Month: December 2025

Sabrina Carpenter superfans are already aware of “Such A Funny Way.” This summer, she released the song as a vinyl-only bonus track on Man’s Best Friend. In September, she briefly made the track available for digital download, writing at the time, “‘Such a Funny Way’ is a song i am so proud of. the sentiment is one i always thought could really be the end of Man’s Best Friend in another universe!”

Now, she has decided to re-purpose the song as a holiday gift for her fans: On Christmas Eve (December 24), she finally made the song available on streaming for the first time.

Announcing the release on Instagram, Carpenter wrote:

“to thank you for such a beautiful year …and to supply whoever needs a cathartic christmas crashout song… Man’s best friend bonus track edition with one of my favorites ‘Such a Funny Way’ is now officially available on streaming

i love you guys so much.
Thank you for caring for these songs the way i do and for such a special 2025!! I feel lucky to know there’s still so much good to come x.”

This comes shortly after her appearances on Late Night, first for an interview and later for a “day drinking” segment.

Listen to “Such A Funny Way” above.

Presents, food, friends, and family are what this next stretch of the calendar is all about. But for those hours in-between having to go out and turn on, the best films from 2025 are here for you, most of them available to stream, but a few calling you to the theater for buttery popcorn and the less damaging kind of holiday season drama.

While you may have seen a lot of these films throughout the year, we tip our cap if you’ve seen everything here. If you haven’t, though, consider this one last holiday season to-do list. Encapsulating an on-screen year of spirals, soul salvation, superheroes, and the supernatural, 2025 packs a punch with astonishing performances, visual spectacle, seering stories, and unsparing looks at our world in the past and present which are guaranteed to spur some conversations on the group chat and at the dinner table.

Give it a read and go out in search of entertainment and jaw dropping film.

28 Years Later

28 Years Later isn’t just another sequel in a long-running zombie franchise, it’s a meditation on survival, memory, and the damning effects of isolation. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland team up once again for this buzzed-about installment, but this time the apocalypse feels almost domestic, like something we’ve settled into after the initial shock of infection and societal collapse has worn off. The story’s set-up is pretty straightforward: a remote English island, a community clinging to tradition while keeping watch over a mainland gone feral. Alfie Williams’ Spike is a kid trying to grow up too fast, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is his problematic dad, and Jodie Comer plays his mom, a woman suffering from what’s hinted to be a brain tumor. Their quest for a cure – not to the bigger rage virus epidemic but to something more insidious and uncomfortably relatable – leads Spike and his mom to Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson, a hermit who offers up some of the movie’s most poignant messaging on mortality, grief, and the interconnectedness of it all. For a zombie flick, it’s surprisingly and painfully human, which is why it snags a spot on this list. — Jessica Toomer

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire And Ash has a lot going for it. I don’t want to get into spoiler territory listing off all the cool Tulkun shit and the other surprises, but if you take the universe James Cameron created even remotely seriously, there is a lot of payoff in the latest installment. And while some of the criticisms of this film hold water – most notably some repeated story beats from the second film that make it clear that they were originally supposed to be a single movie – there’s just no better action epics happening right now at this scale. Cameron continues to build out a deeply fascinating world and raising the stakes that when the final hour hits, it becomes the most effective blockbuster extravaganza of the year. — Philip Cosores

Blue Moon

The 9th collaboration between Ethan Hawke and filmmaker Richard Linklater is the most unique from the rest. In the film, Hawke is running on pure nervous energy as the balding, 5-foot-tall Lorenz Hart, the ultimately tragic first creative partner of legendary composer Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). Hart is in love with a great many things: the sound of his own voice, the musicality of a sentence with perfectly chosen words, his young mentee Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), a good drink, and the act of keeping up appearances amongst friends and colleagues while skulking around Sardis after the premiere of Rodgers (and Hammerstein)’s Oklahoma. But underneath all that buzz and those fake smiles is an acid tongue and a man seemingly rooting for his longtime partner’s failure and return to their less commercial work together. Hawke really sums up the import of the film’s central story perfectly in a Daily Show interview, explaining the art vs. commerce battle for the soul of American theatrical audiences at a time of war when people were turning away from Hart’s beloved satire toward more sanitized and uplifting reflections – “nostalgia for a world that never existed,” as he says. A fight ongoing, it seems. — Jason Tabrys

Bugonia

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are startlingly good in Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest bleak and black comedy, playing a visionary CEO absent a soul and a conspiracy theorist whose brain has been melted by grief. The showdowns between their two characters, largely occurring in the basement where Stone’s character is being held until she admits she’s an alien, portray an intense duel as the CEO repeatedly runs into a wall when trying to mindfuck her captors. Yorgos being Yorgos, things get absolutely insane in the third act with a sharp turn toward the absurd that feels deeply satisfying. — Jason Tabrys

Eddington

Your being manipulated. [sic]
Ari Aster’s latest hilarious bit of nightmare fuel is about as divisive as movies come, but you also rarely see a film’s reputation flip as quickly as Eddington, which went from poor Cannes buzz to high placement on lists such as these. It’s understandable why the film turned people off, as it interrogates how both the left and right lost their minds a bit in 2020, and how systems of power use our differences as a smokescreen for long-tailed policy. But it’s also important to note that the film isn’t “both-sidesing” the political climate. In Aster’s own words, one side in the film is annoying and hypocritical, the other is literally murderous. Eddington is knife-sharp in its observations, packed with subtle jabs that sting if you can’t laugh at yourself, and then some not-so-subtle upper cuts that bang the points home. But the film also feels crucial, as we need filmmakers to examine what was a period of national trauma where even those with the best of intentions lost their way. It might be hard to watch, but this will prove to be valuable, lasting art. — Philip Cosores

Frankenstein

The world didn’t so much need another Frankenstein re-telling so much as it needed masterful macabre storyteller Guillermo del Toro to take hold of Mary Shelley’s story and add his signature talent for world-building, specificity, and creature creation. The result is a beautiful and heartbreaking epic about creators, creations, and obsession, powered by Oscar Isaac’s driven and debonair Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi’s tortured creature. Though the story has its thin points (specifically at the end) and deviations from the known tale, the whole is a triumph of gothic storytelling. It’s also an imperative watch for fans of del Toro’s past works, the Frankenstein story, and anyone in search of a new take on a story still shockingly relevant about those who would try to harness the power of a God without regard for the possible bloody consequences. — Jason Tabrys

Friendship

Tim Robinson’s creative 2025 centered on the idea of obsession, crossing into awkwardness. That’s true for The Chair Company (which landed on our best TV list) and this two-hander co-starring Paul Rudd as a cool neighbor guy who tries to back away slowly from the Robinson character’s friendship once things get a little too intense. Perfectly cast, the film is a cringe comedy goldmine that leans into the spiral, but it’s all tethered to reality by the much-mentioned male loneliness epidemic and the weird transitional place people sometimes find themselves in in their 30s and 40s as old friendships wither and wane, and new friendships prove challenging to unlock. As weird and scary as Robinson’s character is, especially at the end, it’s hard not to see the tragedy of someone desperate for connection whose brain is scrambled from a series of Ls largely brought on by his own behavior. — Jason Tabrys

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Another spin-out story, this one centered on Rose Byrne’s therapist character as she tries to navigate a life collapsing all around her (sometimes literally). Desperately in need of a break, Byrne’s character does her best to keep it all together while being yelled at, condescended to, antagonized, and ignored by her largely unseen husband (Christian Slater), sick daughter, daughter’s doctor, her own therapist (Conan O’Brien), and her patients. Among others. Written and directed by Mary Bronstein, this festival favorite is a heightened portrait of a woman juggling too many chainsaws in a shitstorm, striving for control and balance while constantly being held down by chaos and people’s flagging empathy. Is the film high profile enough to net Byrne an Oscar nomination for how she plays the resulting bottled frustration as it builds and builds? She absolutely deserves one. — Jason Tabrys

Is This Thing On

Sorry Ella McCay, but it turns out that the best James L. Brooks movie of the year was actually made by Bradley Cooper. And, while the takes are coming, it must be said that Cooper is now 3/3 as a filmmaker with a growing oeuvre of varied, fascinating work. Is This Thing On? is the most minor of his three films, but that’s part of what makes it so interesting, as he’s working directly with Will Arnett to tell a small, personal story that lacks the sweeping scope of this previous films. The weakest stuff is the actual standup (which is maybe part of the point?) but when the movie gets going, Cooper finds the beating heart of the familial drama and the exuberant laughter that connects the dots. He also delivers maybe the single funniest performance of the year. He really can do it all. — Philip Cosores

It Was Just An Accident

If you were to judge just from the logline – former Iranian political prisoners face what may be their torturer and must decide what to do with him – It Was Just An Accident sounds like a tough hang. And when you add in the situation with director Jafar Panahi, who is due to serve a year in prison when he returns from his awards campaign after having previously been banned from filmmaking due to his criticism of the regime, the film’s weight and importance extends beyond the confines of the actual runtime. All that said, It Was Just An Accident is also very funny and thoroughly entertaining, all while giving the very serious premise the attention it deserves. It’s a massive accomplishment that even becomes more impressive when considering the defiance that its creation represents. — Philip Cosores

KPop Demon Hunters

No one, not even the most devout Blackpink groupie (raises hand) saw the success of KPop Demon Hunters coming. A girl band with world-saving duties? Demon boy-band rivals? Mind-blowing 2D/3D hybrid animation synced to a nonstop playlist of bangers? (Okay fine, when you list it out like that, maybe we should’ve.) Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the movie follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, the latest incarnation of a K-Pop girl band tasked with keeping a demon apocalypse at bay. They’re funny, they’re fierce, they’re relatable as hell despite their supernatural duties – they just want oversized hoodies, piping hot ramyun, and couch, thank you very much. Meanwhile, their enemies are equal parts absurd and terrifying, and the film’s kinetic action fused with its relentless soundtrack raises the stakes of every performance-turned-beat-down. If this isn’t already your new obsession, consider yourself warned. — Jessica Toomer

Lurker

Lurker isn’t an entirely new tale – personal obsession leads someone down a dark pathway – but the world that the film operates in does feel particularly unexplored. In fact, updating tropes for the Instagram generation results in something quite telling about how fans and artists interact in the contemporary world, where constant metrics form an internal value and vision of self-worth that’s hard to shake. Lurker is vivid, confident storytelling from debut filmmaker Alex Russell that captures an intoxicating and frightening reality, with music from Kenny Beats, Dijon, and Rex Orange County to give the film its cool-kid authenticity. — Philip Cosores

Marty Supreme

When the Safdie Brothers unceremoniously ended their partnership after the success of Uncut Gems, there as strong feeling that Benny was the one with the real juice, as he quickly began working with artists like Christopher Nolan, Nathan Fielder, and Paul Thomas Anderson, growing his network as his ambition took him to more varied visions. But now that we’ve finally heard from Josh, it became instantly clear where the manic urgency of the brothers’ movies came from. Marty Supreme is a Safdie joint with the dial turned to 100, its scope bigger than ever before. With Timothée Chalamet on his generational shit, inspired casting decisions ranging from Tyler, The Creator to Abel Ferrara to the dude from Shark Tank, and an out-of-this-world score from 0PN mastermind Daniel Lopatin, Marty Supreme feels like the culmination of a style that can’t be confined to the gritty New York streets. It can globe-trot, as well. — Philip Cosores

No Other Choice

Every Park Chan-Wook film is an event and No Other Choice is no different. He’s been oscillating between Korean- and English-language productions in recent years, and this tale of a Korean paper employee who chooses unconventional methods in response to losing his job captures the moment of AI fears and economic uncertainty. But most of all, he’s just back to being his hilarious, dark, freaky self in the film, which includes terrific needle drops and some of the most unexpected dissolves conceivable. It remains to be seen if Director Park finally nets some serious awards recognition for his efforts, but the film is monstrously entertaining and expertly crafted regardless. — Philip Cosores

One Battle After Another

For those of us who started buying Paul Thomas Anderson stock in the ‘90s, we’re cashing out like gangbusters in 2025. One Battle After Another was a huge risk both on paper and in practice for Warner Brothers, giving an auteur like Anderson more than 100mm dollars to make a three-hour politically-charged epic. No one knew whether it would be a commercial or awards play, but it turns out, it was a play on all fronts. And maybe more important than the film’s rolling, twisty road to profitability or the amount of Oscars it wins (likely many) is the fact that WB funded a massive, lasting piece of art that will be discussed far longer than the platforms we currently debate its merits on. This is obviously a more nuanced conversation than a blurb can hold, but this is what movies are at their best. They provoke discussions about art vs commerce, race, politics, generational performances, adaptation, and marketing. And in this case, they also make for great memes and a Fortnite tie-in. — Philip Cosores

The Perfect Neighbor

Forget every other horror entry on this list because this Netflix doc (and film fest breakout) is the most terrifying movie you’ll watch this year. The Perfect Neighbor turns a familiar suburban nightmare into a tense, unflinching meditation on privilege, bias, and the thin blue line between annoyance and tragedy. Director Geeta Gandbhir reconstructs the real-life deadly dispute between Florida resident Susan Lorincz and her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens almost entirely through police bodycam and surveillance footage, creating a documentary that feels immediate, intimate, and horrifyingly inevitable. There are no interviews and no dramatizations as we bear witness to the escalating chaos of a neighborhood conflict amplified by systemic inequities and the weaponization of “self-defense” laws. What Gandbhir captures is both the microcosm of neighborly tension and the larger, brutal reality of race and power in America: a single call to 911 can carry consequences that no one can anticipate or understand. It’s the only true-crime film we’ve seen this year that forces its audience to really dig into their own assumptions and prejudices while watching powerless as a preventable tragedy unfolds. — Jessica Toomer

Sentimental Value

To the surprise of many, 2025 offered up two separate films about aging artists coming to terms with the familial sacrifices made in the name of career, and even centered them around film festival tributes. But while Jay Kelly ultimately sticks the landing after an uneven journey, I’ll take Sentimental Value and its internalized view of generational depression any day of the week. My hottest take is I even think this film is stronger than Joaquim Trier’s previous banger, The Worst Person In The World, in just that it substitutes twee sensibilities with more earned and understated emotional stakes. Plus, you have the blondest kid you’ve ever seen dropping Avatar quotes to clueless parents, some incredible jokes about Netflix, and a masterclass in physical media gifting for children. — Philip Cosores

Sinners

The ground is shifting underneath the theatrical release model, but the idea that we’re devoid of traditional movie stars comes undone when you look at Michael B. Jordan’s successes. Building on his childhood apprenticeship on peak TV stand-outs like The Wire and Friday Night Lights, Jordan has blossomed into a force, forming an incredibly potent partnership with director Ryan Coogler. From the powerful Fruitvale Station to the resurrection of the Rocky franchise by way of the Creed films and his role as Marvel’s last truly interesting on-screen villain in Black Panther, the two have found a rare level of creative synergy. With Sinners, Jordan gets a new showcase piece from Coogler, playing both sides of the Smokestack twins, gangsters who return from Chicago to Mississippi and open a juke joint in the 1930s. Jordan is mesmerizing as the tonally different twins, forced to deal with an unholy raid with vampires inhabiting friends, family, and strangers in the blood-soaked horror drama that refuses to relent. The rare piece of stand-alone, fresh IP capable of bringing in big numbers, the focus now turns to whether the Academy can give the film (and Jordan’s performance) the flowers it deserves as one of the year’s best. — Jason Tabrys

Sorry, Baby

We first saw Sorry, Baby at Sundance earlier this year and it immediately stood out as the kind of debut you start mentally slotting into year-end lists before the credits even roll. First-time director Eva Victor mans the camera with striking restraint, telling a story about sexual violence that refuses to fall into the trap of sensationalism. She also stars as Agnes, the film’s protagonist, an academic stalled in the wake of a sexual assault by her mentor who is quietly moving through a life that feels oddly misaligned. Told in wryly funny chapters named after babies, sandwiches, and impossible questions, the film maps the long, grinding aftermath of trauma. By refusing to depict the assault itself, Victor shifts attention to the consequences of sexual violence that people rarely talk about: the unsympathetic doctors, the institutional indifference, and the way a single moment can hijack the years that follow it. It’s an unsparing but deeply compassionate film, sharp in its dark humor and sensitive to its own pain. — Jessica Toomer

Superman

Before comic book movies were as ubiquitous as assholes, opinions, and assholes with opinions, there was Richard Donner’s Superman. Released in 1978, the film trafficked in the kind of comparatively lo-fi magic that used to trigger a suspension of disbelief when it came to men flying in capes and cheesy dialogue with “aw shucks” heroing. The world has changed a lot since then, and so has the way comic book movies reflect it back to us. There is, perhaps, good and bad to the rise of hyperrealism in these films, letting our brains go on cruise control when it comes to processing unbelievable sights while throwing so much at us – in terms of digital slop, heavy storytelling, twisty franchise-serving narratives, and expanded universe homework. James Gunn’s Superman is guilty of some of those things, but while it plays its part in laying the initial bricks for the new DCU’s cinematic universe, it also stands out as a thrilling, sometimes joyous, visually interesting, and not terribly complicated story of a conflicted but committed hero going up against a power-mad evil tech-genius zealot. At its core, Gunn’s Superman may not make you believe that a man can fly, but it might make you want to believe, cutting through a cynicism that has undercut the genre well into its bloat phase. — Jason Tabrys

Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* is Marvel at its most self-aware, and that’s a very good thing. This is a comic book story that’s been freed of its own pretentiousness. It knows it’s cobbling together B-list heroes and minor villains, putting them in ridiculous spandex, and tasking them with somehow saving the world when what they really need to be doing is seeking therapy. And because it knows all of this, it ramps up the explosions, goes cerebral with its action sequences, and litters its dialogue with snarky one-liners meant to kill time in its A24-esque promos. But just because it’s having fun at its own expense doesn’t mean it’s shallow. Director Jake Schreier is much more interested in character than spectacle here. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova carries that emotional weight with dry humor and simmering frustration, while Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes flounders hilariously in the world of politics and paperwork. Wyatt Russell is a deadpan delight as John Walker, still processing what it means to be a “normal” human after years of super-soldier nonsense, and Lewis Pullman’s Bob turns apathy and instability into a ticking time bomb once his true nature emerges. What makes Thunderbolts* unexpectedly satisfying isn’t the choreographed action, it’s how much it clearly cares about the people inside the costume. — Jessica Toomer

Train Dreams

It’s been almost a year since Train Dreams premiered at Sundance and became the festival’s most discussed and acclaimed breakout. Clint Bentley’s spare, poetic, and deeply-felt adaptation of a Dennis Johnson novella – my favorite film of the year – was quickly swooped up by Netflix, leading to concern that it might get a quick content dump and never read the kind of screens that the film’s big trees and big feelings deserve. Well, the concern turned out to be relatively unfounded. Sure, most people will never see those towering pines make big crashes in a full, darkened room, but it did find its audience and has elbowed its way into deserved awards contention. It even created days worth of online debates about its merits, joining movies like May December and Marriage Story as indie films surprisingly faced with monoculture relevance via a Netflix release, both to the films’ benefits and detriments. All that’s to say that Train Dreams has impacted the year far more than most expected, and if that’s the way that one of the best film’s of 2025 finds its audience in the contemporary landscape, then so be it. — Philip Cosores

Weapons

Weapons’ premise reads like the kind of ghost story you’d trade over a camp fire: a class of elementary school kids waking at 2:17 a.m., slipping out of their homes, and vanishing into the dark. From there, Zach Cregger turns his follow-up to Barbarian into a slow, nasty excavation of suburban panic. Told in overlapping chapters, the film tracks how grief and fear fracture a town, turning a teacher into a suspect, neighbors into vigilantes, and youthful innocence into something more sinister. Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are both excellent, anchoring the film as a scapegoated educator and desperate father scouring surveillance footage and their own unreliable memories for answers. But it’s Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys that emerges as one of the year’s most unforgettable horror creations, complete with the awards chatter and pop culture influence to prove it. Ultimately, Weapons isn’t interested in easy scares, it’s interested in how communities turn on themselves, and it couldn’t care less about offering comforting answers to the questions it’s asking. — Jessica Toomer

Few formats drive fan engagement like a great music video. That was true in 2025 and it’ll be true in 2026, too. Looking at Warner Music Group’s top-performing videos of 2025 offers insight into both what the year in music looked like and how next year is shaping up.

Of the year’s top ten videos, two of them fall in the Latin music category, proving that the genre’s constellation of stars is a part of a cultural juggernaut that brands simply can’t afford to miss out on in 2026 and beyond.

The other major takeaway is just how much 2024 music dominated in 2025. It took over the music news cycle in early December, with reports that year-end rankings from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music were led by songs from the year prior. That was also true on YouTube, with hits like Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” topping the charts. This is worth keeping in mind, as beloved 2025 releases like Alex Warren’s No. 1 hit “Ordinary” are maintaining momentum and are primed to remain chart toppers well into 2026.

That timelessness is true for classic videos from legacy acts like The Eagles and Linkin Park, further illustrating that when it comes to taste, it’s not always just the latest that’s the greatest.

The bottom line: Warner artists defined music culture in 2025. Check out our year-end rankings for the best performing music videos on YouTube in 2025.

If this year taught us anything, it’s that fans have the final say on which artists, albums, and genres owned the culture in 2025. The conversations they were having on social media and in group chats mattered just as much as any critic-approved list.

As you can see from the chart below, artists under the Warner Music Umbrella drove massive audience interest, no matter the genre. But one stands out above the rest despite some in the establishment fretting over more outdated snapshots of the industry.

UPROXX Studios Senior Director, Editorial and Content Strategy Philip Cosores has a clear message when it comes to those claiming that the sky is falling when it comes to rap. “Rumors of hip-hop’s demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he says. “After news went viral that no rap songs were in the Billboard Top 40 for the first time in 35 years, many proclaimed the death of hip-hop. But on YouTube, the genre is still as dominant as ever, and a direct way to reach a massive audience.”

There’s a lot to get excited about when it comes to other major genres, as well, according to Cosores.

“Let’s also shout out the impressive numbers put up by pop artists — often the quickest way to reach young, female audiences — and rock, which is underscored by massive catalog longevity and younger artists like Twenty One Pilots. We expect these genres — along with the strengthening reach of R&B and country — to continue to drive music culture in 2026, with hip-hop due for a rebound in perception to match reality as it continues to dominate the platform.”

Let’s unpack that last point a little by looking at some of hip-hop’s most undeniably influential artists — is Pooh Shiesty and recent UPROXX Visionaries artist, Gunna. These two rappers are decisively shutting down the “hip-hop in decline” narrative. Pooh Shiesty landed the highest-charting solo song of his career with “FDO,” outranking holiday behemoths like Mariah Carey to deliver the kind of moment that reminds you how rap hurdles the mountain of classic holiday music with audiences in search of counter-programming. Gunna, meanwhile, took his Wun World Tour to the next level, selling out his North American leg while creating real community with his philanthropic Wunna Run Club stops.

Genre breakout NBA YoungBoy’s Make America Slime Again tour reportedly crossed $70M, sold 500,000+ tickets, and did it after five years off the road for the artist. Andscape’s David Dennis Jr. has described him as an artist who has “harnessed his vulnerability, myth-making, and authenticity to become a deity for teens and 20-somethings, who hang on his every word.” It’s all proof that the hip-hop genre (which being propelled by these and other WMG artists) is on a growth trajectory powered by an unbreakable connection with audiences.

Take a look at the full chart below.

As we continue to unpack year-end YouTube data around Warner Music Group artists (who UPROXX exclusively represent in deals for channel sponsorships), we wanted to take a look at the top-performing artists and explore the narratives that help explain their dominance.

In 2025, the artists who established themselves as top performers on the year-end charts didn’t rely on releases alone; they built experiential ecosystems around their projects.

For Benson Boone and NBA YoungBoy, viral festival performances and large-scale tours transformed successful projects into immersive universes that lived beyond release day and the typical half-life for buzz. Who can forget Boone’s instantly iconic back flips at Gov Ball or his cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with the band’s legendary guitar player, Brian May, at Coachella? How about the passionate response from fans to NBA YoungBoy’s blockbuster tour?

For Teddy Swims and Ed Sheeran, keeping the party going meant fresh releases and smart ways of refreshing celebrated hits, such as Sheeran’s Netflix One Shot walking concert special through New York City after the release of Play. Swims’ I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition) followed the January release of I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), giving fans the gift of his constant presence on the charts and playlists.

Speaking of a constant presence, let’s give flowers to Cardi B, an artist who stayed hyper relevant for 7 years between album releases. Cardi eventized her sophomore effort, Am I The Drama?, with viral moments on social, buzzy music video drops, seamless brand deals, and smart collabs on that spectacular album. We can’t wait to see how she keeps momentum alive in 2026 as she goes out on tour.

Take a look at the chart to see what other artists kept hold of their spot on the charts.

The end of the year means a chance to look back and then plot a course into the future — which is what we did as a part of our year-end YouTube audience report. This series is spread across four articles examining the top performing Warner Music artists (a roster that UPROXX Studios represents exclusively) and their music videos on YouTube. The chart below shows the videos that most resonated with both global and US audiences, showcasing the talents of some of the worlds biggest stars. These names are safe bets going into the new year for brands looking to buy into consistent music culture movers.

Let’s take a look at a few of these artists and their success stories to find out why.

Long-beloved mainstay Ed Sheeran had a superlative year with his “Sapphire” video leading the Warner Music Group year-end global charts, proving he still has plenty of staying power this far into his illustrious career. Besides the release of his new album, Play, Sheeran also dropped his One Shot special on Netflix, showing him playing and hanging out with people all through New York City.

Up-and-comers are making waves, too. Keep an eye on Alex Warren (#2 on the global chart and #1 on the US chart), Jisoo (#3 & #5 on the global chart), and sombr (#4 on the global chart), whose goings-on increasingly sway the tide of the industry at large. The calendar may foreshadow further buzz surrounding those three. In Q1 of 2026, Blackpink’s world tour comes to an end, which could pave the way for Jisoo to drop new music. At the Super Bowl, all eyes will be on Warren, who is set to be part of the pre-game festivities. Lastly, there’s the Grammys, which will expose sombr (and Warren) to an even bigger audience thanks to their Best New Artist nominations.

Warren also enjoyed some crossover success, drawing eyeballs on TikTok and on Netflix’s Love Island, driving growth to his YouTube channel and to his status as a music personality outside of his releases. Speaking of crossovers, beloved multi-hyphenate Jack Black had a viral hit with his bite-sized Minecraft movie song “Steve’s Lava Chicken.” On the soundtrack front, Charli XCX’s music for Wuthering Heights is something to keep an eye on in 2026.

Another artist to bet on in 2026 is Kehlani. She’s already a beloved veteran in her space, but she had a major mainstream breakthrough this year with “Folded,” her first top-10 single. She also joined the narrative of Cardi B’s massive comeback album Am I The Drama? with a feature on “Safe.” With more exposure than ever and proven abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her further her ascent in the new year.

Check out the year-end rankings below.

Few people have been as busy as Fred Again.. lately. In September, he started a rollout of new songs for his ever-evolving USB project, releasing fresh tracks and delivering high-energy live shows on a weekly basis. Even when the initial run finished, Fred went ahead and announced another one, set for early 2026.

Even amid all that, he still found an hour to sit down with Instagram for a recent episode of their new long-form interview series “Ask It Anyway.” It launched with Tyler, The Creator earlier this year and now Fred is the second-ever guest.

In a chat hosted by Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso and also featuring a group of young musicians, a lot of ground was covered. Perhaps the most impressive portion was when Fred was tasked with putting a new song together in just 13 minutes. He had a vocal and some choice sounds to start with, but he was still started a long way from the finish line. The end result wasn’t quite a full song, but it sounded fantastic, and Fred likely could have gotten it all the way with not much more time allotted.

As for the actual conversation, Fred had some fascinating nuggets to share. Early on, he discussed how having multiple outlets for his music diversifies what he’s able to do and how much he can release, saying:

“Having the record like USB where it’s just tunes that I’m making for my USB, it doesn’t need to be some deep album statement always. And then I’ve also got albums, so there’s a few different like avenues I get to put tunes out in. Or like, make an ambient record with Brian [Eno], or something like that. From, like, 20 to 28, I reckon probably 0.0001 percent of the things I made came out, and now I reckon 1 percent comes out, so that’s great.”

Also on the note of productivity, he spoke about how making music every day, regardless of how he’s feeling, is a critical part of his creative process:

“One thing that’s I’m really happy to have learned the lesson of is… Let’s say you feel rubbish one day or one week or one month, and you keep showing up, and you make something that you don’t… you’re showing up for the sake of showing up and just trying to get some ideas down, and you’re not feeling good about it. And you just leave it there, and then in a month’s time or whatever, you’re feeling a bit better and you listen back to some of those ideas and you’re like, ‘Actually, this one is good.’”

He added, “I’ve now had this enough times where something I truly love has come out of a moment that felt totally unmagical. Something I truly love and I’m really connected to in a way that feels really meaningful, has come out of a moment that didn’t feel that at all. And so then at that point, you’re like, ‘Okay, great, I might as well just keep showing up, then.’”

Finally, he offered some more advice, which boils down to keeping it simple:

“If you are someone who’s more production-based, I would really recommend trying to commit to two synths and five plug-ins that you’re going to use for the next four years and just save yourself all of that headspace and all of that wasted time comparing whether this compressor sounds slightly better than this compressor. Like… fix the chorus. It doesn’t matter whether the [laughs]… I really, really feel this.”

There’s a lot more than that in the illuminating conversation, so check out the full video above.

Turks and Caicos is the #1 private destination in the Caribbean, which says a lot about the destination and the luxury you can experience there. The Turks and Caicos Islands have set aside dozens of protected areas including National Parks, nature reserves, sanctuaries and various historical sites, making it one of the most unique vacation spots in all of the Caribbean.

If paradise had an address, it would be Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos. This oceanfront escape is where barefoot luxury meets impeccable service, with powder-soft sand and water so clear it feels unreal. From chilled welcome cocktails to sunset dinners that look straight out of a movie, every moment here feels like it’s designed to spoil you. Whether you’re craving total relaxation, or a touch of island glam, Grace Bay Club delivers it effortlessly and with an Aperol Spritz in hand (if you wish).

If you don’t know what a one row beach is, just know it’s the cream of the crop. Grace Bay Club is a rare “one-row beach,” which means every suite and villa sits directly on the oceanfront, with nothing built behind or blocking the views. In other words, no second row of rooms or garden-view categories—just uninterrupted turquoise water and toes-in-the-sand access from every spot on the property. It’s like front row at your favorite concert, but elevated.

Golf lovers can tee off just a few minutes from the resort at the award-winning Provo Golf Club, known for its palm-fringed fairways and ocean breeze. Grace Bay Club can arrange tee times and transportation, making it easy to add a round of island golf to your sun-soaked itinerary.

WHY IT’S AWESOME

Here’s what vacation looks like for me based on my choice of beverages: iced latte in the morning, Aperol Spritzes in the afternoon and espresso martini at night. Luckily for all of us, Grace Bay Club has all of this and so much to do in between all your beverage choices and sunscreen applications.

And when I tell you the gift shop is reason alone for a visit, trust and believe. This is literally the best boutique I’ve ever seen at a luxury resort. They’ve got miniature Birkin bags (obviously not authentic) and the best clothes from brands like Zimmerman, Solid & Striped and more. It’s so good, I probably wouldn’t have even been upset if my luggage got lost for a few days.

And get this: Grace Bay Club just got nominated for Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2026! How cool is that?

IN-HOUSE FOOD + DRINK

Once upon a time the Caribbean was known only for its crystal blue water, but thanks to resorts like Grace Bay Club, the area is becoming known as a destination with exquisite dining.

Don’t miss out on Infiniti Restaurant & Raw Bar, the resort’s star oceanfront spot right next to one of the Caribbean’s longest bars (a whopping 90 feet of fun). After a relaxing day on the beach, dive into a freshly revamped menu packed with top-tier sushi, Japanese-inspired delights, and drool-worthy Wagyu dishes served à la carte. Trust me, these are absolute must-tries!

Keep reading to learn about the hotel’s new boat service, exclusively for hotel guests to dine at Grace Bay Club’s sister properties easily and effortlessly.

AMENITIES

• 55-inch HDTV with streaming
• Free Wi-Fi
• Luxe mini-bar
• Lavazza coffee makers
• Air conditioning + blackout curtains
• Plush robes & slippers
• In-room safe, iron, hairdryer
• Individual climate control
• L’OCCITANE Bath Amenities
• Walk-in Rainfall Shower
• Desk/Office Space

ROOM TYPES

Each suite and villa feels like its own little sanctuary, complete with ocean views, luxe details, and a calm, coastal palette. Spacious balconies practically beg you to linger with a cocktail before heading to dinner, and the modern Caribbean design brings together sophistication and barefoot ease. Whether you’re in a romantic suite or a beachfront villa, every detail whispers relaxation.

Every room spanning their 11 acres boasts oceanfront accommodations and if you’re traveling with a large group, check out the resort’s Estate Section, complete with five bedrooms, plenty of gathering space, a gourmet kitchen, and two balconies.

THE BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A 15 MINUTE WALK

Walk down the beach and hop aboard the brand-new Princess Grace for a boat day with friends (or strangers). The custom-built 65-foot catamaran offers private charters, where you’ll enjoy fresh sushi, veggie burgers and more. And the more is the best part: stunning views, prosecco and local beer. If chartering a boat for the day is out of your price range, jump aboard the sunset cruise for $150/person. Be on the lookout for JoJo the Dolphin, a local bottlenose dolphin who has grown quite famous amongst locals and visitors alike.

These charters often include fresh seafood and sushi, all curated by Grace Bay Resorts’ exquisite culinary team. Depending on your excursion, the copious amounts of fresh seafood can double as dinner, so by girl math standards, it’s basically free. Hands down, this is the most sophisticated island-hopping experience I’ve ever had, and it beautifully showcases the natural beauty of Grace Bay’s renowned beaches and marine life.

THE BEST THING TO EAT/DRINK WITHIN A $20 CAB RIDE

You already know I’ll gladly pay a cab driver to take me in search of the island’s best espresso martini, and I found it at Grace Bay Club’s sister property Rock House.

Lucky for you, you won’t need a cab for this espresso martini rec, thanks to their brand-new boat services, designed to provide a convenient way for guests to travel between sister resorts for dining and other experiences, exclusively for resort guests.

At Rock House you’ll likely find a DJ paired with stunning sunset views, European vibes, the best dressed people on the island, and of course the best espresso martini. Expect a Mediterranean inspired menu with small plates, gourmet pastas, a vast wine selection and making it even easier, this entire evening excursion can be charged back to your hotel room.

BED GAME

The beds at Grace Bay Club are exactly what vacation dreams are made of — soft, cloud-like linens that practically demand you sleep in. Morning coffee tastes better when you’re wrapped in sheets this cozy, with the sound of the ocean just steps away.

Rating: 9/10

SEXINESS RATING

Caribbean vacations should always be sexy, and Grace Bay Club doesn’t disappoint. Book a private charter for the most romantic part of your entire trip.

Rating: 8/10

THE VIEWS & PICS SPOTS

For those can’t-miss photos, start your morning at the resort’s infinity pool where the turquoise water blends seamlessly with the sky. Sunset cocktails at Infiniti Bar deliver the ultimate golden-hour glow, while the beach walkways lined with palms make the perfect backdrop for that effortlessly chic island OOTD shot. Every corner of the resort looks like it was designed for your camera roll.

BEST SEASON TO VISIT

There is never a bad time to visit paradise, but if you’re looking for a super slow and quiet time, September is your best bet (albeit a little too slow for me). Other than that, if you visit Turks and Caicos between December and April you’re usually treated to perfect beach weather without the intense summer humidity, making it ideal for poolside lounging or sailing at sunset.

IF I HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE THING

Don’t @ me, but it’s the basic hair dryer for me. Even the swankiest hotels seem to forget that women want (no, scratch that) DEMAND a powerful blowout. The place was lovely and super open to feedback, so I’m betting they’re swapping them out right this second.

BOOK HERE

Book your Turks and Caicos luxury vacation directly on the hotel’s website.

It has been a long, long, long road to ASAP Rocky’s upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb. In 2022, he said the project was finished. In July 2023, he indicated it’d be out soon. It was later given a summer 2024 release date before getting pushed back to the fall. Towards the end of 2024, it was given an approximate release window of early 2025.

That brings us to late 2025 and the album is still not out yet. Finally, though, it appears it’ll be here soon. Last week, Rocky took to Instagram to reveal the cover art, created by Tim Burton, and the project’s January 16, 2026 release date.

Burton also said in a statement:

“I loved working with an artist like Rocky — it was a great collaboration. He spoke to me about his alter egos and I just drew my interpretations of them. He told me he wanted to make being a dad cool again, which was beautiful, even though I’ve never been able to achieve that myself.”

Rocky and Rihanna recently celebrated the birth of their third child, Rocki.

Meanwhile, Rocky previously said of Burton, “I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f*cking with it heavy. […] He was rocking his head and he’s like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!’”

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. It looks like this sneaker year just doesn’t want to quit. Not only is this a pretty strong week, next week is even better, which leads us to wonder — where the hell was this energy during the summer? Why did the big brands decide to wait until the last few weeks of the year to bring the heat? Don’t they know we’ve already spent all our holiday money?

We have so many questions! By now we have to assume your holiday shopping is done, which means it’s officially time to start buying gifts for yourself again, budget be damned! Here are this week’s best sneakers and where to find them.

Brain Dead x Adidas Techwondo

Price: $180

The LA streetwear brand Brain Dead have teamed up with Adidas for a new futurist take on the Taekwondo, dubbed fittingly, Techwondo.

The chrome brushed sneaker feature a leather upper with synthetic overlays, and city-ready cold cement construction that bonds the sole to the upper, boosting the flexibility and feel.

The Brain Dead x Adidas Techwondo is out now for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Palace x Air Max Dn8 Safety Orange and Particle Grey

Price: $200

London skatewear brand Palace is bringing its playful vibe to the Dn8. The sneaker takes visual cues from other Nike models, like the TPU stripes and liberal use of Safety Orange recalling the AM Plus and classic Nike SHOX color blocking.

The Dn8 tends to have a futuristic, alien-like look about it (very much by design), so we appreciate that Palace brought a bit of playfulness out of this super serious silhouette.

The Palace x Air Max Dn8 Safety Orange and Particle Grey is out now for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike Book 1 What The (Sail and Magic Ember)

Price: $170

Now that the Book 2 is officially a thing, the Book 1 is ready to get weird. And what better way to get weird than by filtering the sneaker through Nike’s weirdest sub-series, the “What The.” The What The Book 1 pulls together panels from older Book 1 colorways and fuses them together in a mismatched mess that works way better than you think it might.

The Nike Book 1 What The is out now for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike Air Force 1 Baroque Brown and Desert Moss

Price: $120

Looking for a dusty and earthy AF-1? Look no further than the Baroque Brown and Desert Moss, a sneaker that’ll likely go down as the most crunchy Air Force 1 we’ve ever seen? City streets and subway terminals? THat’s the AF-1 of old, this iteration looks like it was designed to trek through a hiking trail.

The sneaker sports a bouclé upper with a beaded swoosh outline, big fuzzy laces, and a speckled black midsole. The sneaker is just three colors, brown, hot pink, and black, but it uses each expertly, making this one of the most eye-catching sneakers of the year.

The Nike Air Force 1 Baroque Brown and Desert Moss is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike Air Jordan 8 White and True Red (Bugs Bunny)

Price: $215

The legend has returned! The Jordan 8 White and True Red (as Nike is calling it) is a re-release of what Jordan heads dub the “Bugs Bunny,” (it’s why MJ and Bugs are closely associated, pre-Space Jam) an early ‘90s classic from Jordan’s imperial era. First debuted during the ’92-’93 championship season, the sneaker sports a leather upper with suede accents, and a mix of white and gray tones with red and black contrast points.

It’s a classic Jordan and probably the best the AJ-8 has ever looked.

The Nike Air Jordan 8 White and True Red is set to drop on December 20th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $215. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike G.T. Future Metallic Silver

Price: $200

If you’re looking for the most tech-forward sneaker you can find from Nike, the G.T. Future is the shoe for you. Nike latest silhouette, the G.T. Future features a bouncy and responsive Air Zoom Strobel sole with CushIon 3.0 foam, designed for court play with a molder upper that looks like it was carved out of a giant rock.

Right now the popularity of the G.T. Future remains to be seen but we’re psyched to watch this story unfold.

The Nike G.T. Future Metallic Silver is set to drop on December 20th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.