KATSEYE hit the bullseye on TikTok in 2025.
The short-form video platform today (Dec. 9) shares its year-in review, with KATSEYE crowned as TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year.
After debuting in 2024, the girl group “has become one of the biggest bands in the world,” says a rep for TikTok, during which time they captured over 30 billion views and 12 million creations using their music on the app.
All that viral activity has been converted into mainstream recognition, including two nominations for the Grammy Awards, including best new artist. Also, two KATSEYE singles impacted the Billboard Hot 100 this year, led by “Gabriela,” which peaked at No. 31.
Consisting of members Megan, Yoonchae, Sophia, Manon, Lara and Daniela, KATSEYE has already been saluted by the streaming giant, with the 2025 TikTok Award for breakthrough artist of the year.
KATSEYE tops a global podium that’s completed by Alan Arrieta and ENHYPEN, respectively, while the likes of Bad Bunny, Stray Kids, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga appear in the TikTok year-end top 10.
Also catching fire on TikTok this year was “Pretty Little Baby,” by the late U.S. singer Connie Francis. “Pretty Little Baby” is named as top global song of the year, and the top song in the United States, after the global TikTok community used the tune over 28.4 million as the soundtrack for videos featuring family, pets, and more.
As it did the rounds in the first half of the year, “Pretty Little Baby” averaged 600,000 daily creates on TikTok, including posts from the likes of Kim Kardashian and North West and Kylie Jenner.
Originally released in 1962, the song got extra juice with a remix by German electronic music duo Lizot, and the original version was made available for the first time in French (as “La Seul Qui T’aime”), German (“Alle Jungen Leute”), Italian (“Baby”), Japanese (“Kawaī Beibi”), Spanish (“Linda Muchachita”) and Swedish (“Sjunger På Svenska”), joining a previously-release version in the Japanese language.
Francis joined TikTok in June, and died the following month, July 17, at the age of 87.
Other TikTok title holders this year include Taylor Swift (global most-saved artist), sombr (global most-saved track for “back to friends”), Tate McRae (global most saved album for So Close To What), Doechii (music trend of the year) and EJAE (songwriter of the year).
Despite intense competition from YouTube and Meta, TikTok remains a powerful and influential force in music and entertainment. By 2024, a third of U.S. adults used TikTok, while almost six in 10 teens (57%) say they use the platform daily and 16% say they’re on it “almost constantly,” according to Pew Research. People use TikTok mostly for pop culture and entertainment but also viral music and dances, humor and comedy, personal stories, fashion advice, product recommendations, politics and, for 5% of U.S. adults, news.
TikTok Year in Music for 2025:
Top 20 Songs Globally
Pretty Little Baby – Connie Francis
Hold My Hand – Jess Glynne
Rock That Body – Black Eyed Peas
Azul – J Balvin
Dame Un Grrr – Fantomel x Kate Linn
APT. – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
Te Quería Ver – Alemán & Neton Vega
Stecu Stecu – Faris Adam
Anxiety – Doechii
Sailor Song – Gigi Perez
Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix) – MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillenbeng, Shenseea
ocean eyes – Billie Eilish
No One Noticed – The Marias
back to friends – sombr
Sparks – Coldplay
That’s So True – Gracie Abrams
Let Down – Radiohead
Suave – El Alfa
My Darling – Chella
We Hug Now – Sydney Rose
Top 10 Songs in US
Pretty Little Baby – Connie Francis
Hold My Hand – Jess Glynne
WHIM WHAMMIE – PLUTO & YKNIECE
Rock That Body – Black Eyed Peas
Doot Doot (6 7) – Skrilla
We Hug Now – Sydney Rose
No One Noticed – The Marias
Bunna Summa – BunnaB
Anxiety – Doechii
Love Me Not – Ravyn Lenae
Top 10 Artists Globally
KATSEYE
Alan Arrieta
ENHYPEN
Bad Bunny
Stray Kids
Taylor Swift
Lady Gaga
Fuerza Regida
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Global Most-Saved Artist (using the Add to Music App feature on TikTok)
Taylor Swift
Global Most-Saved Track (using the Add to Music App feature on TikTok)
back to friends – sombr
Global Most Saved Album (using the Add to Music App feature on TikTok)
So Close To What – Tate McRae
Music Trend of the Year
Anxiety – Doechii
Songwriter of the Year
EJAE
Next year’s Sziget 2026 Festival will feature a raft of major headliners, including Florence + the Machine, Lewis Capaldi, sombr and Twenty One Pilots. The Budapest-based event will take place at Óbuda Island between August 11-15.
In addition to those headliners, the festival will include sets from Ashnikko, BBNO$, Biffy Clyro, last weekend’s Saturday Night Live musical guest Dijon, as well as Dom Dolla, Indira Paganotto, Tash Sultana, the new collaboration between the Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands and Aurora, Tomora and electronic music legends Underworld, playing their first festival date in two decades.
Early bird tickets will be on sale for the next week, with the general on-sale kicking off on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. GMT; click here for ticketing information.
Other acts slated to take the stage next year at the festival include: ALT BLK ERA, Anna, Antony Szmeierek, Baby Lasagna, Bad Nerves, Biia, Brooke Combe, Cassia, Charlotte Cardin, De’Wayne, Elefant, Giant Rooks, Jazzy, Joris Voorn, Karen Dio, Kim Dracula, Lambrini Girls, Paris Paloma, Ski Aggu and more.
The festival, which debuted in 1993, will host more than 1,000 sets over 50 stages as well as the usual compliment of artsy attractions, including multiple venues hosting a circus, a theater a museum district and an inclusive vibe based on the founder’s goal of building a temporary “dream nation” celebrating cultures and freedom. In a note on the official site, organizers stress “we’re all equal,” writing, “At The Island of Freedom, equality has been at the heart of who we are since the very beginning. We celebrate freedom, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. Here, who you love, how you identify, or where you come from never defines your right to belong. We proudly stand with the LGBTQ+ community and everyone who believes true freedom can only exist when everyone is equal.”
This year’s event included sets from Charli XCX, Shawn Mendes, Justice, Nelly Furtado, Papa Roach and more.
Check out the 2026 Sziget lineup announcement below.
MusicInfra, the rights collection platform founded by an ex-Hipgnosis executive and backed by Raine Group and Peter Thiel’s Snö Ventures, announced on Tuesday (Dec. 9) that interactive gaming music company Reactional Music has joined its growing list of clients.
Founded by classical composer Jesper Nordin, Reactional Music makes an interactive music engine that allows video game developers to create personalized, interactive soundtracks in their games from a library that now includes 6 million songs licensed from music publishers and record labels, including Ninja Tune and Primary Wave partner Game My Play. Using the technology, Reactional users can create playlists of songs or sounds, swap out tracks and download their music all without leaving the game.
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Providing customizable, interactive soundtracks for the $200 billion global gaming industry presents a significant new revenue stream for music, if properly monetized. Recreational is partnering with MusicInfra’s rights management tools to ensure music used on its platform is accurately and speedily tracked and that rightsholders are compensated, representatives from both companies said in a statement.
“Reactional is opening up entirely new creative and commercial possibilities for music, but these can only be realized if the infrastructure works for everyone — platforms, rightsholders, and creators,” said Björn Lindvall, CEO and co-founder of MusicInfra. ”We’re building the essential plumbing that allows both new, and already existing, sectors of the music industry to flourish.”
Founded in 2023 by Lindvall, previously Hipgnosis Songs’ COO and a Morgan Stanley banker, MusicInfra is aiming to develop a global clearinghouse for music rights with technology that speeds up record-keeping between digital platforms and rightsholders to improve and increase royalty revenue collection.
Based in New York with staff in Europe and Latin America, MusicInfra is backed by MiddleGame Ventures, Raine, Peter Thiel’s venture fund Snö Ventures and UTA Ventures, and it counts Berlin-based music company BMG among its clients. In September, the company announced it hired longtime Spotify executive Jules Parker to be its chief business officer to work alongside ex-YouTube head of publishing partner engineering Greg Quillard and former Meta, Google and Gracenote executives.
Reactional Music CEO Matt Connors said in a statement that MusicInfra’s rights management platform will help Reactional bring popular music to “gaming’s billions of players — removing the friction, expense, and technical barriers that have kept two of the world’s largest entertainment industries apart for too long.”
She wasn’t afraid, or petrified. No, Gloria Gaynor actually had a “wonderful” meeting with Donald Trump ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, Dec. 7, when she was honored alongside Sylvester Stallone, KISS, George Strait, and Broadway legend Michael Crawford.
On the red carpet ahead of the show, Gaynor was full of praise for the controversial president, who had welcomed this year’s class to the White House the previous day.
“It was wonderful,” she told People. “It was, I mean, like the third or fourth time meeting him,” the veteran singer said. “I’d met him before, and he’s always very personable and very pleasant.”
Gaynor also admitted that Trump didn’t reveal exactly why she got the nod, making her the only woman celebrated during its 48th incarnation, “just that he, you know, believed that my song had done so much for so many people.”
As previously reported, Trump — who also now serves as chairman of the vaunted performing arts house — broke with tradition and became the first President to host the annual gala.
And through prerecorded videos, he introduced every honoree, ensuring a constant presence throughout the show, whether he was on stage or not.
The latest edition will be broadcast on CBS (select Paramount+ customers will also be able to stream the show) on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Gaynor, now 82, was thrilled with getting her dues. “I was in shock,” she told People on hearing the news that she was tapped by the Kennedy Center board, which was installed by Trump earlier this year. “I was literally in shock. Are you serious with me?”
She added, “I mean, really, it’s so wonderful to be counted among all these other great artists, and with all of their accomplishments. I’m blessed.”
After Gaynor was announced as an honoree for this year’s honors, many fans spoke up asking the artist — who is widely considered a gay icon thanks to her perennial anthem — not to accept the honor or attend the ceremony out of protest for Trump’s mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
Gaynor has repeatedly declined to define her political affiliations in the past. However, a report from MediasTouch revealed that, according to FEC records, Gaynor donated almost $22,000 to right-wing politicians starting in 2023, including candidates like Mike Johnson, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn.
Bill Hauritz, the impresario who launched the Woodford Folk Festival, one of Australia’s largest and longest-running camping fests, and a treasure in the live events calendar, has died at 71.
The festival began life as the Maleny Folk Festival in 1987, an end-of-year gathering on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. As word spread of its unique vibe, the festival outgrew its site and the party was relocated to the 500-acre cultural parkland, Woodfordia.
Today, the six-day fest rings in the new year with about 120,000 guests and 2,000 artists, and is said to be Australia’s biggest annual gathering of its kind. During the event, the fest becomes the 67th largest town in the country. Former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke was a regular Woodford VIP, and gave his final recorded interview at the 2018 edition.
Much like the Montreux Jazz Festival, the beloved Queensland folk festival’s bill isn’t confined to the genre attached to its name. Over time, the likes of Courtney Barnett, Hiatus Kaiyote, The Saints, Archie Roach, Tim Finn and Kate Miller-Heidke have played to its crowds, which typically range from infants in prams through to octogenarians.
With Hauritz at the helm, a years-long tree-planting exercise at the Woodfordia site, a so-called working bee, evolved into The Planting, a gathering that was part-outdoor camping festival, part-learning and skill-developing in the arts, environmental sciences and practical skill.
Hauritz’s “vision extended far beyond event-making,” reads a statement from the festival. “It was rooted in environmental stewardship, respect for Indigenous culture, intergenerational knowledge-sharing, and the protection and celebration of intangible cultural heritage, and a deep faith in humanity.”
That vision included the creation of Woodfordia’s 500-Year Plan, a blueprint that imagines a future shaped by care for country, community and creativity.
In 2023, UNESCO presented Woodfordia with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Award at the Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Hauritz was feted on many occasions during his lifetime. In 2005, he received the Order of Australia (AM), for “service to the community, particularly through the establishment of the Woodford Folk Festival and leadership roles in organisations that provide a forum for the promotion of cross-cultural and artistic awareness”. Separately, he was honoured as a Smithsonian Fellow, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to the cultural fabric of Australia and beyond, and, in 2011, Hauritz collected the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award.
Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke leads tributes for the visionary festival operator. “Bob Hawke once told me I would never meet a better Australian than Bill Hauritz. That wasn’t just his conclusion. It was the conclusion of anyone who has spent a moment with Bill.”
In the Woodford Folk Festival, he continued, Hauritz “didn’t simply create a home for entertainment. He created an example of how people could live with less conflict and more care. “Australian artists lose a lot with his passing. But the arts in Australia is forever enriched by his life.”
Hauritz retired in 2022 when the directorship was handed to co-founder and managing director Amanda Jackes.
“A living village where music, ceremony, story and shared experience passed hand to hand, heart to heart, in the rhythms of everyday life. He taught us how to build something beautiful that lasts, not just in memory, but in the land and in each other,” Jackes remarked.
“The greatest compliment Bill ever received, and the one he wore with a smile, was that he was a pathological optimist. He lived up to that each and every day. His presence is woven into everything we do.”
The impresario is survived by his wife Ingrid, sons Tom and Jack, daughter-in-law Mel, and grandchildren Elke and Stellan.
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Tyra Banks is back in the studio and whipping up something sweet for fans this Christmas, with the release of her new holiday single, “Santa SMiZE.”
Inspired by her “SMiZE & DREAM” ice cream brand, “Santa SMiZE” is a hip-hop and dance-inspired track that features the supermodel rapping, singing and chanting “get-on-up callouts” in an ode to holiday cheer and festive desserts. As the TV star tells Billboard, “‘Santa SMiZE’ is my love letter to family, culture, chaos, global treats, and the feeling of letting go, letting loose and not taking the holidays too seriously.”
Of course the song name is also inspired by the America’s Next Top Model host’s iconic phrase, smize, which she famously describes as “smiling with your eyes.” Banks has perfected her smize on hundreds of magazine covers, billboards and TV shoots over the years, and she says her new track let her “bring my entire smize wardrobe out.”
“There is no one perfect SMiZE because they are moods,” she says, noting “the playful SMiZE for the cheeky moments; the quirky SMiZE for the unexpected twists; the energetic SMiZE for the beat drops; the bonkers SMiZE when the track goes wild; the family party SMiZE that feels like everyone is invited; and of course, the full diva SMiZE, because Santa SMiZE is that girl.”
Still, Banks reveals a few go-to products that help her get her smize on, specifically a “hot, intense, ‘do not play with me but you can kiss me after’ smize.” Here’s what the model recommends.
1. Black Kohl Eyeliner
This one, from Laura Geller New York, is on sale at Amazon and features a formula with vitamin E and touch of caffeine to reduce puffiness and help lift the eyes.
2. Dark Chocolate Eyeshadow
Banks recommends using “dark chocolate eyeshadow to soften the edges.” This “Cocoa Shimmer” stick, from Julep, is a creamy eyeshadow with a hint of shimmer. The hydrating formula glides on easy and reviewers love the built-in smudger. This is Amazon’s bestselling eyeshadow online with more than 4,000 units purchased in the last few weeks alone. Choose from two dozen shades if this “chocolate” colorway isn’t for you.
3. Thickening Mascara
Banks recommends a “thickening mascara” to enhance your eyelashes, and this one, from Buxom, is a fan-favorite for its ability to define, lift and lengthen. The “ultra black” colorway further helps to create the look of thicker lashes, with Buxom touting 3x more volume from a clump-free applicator brush.
4. Blurring Powder
The final step to perfecting your smize, according to Banks: “a Patrick Starr powder to lock it all in so you do not melt under the club lights.”
This translucent setting powder is from Starr’s beauty brand One/Size and works on a variety of skin tones (though other shades are also available online). The loose powder offers shine control and helps to blur fine lines and imperfections to create a more even, matte appearance.
“Santa SMiZE” helps to usher in a new phase for Banks’ ice cream brand, which is currently only available in Australia. Though “SMiZE Cream” has gone viral for its “hot ice cream” (essentially a “sippable” soft serve), the media mogul hopes to expand the brand beyond food, with the character of “Santa SMiZE” leading the way.
“Music is a big part of our storytelling,” she says. “Hot Ice Cream went viral, with people all over the globe curious and eager to taste it. But not everyone can get to Australia or now New York to try it. The song becomes the doorway, so anyone, anywhere, can step into our world and connect with us through the music. It goes beyond Hot or Cool ice cream. It is a celebration that brings everyone into the fun.”
Listen to Banks’ new holiday song, “Santa SMiZE” below.
Odeal is the latest addition to the Sony Music Publishing roster.
Announced today, Dec. 8, the British-Nigerian singer and songwriter strikes a worldwide deal with the major music publisher, several weeks after the release of his album The Fall That Saved Me.
“Signing Odeal was more than a business move. It was the natural next step in a relationship built on passion, respect and a shared vision,” comments Sony Music Publishing senior director, creative A&R Shauni Caballero in a statement. “I’ve always admired his artistry and the incredible team behind him — Charles, Hanz, AB and the OVMBR family. They’re hardworking, inspiring and an absolute pleasure to collaborate with. I’m truly grateful to be part of their journey and their history.”
Odeal caught the buzz in 2024 with the viral hit “Soh-Soh,” which proved a launch pad into the awards circuit. This year alone, he has collected MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards for best newcomer and best R&B act; shortlisting for the BET Awards’ inaugural best new international act; Amazon Music’s 2025 breakthrough artist; Spotify’s 2025 artist to watch; entry to YouTube Music’s 2025 Foundry program, and a nod as Billboard’s 2025 African Rookie of the Year.
His shape-shifting sound earned him studio time with a string of artists within the last year, including Kaytranada, Jermaine Dupri, Kehlani and DJ Maphorisa. Justin Bieber is a fan, and has shared Odeal’s music on his Instagram Stories and posts.
“My vision has always been to make music that touches people around the world,” comments Odeal (real name: Hillary Dennis Udanoh) on the Sony Music Publishing deal, “so choosing partners who truly believe in that vision is important to me. I’m excited to be working with Shauni and a team I trust and who genuinely believe in what I’m building.”
Born in Germany (where his mother lived) and raised in Spain (where his father lived and his parents met), Odeal settled down in the U.K. at age 17. His career took off with the self-produced single “Be Easy,” and went to the next level with the release of his 2022 EP Lustropolis, which has accumulated over 80 million worldwide streams.
The Fall That Saved Me cut “Miami” crashed Spotify’s Global Viral chart, and has captured more than 23 million global streams.
Outside of DJ’ing Paris Fashion Week parties, Odeal has graced festival stages around the world, including Afro Nation Portugal, the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival, and Wireless Festival.
After an AI-generated song with a Blanco Brown-sounding vocal went viral, the country singer decided to release his own version of ‘Walk My Walk.’ He discusses why he chose to release his version of the song, who he believes is behind the artist and the creation of the AI-generated song, where he draws the ethical line when it comes to AI, and more!
Melinda Newman:
How are you, sir?
Blanco Brown:
I’m coming along. How about yourself?
I’m very, very good. I want to jump in with, what did you think the first time you heard “Walk My Walk”? Did you feel it sounded like your style?
When I first heard it, I said, “Man, this right here has a lot of grit, and it reminds me of my tone, but he doesn’t sound like me.” I can just tell that I inspired him, but it’s like putting the two pieces together, knowing that somebody I mentored actually created him. Then it all started making sense, because people will actually hit me in my inbox and say, “Hey, man, there’s this song that’s going up the charts, and it seems like it could be No. 1 soon. It has a little reminiscing feel of like, how you approach songs” and, you know, that’s how it all started.
Did you think it was a good song?
It was decent. It’s certain things in it that I would have changed, and I felt like it didn’t have a real human hand in it, like no real instrumentation. It was one big old loop, just one, you know, one thing, like somebody just — it didn’t grow or anything.
Hey, you kind of said earlier that it was created by someone that you had worked with. We don’t know that for sure. Do you know that for sure? It seems like there’s a path from “Walk My Walk” to Abraham Abushmais, who you worked with on your first album in 2019, but we’re not 100% sure on the connect the dots. Are you? Have you heard from people that it’s 100% his creation?
I mean, I’ve heard that he actually has a hand in the app that created the AI artist, and he told me that he was working on something that was in the tech field. So, I mean, two and two allegedly, maybe, maybe not, but, uh, definitely. I’ve heard so many people say he was a part of, like…
Have you reached out to him?
Yep, but I can’t get in touch with him. His number didn’t change, but we haven’t talked in like, maybe three years.
Keep watching for more!
Romeo Santos and Prince Royce make a splash across Billboard charts with their collaborative album, Better Late Than Never, as set opens at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Top Tropical Albums and Top Latin Albums charts (dated Dec. 13).
Better Late Than Never was announced as a surprise launch on social media just days prior to its Nov. 28 release via I Love Amiguita/Sony Music Latin. It debuts at No. 1 on Top Tropical Albums with 23,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the tracking week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.
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Of the 13-track set’s opening total, streaming accounts for 17,000 units, equal to 24.1 million official on-demand audio and video streams of the album’s songs. This secures a debut at No. 41 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, marking the first appearance for both Santos and Royce. Meanwhile, 7,000 units stem from album sales, enough for a No. 38 debut on Top Album Sales.
Better Late Than Never marks the seventh No. 1 for both artists, tying them with Juan Luis Guerra for the fifth-most chart-topping albums among all acts on Top Tropical Albums. They trail Gilberto Santa Rosa and Victor Manuelle who both lead with 12 No. 1s, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico with 10 hits, and Marc Anthony with nine.
Santos’ previous effort, Formula. Vol. 3, dominated for 16 weeks between 2022-23. As for Royce, the new release arrives just six months after his album Eterno secured a No. 3 high in May.
In addition to its No. 1 arrival on Top Tropical Albums, Better Late Than Never also starts at No. 2 on the overall Top Latin Abums chart and at No. 32 on the all-genre Billboard 200, their seventh career entry each on the latter.
A Weekly Record on Hot Latin Songs: Better Late Than Never ushers in nine total appearances for the album’s tracks on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, a weekly debut record for both artists among tropical acts. Additionally, Royce lands another entry with “I Want It That Way” at No. 30. Among the new debuts, “Dardos” leads with a No. 8 start with 3.3 million official on-demand streams earned during the tracking period. This new top 10 becomes Royce’s highest entry since his collaboration on “Sensualidad,” with DJ Luian & Mambo Kingz, Bad Bunny and J Balvin (2017). Santos achieves his 23rd top 10, tying with Gloria Estefan for the third-most among tropical acts, trailing only Marc Anthony’s 27 top 10s.
Here is the full rundown of Better Late Than Never songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart:
No. 8, “Dardos”
No. 12, “Lokita Por Mí”
No. 13, “Estocolmo”
No. 14, “Better Late Than Never”
No. 28, “Jezabel”
No. 29, “Ay! San Miguel”
No. 36, “Celeste”
No. 40, “La Última Bachata”
No. 41, “Encerrados”
All charts (dated Dec. 13, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Dec. 9. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Plus, for all chart rules and explanations, click here.
