Starting this year, I’m sharing what I’m listening to every quarter. The cutoff for Q3 was September 15. See all lists here.

What a summer! I made it to my first Outside Lands, three days in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in August, and my five favorite sets came from five completely different rungs of the bill. Ellie Goulding released I Know Too Much, and Dominic Fike announced How to Quit Smoking with “Wallflower.” Steve Lacy revealed plans for the Oh yeah? Tour, Baba Obscura in Seattle announced its first festival, and Liam and Noel Gallagher arrived together in Venice for the premiere of Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.

Madonna opened July with Confessions II, and the big albums kept coming: Charli xcx released Music, Fashion, Film, and Ariana Grande’s Petal arrived on July 31. KATSEYE’s WILD debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the biggest debut for a girl group since 2008, a week after Stray Kids topped the chart with THIS & THAT. In Chicago, Lollapalooza brought Lorde, Jennie, Olivia Dean, and Tate McRae to Grant Park, with Naperville’s own John Summit among the headliners.

Here are the 25 songs that soundtracked my Q3.

1. ADÉLA – “Nicole Kidman”

ADÉLA‘s star has risen fast since she landed the opening slot on Demi Lovato’s It’s Not That Deep Tour this spring, supercharged by inescapable pop hits like “KGB” and “Nicole Kidman,” a song about locking in and feeling your absolute best, the way Nicole would. Her debut album, PRIMA, debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200, and it’s clear she’s just getting started. The actual Nicole Kidman even used ADÉLA’s “Ain’t In LA” for her TikTok debut. Stream here.

2. Coco & Clair Clair – “One One”

I love this downtempo track from Coco & Clair Clair, the follow-up to “Coldplay” and their first new music in two years. Produced by Yoni Wolf of WHY?, “One One” keeps it bare, with no autotune or vocal effects, and is about “the beautiful girl who got away and leveled up.” Stream here.

3. KAROL G, Judeline & rusowsky – “Bby Wow”

KAROL G shared “Bby Wow” with Judeline and rusowsky two days before her new album, NO ME ARREPIENTO DE SENTIR TANTO, and it’s such a bop. By late August, it had reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart. Stream here.

4. Remi Wolf – “Bottle”

I love Remi Wolf‘s new album, Mud, and “Bottle,” its preview, had every element you can expect from one of her tracks: epic songwriting and an on-point vocal performance. Remi does not miss. Stream here.

5. Sienna Spiro – “Great Expectation”

It was nearly impossible to pick a single track from Sienna Spiro‘s debut album, Visitor, released in July. I saw her at Outside Lands and she was stunningly good, and if you caught her on the VMAs stage in September, where she won Best New Artist, you saw a glimpse of that power. She has such a great voice, and I love that she’s bringing a retro sound to her generation. Stream here.

6. nsqk – “Hombre De Bien”

nsqk is a rapper, but “Hombre De Bien” leans alternative Latin pop, with heavy bass, tinges of traditional Mexican music, and nsqk singing for most of it. The cover is Picasso’s The Old Guitarist painting, and the music video follows that motif and shade of blue through surreal, symbolic shots. The video is a masterpiece, and the song is moody, replayable, and just so good. It’s a completely different sound from the reggaetón that’s gained popularity over the last ten years, made for Latin music fans who want to go beyond what’s on the radio. I really like this artist, and his new album, MOSCA, followed in October. Stream here.

7. Ayra Starr ft. ZAYN – “Heaven Baby”

Ayra Starr has been dropping bangers all year, and on “Heaven Baby” she brought in a real vocalist in ZAYN. The collab is so pristine: their voices meld perfectly, interweaving like honey through the verses. It’s from her new album, Starrgirl, out August 14. Stream here.

8. RØZ & Peso Pluma – “DAYTONA”

“DAYTONA” is a different vibe from Peso Pluma, and I’m really enjoying the collab alongside RØZ on this one, an electronic beat with a reggaetón lean. Stream here.

9. Swedish House Mafia x Lykke Li – “Happiness Is So Sad”

Swedish House Mafia first played “Happiness Is So Sad” at their Ushuaïa Ibiza residency in June, then released it at the end of July on DANSA. Written with Max Martin and Oscar Holter, it’s a song Lykke Li says makes you want to cry and dance at the same time, and she remembers the moment they found the riff: “we were all screaming with our hands in the air.” Stream here.

10. DIIV – “Kid”

“Kid” is the second single from DIIV‘s A.G. Cook-produced album ZIRP!, out October 30 via Fantasy Recordings. The video, directed by Jaxon Whittington, was filmed by singer Zachary Cole Smith’s son Roy and Roy’s friend Julian. Such a great track. Stream here.

11. Ellie Goulding – “4 Seasons”

“4 Seasons” is one of my favorites from Ellie Goulding‘s I Know Too Much, a folk-pop ballad built on simple drums and a guitar melody, with violin and a country twang in the bass when it drops in. Ellie’s hypnotic voice draws you right in. Read my review of the album here. Stream here.

12. Tinashe – “Melatonin”

This club-ready banger kept the summer hot leading up to Tinashe‘s eighth album, Popstar, which arrived September 25 and has launched her into a new stratosphere. Stream here.

13. Quavo – “HAAVIN”

I love this new energy from Quavo. “HAAVIN,” produced by Pharrell, was the first preview of QRÖMELIFE, the album Pharrell executive produced, and it’s a great summer vibe lifted by the crisp Williams always pumps into a song. Stream here.

14. Ozuna & Omar Courtz – “ZIZI”

Ozuna and Omar Courtz are absolute performers, and “ZIZI” is such a great track and collab from the two of them. I’ve had this one on repeat, and you might too once you listen. Stream here.

15. Sophia Anne Caruso – “like i like u”

Sophia Anne Caruso, who originated Lydia Deetz in Broadway’s Beetlejuice, built “like i like u” on a bubbly hyperpop pulse, turning a simple crush question into something urgent and danceable. It arrived ahead of her debut album, ON ECSTATIC, out September 18. Read more here. Stream here.

16. Sam Smith – “Thief”

“Thief” is a moody track, with a bass-guitar- and drum-driven melody under Sam Smith‘s stirring, hushed vocal. I love the production, especially the thundering electric guitar that menaces in waves throughout the track. It’s from Smith’s new album, Hazel Eyes, out August 21, and worth a full listen. Stream here.

17. Cherry Bomb – “Myriad Reflector”

Cherry Bomb is the solo project of Mandy Lee, lead singer of MisterWives, and it’s nice hearing her do her own thing, something different from the band’s popular music. “Myriad Reflector” is pop with elements of glitchy hyperpop, over the top, fun, and carefree, and the video is very 2000s. Stream here.

18. Katy Perry – “Watch It Burn”

One of the best-selling artists of all time and a popstar with nothing left to prove, Katy Perry dropped one of her best pop-rock tracks in years with “Watch It Burn” at the end of June. Stream here.

19. Chase & Status, Skrillex – “Essa Tá Quente”

Chase & Status and Skrillex surprise-released “Essa Tá Quente” in September, after Skrillex brought them out during his Boomtown set. It’s a sick track, and it’s cool to hear them take on Portuguese vocals and lyrics. Stream here.

20. Empress Of – “HandsOn”

Lorely Rodriguez is a great producer, and it shows on “HandsOn,” the final single before Empress Of‘s album Dream House. It’s built on dance rhythms and her wit, from an album she wrote after the Altadena fires destroyed her family home. Dream House is out now via Giant Music. Read more here. Stream here.

21. Rebecca Black – “Michael.”

I love this pop ballad from Rebecca Black, the third single from her album Age of the Exhibitionist, out September 4. Stream here.

22. Girl Ultra, Buscabulla & Chromeo – “Mentirasmentiras”

Girl Ultra and Buscabulla team up for the first time on “Mentirasmentiras,” with Chromeo joining in, from Girl Ultra’s album RRRomeo on Big Dada. Puerto Rican duo Buscabulla has become a staple in my playlists; their production is so unique, and Raquel Berrios has the dreamiest vocals. Get lost in the music video below. Stream here.

23. NOVUL, NASHUP – “Grilled Cheese”

“Grilled Cheese” brings together NASHUP, the DJ, producer, and songwriter from Hot Chelle Rae, with rising artist NOVUL, a pop singer who grew up in a Saskatchewan town of fewer than 500 people before moving to Los Angeles. NASHUP’s production helps her shine and brings out her talent in a new way, and the song is a complete vibe. Stream here.

24. Turnstile, Faye Webster – “I CARE”

I love the softer approach to Turnstile‘s hardcore and new wave sound on “I CARE.” One of the leading tracks from 2025’s NEVER ENOUGH, and one that hit hardest in their Outside Lands set, it gets reinterpreted on NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS as a soft, guitar-plucked track guided by Faye Webster‘s stunning voice. Stream here.

25. Dominic Fike – “Wallflower”

“Wallflower” is a fun indie-pop song from Dominic Fike, led by muffled guitars and a hopeful 90s pop-rock cadence, and I could see it becoming popular. It’s the lead single from his third album, How to Quit Smoking. Read more here. Stream here.

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