Best Songs of 2025

In 2025, South Africa enjoyed the continuing growth of some homegrown sounds. 3-step completed its journey from electronic music’s underground into the upper reaches of the charts thanks to multiple hits from JAZZWRLD & Thukuthela, and the mainstream’s embrace of the genre was underscored by established stars such as Dlala Thukzin and Kabza De Small shaping tracks to its soulful grooves and distinct rhythms. Afro-house, meanwhile, went well and truly global, lighting up dance floors across the world, while amapiano enjoyed another landmark moment when ’piano godfathers DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small drew a crowd of around 50,000 to Loftus Versfeld Stadium in August for their Scorpion Kings Live show. It was another thrilling year for South Africa’s female artists too. Tyla capped a productive 2025 that saw her drop the WWP EP, jump on feature spots for Cardi B and Lojay, team up with Travis Scott and Vybz Kartel on the JACKBOYS 2 album and star on WizTheMc’s viral hit “Show Me Love”, by dropping “CHANEL” in October. Meanwhile, newcomer Nontokozo Mkhize became a household name overnight with her contemporary gospel crossover hit “Lindiwe”. These are the best songs of the year across all genres—in South Africa and around the world—as chosen by our editors.