It was the year artists became activists: they spoke out against US aggression, condemned genocide, boycotted streaming services, and chose sides in the battle over AI.
The joy that could be had was often in the form of schadenfreude: married tech executives making out on the jumbotron or a Canadian rapper hell-bent on losing a feud.
Here are the deaths, reunions and political turning points that defined 2025. lists of the best music of the year here.
Fires in California left musicians without homes (January 7)
Many musicians lost their homes and were displaced when wildfires devastated Los Angeles, including Canadian transplants such as Cola's Tim Darcy and Spiritbox's Josh Gilbert.
Drake's “Not Like Us” Lawsuit (January 15)
Drizzy withdrew his lawsuit against his own label over Kendrick Lamar's diss track “Not Like Us” but filed suit a day later. The suit was fired in Octoberand he filed an appeal.
RIP Garth Hudson of the band (January 21)
The keyboardist from Ontario was the last surviving member of the group. He died in his sleep at the age of 87.
Rest in peace, Marianne Faithfull (January 20)
The British Invasion icon has died aged 78. According to the statement, she “passed away peacefully… in the company of her family.”
The Weeknd ends his Grammy boycott, then shuts down again (February 2)
Abel Tesfaye previously boycotted the Grammys following his 2020 album After closing didn't receive any nominations, but returned to the awards ceremony to perform songs from his new album. Hurry up tomorrow. In November this album also failed to be nominated.
Photo: Matt Forsyth
Kendrick made fun of Drake at the Super Bowl (February 9)
In the midst of legal battles over the song “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar performed his Drake diss track during the Super Bowl halftime show, causing the crowd to scream along with the infamous “Aminor” lyrics.
Chantal Kreviazuk changes the lyrics to “O Canada” (February 20)
The artist sang “Only We Order” in response to Trump's threats of annexation. During the World Series Rufus Wainwright made the same change.Bye J.P. Sachs sang, “Our home is in our native land.”
Rest in peace Roberta Flack (February 24)
After announcing her ALS diagnosis in 2022, the R&B/jazz singer died of cardiac arrest at age 88.
Nickelback Patriotic American Festival (April 4)
The once hated butt rock band became a little more appealing over the years, but they returned to Canada's crap lists when they headlined the patriotic Rock the Country festival with Kid Rock, just as relations between the United States and Canada soured.
Weezer's wife shot by police (April 8)
Scott Shriner's wife Jillian Shriner was shot during an altercation with police and was subsequently charged with attempted murder, later avoiding jail time after a judge granted her mental health distraction. Just days later, Weezer performed at Coachella and the Shriners filed for divorce in December.
Photo: Em Medland-Marchen
Joe Seiders of the New Pornographers Arrested (April 9)
The power pop band parted ways with their drummer when he was charged with child pornography after he reportedly filmed children in a Chick-fil-A restroom.
Bells Larsen will not be able to tour the US (April 11)
The songwriter was unable to apply for a visa because the gender on his passport did not match the one assigned at birth. troubling development for trans musicians.
Dismissal of a rock drummer (April 15)
WHO Longtime drummer Zach Starkey firedWHO blamed singer Roger Daltrey and called the band “fucking crazy.” A month later Foo Fighters canned timekeeper Josh Freese.
Lady Gaga's record show (May 3)
The concert in Rio de Janeiro was attended by approximately 2.5 million people, making it the largest concert of the 21st century and the largest concert ever staged by a woman.
Rest in peace, cunning stone (June 9)
The legendary leader of Sly & the Family Stone was 82 years old when he died due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health problems.
BDS movement calls for boycott of Radiohead (June 10)
Radiohead's comeback was marred by controversy over their muddy stance on Palestine, and Jonny Greenwood's UK concerts with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa were canceled due to “credible threats.”
Guess who's reuniting (June 11)
After controversy and confusion over a hired band touring as the Guess Who, core leaders Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have officially brought their Winnipeg rock band back.
Photo courtesy of Paquin Artists Agency.
Rest in peace, Brian Wilson (June 11)
The legendary songwriter has died after spending his final years with dementia. His Beach Boys bandmates at the time quarreled over their speeches at his funeral.
Canadian Josh Ross Controversy (June 23)
A Canadian country singer was forced to apologize after declaring the United States the “best country in the world,” putting his performance at the official Canada Day concert in Ottawa under scrutiny.
Glastonbury singing by Bob Wylan (June 28)
British punk rap duo excluded from festival lineups after leading chants of “Death to the IDF” when the US revoked their visas.
The fateful opening of Rogers Stadium (June 29)
Opening night at Rogers Stadium didn't exactly go smoothly, with fans reporting the Shy Kids took two hours to leave the venue after the concert. Live Nation said it is “making adjustments based on fan and community feedback.”
Spotify Exodus (June 30)
Deerhoof leaves Spotify about then-CEO Daniel Ek's ties to an artificial intelligence weapons company. Many followed suit, including King Gizzard, Massive Attack, Chad VanGaalen, Sarah Harmer and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Brendan Berg of RIP Royal Canoe (July 1)
Royal Canoe member Brendan Berg was tragically killed at the age of 42 when a car crashed into his car parked on the side of a highway near Bozeman, MB.
Diddy acquitted – partially (July 2)
The rap mogul was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but remains behind bars after being convicted of transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
Oasis' return is going smoothly (July 4)
The lack of news was not good news for Oasis as the Gallaghers reunited without incident, kicking off their tour in Cardiff, Wales.
Photo: Stephen McGill
The Velvet Sundown – artificial intelligence group (July 5)
Psych rock project The Velvet Sundown has embraced itself as artificial intelligence, ushering in an era in which synthetic “bands” create extremely dull music that can only be described as human-made.
Coldplay's Jumbotron scandal (July 16)
A couple were caught on the big screen setting the internet on fire, causing the couple, who were married to other people, to leave the tech company where they were executives.
Rest in peace Ozzy Osbourne (July 22)
The Prince of Darkness died at the age of 76, just 17 days after his farewell concert, which featured a reunion with the original Black Sabbath lineup. He had performed while sitting due to Parkinson's disease.
Katy Perry is dating Justin Trudeau (July 28)
Famous astronaut Katy Perry went on a date with the former Prime Minister of Canada. They remained silent for several months before they were noticed. kissing on a yacht in October and they went public soon after that.
Rest in peace, Brent Hinds (20 August)
In March, Mastodon parted ways with founding guitarist Brent Hinds, who died in a motorcycle accident a few months later.
Photo: Cold Hash
Touring drama Cradle of Filth (August 24)
The metal band has suffered a nasty split, with married couple Zoe Marie Federoff and Marek “Ashok” Szmerda leaving the band amid claims of “low pay” and “high stress”, with frontman Dani Filth accusing them of “abusive behavior that strained the entire team”. A a lawsuit followed later this year.
Body found in Tesla d4vd (September 8)
Body teenage girl was found parked in a car registered to d4vd, whose tour and deluxe album had been cancelled.
No music for genocide (September 18)
The cultural boycott has resulted in artists such as Caribou, Paramore (and Hayley Williams), Björk, Beach House, My Bloody Valentine, Denzel Curry and others pulling their music from streaming services in Israel.
Knee pads are illegal in Canada – or are they? (September 19)
The Liberal Party's Vince Gasparro said Irish rappers were banned from entering Canada because of their advocacy for Palestinians, forcing them to cancel concerts amid confusion regarding their true travel status. Group now sue Gasparro.
Live Nation CEO says concerts are 'underpriced' (September 22)
As shows get more expensive and Live Nation continues to face lawsuits over ticket resale, Michael Rapino has angered fans by claiming tickets aren't worth enough.
Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show (September 29)
A Hispanic Pop Star Was Named as the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Headliner, and MAGA Representatives Turned It into a Political Issue and petitioned to be replaced by George Strait.
Diss Charlie XCX Taylor Swift (October 1)
The pop world was divided over the diss track when lyrics from Swift's “Actually Romantic” surfaced online, seemingly offering a clumsy response to last year's “Sympathy is a Knife.”
Photo: Matt Forsythe
Rush Return with new lineup (October 6)
More than five years after Neil Peart's death in 2020, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have announced plans to reunite with a new drummer for a 2026 tour.
Rest in peace, D'Angelo (October 14)
The R&B icon died at age 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.
Spotify ICE Advertising (October 16)
The streaming service suffered continued negative press and artist exodus as it faced backlash for hosting recruitment ads for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ace Frehley from RIP KISS (October 16)
After falling in the studio, the former KISS guitarist was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage. He was taken off life support a couple of weeks later and died at the age of 74.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation Target Resellers (October 21)
As the company faces legal challenges over its dominance of the concert industry, it has vowed to introduce policies aimed at “increasing the percentage of tickets delivered to real fans.”
Cindy Lee is back (November 11)
After last year's tour cancellation, it looked like Patrick Flegel's lo-fi pop project might be here to stay, but that changed when Cindy Lee made a stunning return for a handful of fall dates.
Photo: Atsuko Kobashigawa
Warped Tour is back (November 24)
After a few years, the famed punk festival returned for a handful of U.S. dates in the fall of 2025 before announcing plans for 2026, including two days in Montreal.
Jane's addiction is officially over (December 17)
After a year of legal drama and accusations following last year's onstage brawl, Jane's Addiction[came] together one last time to resolve our differences,” with a statement on Instagram announcing their split.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” – No. 1 of All Time (December 18)
Mariah Carey's holiday classic spent its 20th week atop the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a record previously held by Lil Nas X and Shaboozey.
