album “threw a lot of people for a loop,” Malo told The Times. “That’s OK. I liked it.” He followed the album with a solo debut, 2001’s “Today,” that further explored his Cuban heritage.

Malo was born in Miami in 1965. He co-founded the Mavericks in 1989 with Robert Reynolds, who had fronted an earlier band in which Malo played bass.

The group broke up after 2003’s “The Mavericks,” then reunited a decade later. The band’s most recent studio album, “Moon & Stars,” came out last year.

In addition to the Mavericks and his solo work, Malo also played with Los Super Seven, a sprawling roots-music supergroup whose other members included Jiménez, Freddy Fender and members of Los Lobos.

Among Malo’s survivors are his mother, Norma; his wife, Betty, and their sons, Dino, Victor and Max; and his sister Carol.

Just a few storefronts away from the now-vacant Button Mash, Sick City Records is on the brink of sharing the same fate.

For nearly 20 years, therecord shop has offered Echo Park a rocker-themed hodgepodge of rare vinyl, vintage band tees and dapper haircuts from its singular barber shop chair. But as rent continues to increase and fewer people stop by to browse its sonic selection or get a trim, Sick City Records is struggling to keep its doors open.

“We’ve worked so hard for this. We’ve been doing this for 20 years. We have to fight to keep this place open — it’s what we love to do,” said Jesse Lopez, the record store’s co-owner and resident barber.

Lopez and his business partner, Brian Flores, attribute their financial difficulties to an overall rough year. In January, when the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out, the shop was desolate for around a month. Then, right as summer kicked off — usually a lucrative season for record-collecting tourists stopping by — ICE raids began happening all over the city.

According to Flores, the streets were filled with large fleets of cars all summer, with loud sirens on, trying to scare people. Recent data from the L.A. Economic Equity Accelerator and Fellowship and the L.A. County Economic Development Corp show that 43% of Latino business owners in the county reported revenue losses of 50% or higher since June.

Co-owner Jesse Lopez, left, cuts the hair of Los Angeles resident Jason Berk, 33, inside of Sick City Records.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“No one was walking around. It was June. Nobody’s walking their dog,” said Flores. “In this whole shopping center, everybody is an immigrant.”

The record shop’s finances reached an all-time low in October. The duo was two months behind rent; their inventory had gone stagnant and their once regular barber shop clients had become sporadic. The prospect of closing up shop and cutting their losses became more real than ever.

In a last effort to save their music hub, Flores and Lopez have since picked up a vendor spot at the monthly Rose Bowl Flea Market, started a series of collaborative fundraisers with local artists and launched a GoFundMe account.

Since they first opened in 2006, Flores and Lopez have always specialized in rock, punk and alternative — carrying bands like the Velvet Underground, the Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Suede. The inside of their space reflects that — the walls are filled with wheatpasted skulls; rows of Iron Maiden and Suicidal Tendencies tees line the perimeter and their most valuable merchandise — like a sealed Iggy Pop vinyl, a clear variant of Portishead’s “Dummy,” and a signed Echo & the Bunnymen record — hang high on elevated shelves.

“A lot of stuff’s been sitting here for a long time,” Flores confessed as he looks around at the different half-filled genre crates.

“We try to make what we can. We make our own buttons. We do our own silk screening. We can’t buy high-end vintage. We can’t afford it right now,” he added. “It’s embarrassing when the kids are asking for new rap records and these record guys come in looking for something special, but we don’t have it.”

Band tees and vinyl records hang on a wall inside of Sick City Records.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

In recent years, Sick City has also made an effort to expand into other genres, and now carries anything from country to jazz and rap. Between albums like Tyler the Creator’s “Cherry Bomb” and the Cocteau Twins’ “Heaven or Las Vegas,” Flores says they will always dedicate several of their crates to local underground acts, featuring anything from their customers’ passion projects to bands who play the city’s bars and house shows.

Their local selection is usually most popular during the summertime and when people are in town for events like the relatively nearby Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

“Truthfully, this year we haven’t had that many tourists. People are usually looking for L.A. bands to take home to places like Australia and Canada and ask us for recommendations,” said Flores. “But this year, without tourists, it’s still slow.”

Their dedication to L.A.’s local sounds goes back to their roots as a business. In 1999, the duo first sold vintage band tees at Melrose Trading Post. At the time, the market was mostly older vendors selling novelty items. Flores and Lopez decided to shake things up a bit by playing Metallica in the early-morning hours and began to build a younger clientele who were interested in their vintage clothing. Over time, they learned how to screen print and started selling their own designs.

After about five years of selling at the market, they decided to upscale into a more permanent business that would focus on music. In 2006, they opened a space in Silver Lake that functioned as a barbershop with a couple of record crates. Despite it being the early 2000s, the vendors were ahead of the up-and-coming vinyl revival, as millennials started to pay more attention to physical media.

As record-collecting grew in popularity and events like Record Store Day went mainstream, they saw a surge in sales. In 2008, they expanded the record portion of their business, opening their current location in Echo Park.

With this stint of success, the record shop started to function as a record label as well. In the early 2010s, the duo helped some customers and longtime friends who were in bands release, distribute and promote their albums. Flores and Lopez would help choose the album art, the order of the track list and help book shows.

Sick City Records owners Jessie Lopez, left, and Brian Flores at their Echo Park shop.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

One of the first bands they worked with was local rock group the High Curbs, who were teenagers at the time and thereforestruggled to get into the bars where they were booked to play. With the help of Sick City, they were able to release their 2016 album. The band, which still regularly tours and releases music, made its return to the record shop earlier this summer for the annual music festival Echo Park Rising.

“They told me, ‘We don’t do any small shows anymore, but for Echo Park Rising, we want to give back and play for you guys.’ We had a full house,” Flores said. “We felt the love back.”

At the height of the business, when they were funding their record label, Flores says they were making around $8,000 a month. Now they are making closer to $2,000 monthly, with customers spending an average of around $10 per visit. On a weekday afternoon in November, a handful of patrons came into the shop to sift through their vinyl selection, but only one customer made a purchase.

“We want to do more. We want to do more shows and promote more bands. We’ve done shows at Los Globos, the Silverlake Lounge, the Redwood [Bar and Grill]. But all this costs money,” Flores said. “So when we were able to put out those records, it was very expensive at the time, but we were able to do it.”

Flores and Lopez continued to operate out of both stores until 2020, when they decided to consolidate both businesses into the one that exists today.

Since the pandemic, Sick City Records’ rent has continually increased. In 2020, the duo paid $1,800 for the space. Today they pay $3,500. In the last several years, gentrification has taken hold of Echo Park, hiking up both residential and commercial rent. Flores says that in the nearly 20 years that they’ve been on Sunset Boulevard, he’s seen many small businesses collapse from these strains.

With a specialty in rock, punk and alternative, Sick City Records’ selection often spotlights local L.A. acts.

(Andres Melo / For The Times)

“There are a couple of small coffee shops, like Woodcat, that are still there. But Spacedust [a clothing shop] is gone. Cosmic Vinyl is gone,” said Flores. The latter establishment shuttered in 2018 but reopened earlier this year at a new location in Eagle Rock.

“There’s no parking. I don’t know why they keep raising the rent. But Echo Park has always been a hub where people want to be.”

Sick City Records has several fundraisers and flea market pop-ups planned before the end of the year. On Dec. 13, they will be hosting an art show at the shop called “Hold On to Your Friends,” which will feature live DJs, local artists and vendors. All proceeds will go to keeping Sick City in operation.

“Hopefully, people don’t forget about us. We’re just trying to keep the music alive, keep a good vibe and keep promoting the music community,” said Flores. “We just got to get back on our feet. We want to bring in product that we’re proud of.”