MIXTAPE MADNESS FRONT SECTION
06 BIG STORY We look back on the chart stories that defined 2025, with the help of a selection of top names
09 FOR THE RECORD
10 RISING STAR ADA marketing manager Sophie Benjafield tells her story
11 SYNC STORY 13 POSTS OF THE YEAR
14 ON THE RADAR Irish foursome Florence Road fill us in on a hectic breakthrough year
16 KEY RELEASES Your guide to all of the biggest albums coming your way very soon
17 INCOMING Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson talks vinyl, independence and new album The Demise Of Planet X
19 MAKING WAVES Introducing genre-bending singer and guitarist Maya Delilah
FEATURES
21 2025 IN REVIEW As the curtain falls on another whirlwind year in the music industry, we present our biggest annual round-up yet. Here, more than 150 key players in the business – including CEOs, presidents and more – look back on the big stories, songs and albums that shaped 2025
50 IN MEMORIAM A tribute to the legendary executives, global stars, songwriters, producers and other brilliant individuals who we sadly lost this year
52 MIXTAPE MADNESS In the year in which their platform turned 15, co-founders Eddie Agyeman, Kwabz Oduro Ayim and Kingsley Okyere discuss the evolution of UK rap
58 QUOTES OF THE YEAR As usual, Music Week was home to some sizzling soundbites this year – we collect the best insights that graced our pages
64 CENTRE STAGE Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd weighs up what went right and what went wrong for grassroots venues this year
66 HOTSHOTS Relive some of the most memorable moments from the past 12 months in music
REGULARS
56 HITMAKERS Songwriter Ejae reveals how a routine dental appointment helped shape K-Pop Demon Hunters smash Golden
74 MENTOR ME Broadcaster, TV exec and inclusion leader Jasmine Dotiwala shares her top tips
77 CHARTS An in-depth look at this month’s biggest movers and shakers
96 ARCHIVE We flick through the pages of Music Week of yesteryear
98 AFTERSHOW In celebration of his recent victory at the Artist & Manager Awards, Wolf Alice manager Stephen ‘Tav’ Taverner looks back on Glastonbury mud, late-night nausea and more
74 STEPHEN TAVERNER JASMINE DOTIWALA 52 THE LAST DINNER PARTY EJAE
56
98
musicweek.com Music Week | 05
PHOTOS: Paul James Stephenson, Bex Redwood, Chauffeur, Universal Music Group UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
