Wrapping up a year isn’t an easy feat, especially with a year like 2025.
We’ve had moments that lifted us like Brazil making history with their first ever Oscar win or Bad Bunny’s historic Puerto Rico residency. But we’ve also had moments that have stripped us bare and made it really hard to find the light in the darkness or the strength to keep going when our communities are going through so much.
But we persevered. We made it through 2025.
As we look back on the moments that defined 2025, we want to lean into the resilience that remains. Be it across music, film, sports, or culture, we created, we transformed, and we made a name for ourselves. And that should be celebrated.
When censorship is present, stories like the one that played out in Walter Salles I’m Still Here are even more important. This movie gave a voice to the families of those who disappeared during the 1970s military regime in Brazil. Then they went on to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film on a worldwide stage, bringing the story of those who disappeared to even more people and uniting Brazil in honoring their losses and now their win.
The 30-show residency was everywhere and deeply rooted at the same time. You couldn’t scroll without seeing a clip or a moment from the shows, yet it never felt disconnected from the island it was built for. You could feel culture moving in real time, but being there in person made it clear this was bigger than a show. The residency pumped real energy and resources back into Puerto Rico from local businesses to tourism, and witnessing it firsthand on the island felt like watching culture be claimed, not exported. Bad Bunny showed that when you center home and community, the world can and will pay attention, and I don’t think the live music industry will ever be the same.
Thatiana Diaz, Editor-In-Chief
Bad Bunny performing “La Santa” during the 3rd night of “NO ME QUIERO IR DE AQUÍ” residency. 🇵🇷🪘 pic.twitter.com/MTB9Znab4b
Telenovela Plots & Iconic Actress Cameos in Music Videos
Music videos in 2025 brought the telenovela drama—and we loved it. From Karol G’s star-studded actresses’ appearances on her album TROPICOQUETA album teaser (Anahí, Gabriela Spanic, Ninel Conde, I mean…) to Isabella Lovestory’s “soy emo” mother-daughter blowout, to KATSEYE’s ‘80s catty soap opera fights, to Titanic’s capturing the suspense of a deadly moment through sound, telenovelas took on the main role this year. Long seen as lowbrow, telenovelas have become a key figure in Latin American pop culture. So much so that other countries around the world have built their own industries modeled after ours. In a year when minimalism as an aesthetic ruled the mainstream, we welcomed the embrace of maximalist camp this year through music.
Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum, Music Editor
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Artists Returning to Traditional Sounds
Artists across the spectrum, from global pop stars to rising acts, are leaning harder than ever into traditional sounds. In 2024, Karol G and Kali Uchis tapped into merengue, perhaps a genre with much presence during family reunions, and this year Bad Bunny and even Milo J went deep into their own memory lanes to recreate the sounds they grew up with. It’s a shift that feels intentional and refreshing. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon, going into 2026, more artists are realizing there’s real demand and space for this kind of music.
Joel Moya, Director of Artists & Label Relations
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The continuous impact of women in sports
From boxing to running, tennis, fútbol, and even WWE, women have been killing it in sports for years, and each year it gets better and better for Latinas. In 2025, we saw comebacks & first-time achievements in WWE, like Stephanie Vaquer becoming the first South American to hold the Women’s World Championship. Leylah Fernandez & Venus giving us doubles magic at the 2025 US Open, Amanda Serrano might not have walked away a champ, but she represented Puerto Rico proudly. During July’s fight, we saw many women boxers showcase that they belong in all spaces. Many more moments could be mentioned from this year, but I’m excited to see las mujeres continue to achieve outstanding achievements in 2026 and beyond.
Mexican reggaetón made major waves in 2025, with standout voices coming from el Estado de México. What started in local scenes now echoes far beyond them, driven by artists who channel barrio energy, rhythm, and style without compromise. Their presence reflects how places like Ecatepec and Neza are helping reshape reggaetón from the ground up. Seen in the breakout momentum of Sayuri and Sopholov, as well as the release of La Obsesión Factory’s mixtape.
The release of Frankenstein in theaters became one of those moments that defined 2025. Beyond being deeply moving and visually, a straight-up work of art, the film pulled us together for weeks in small cinemas, some of them independent, where watching a movie felt nostalgic again. No phones buzzing, no people taking selfies mid-scene. Just being there. It felt like a quiet return to off-the-grid experiences, the kind you forget you miss. Someone even handed me chocolates at one of the screenings, which somehow made it all feel even more human.
Alan López, Creative Director
FRANKENSTEIN, expanding in select theaters this weekend and on Netflix November 7. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Ams9HcRraO
