There’s nothing better to remind you about the past year — and everything that happened during it — than music. . And on Dec. 9, TikTok revealed its top artists and songs of 2025 to do just that. This past year has been all about nostalgia on TikTok, bringing us back to older tracks like Radiohead’s “Let Down,” “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna, “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas, and so many more. Beyond the trending old tracks, the platform has helped give a platform to new artists, including sombr, Alex Warren, and Lola Yung. Sombr’s “back to friends” was even TikTok’s Global Most-Saved Track in 2025.
This year, KATSEYE was announced TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year (which is no surprise considering how viral their music has been all year). “Pretty Little Baby” by Connie Francis was crowned TikTok’s Track of the Year, EJAE (of KPop Demon Hunters) was titled TikTok’s Songwriter of the Year, and Tate McRae’s album So Close To What was the Global Most-Saved Album. And when it comes to viral TikTok trends, Doechii’s “Anxiety” was titled TikTok’s Music Trend of the Year. Let’s be honest, who didn’t hear that track in every post on their FYP? “Anxiety” undoubtedly took TikTok by storm with that trend this year.
“Anxiety” famously features a sample of the 2011 track “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye. The song was originally a demo by Doechii recorded in 2019 that was then rediscovered in 2025, and the TikTok community was instantly obsessed, calling for an official release. Doechii then re-recorded “Anxiety” and released it in March 2025. The track inspired one of the biggest dance trends of 2025, based on the iconic dance by Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
The dance was even recreated by Smith and co-star Tatyana Ali, and Doechii even had a surprise appearance.
Other actors and celebrities even participated in this trend – including Demi Lovato, the cast of The White Lotus Season 3, and more.
Doechii’s “Anxiety” inspired one of the biggest music trends on TikTok this year, generating over 10.4M creations and 51.6B video views. Thanks to its TikTok success, “Anxiety” went on to become a global smash hit. It cracked the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Doechii five Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.
2025 has undoubtedly been Doechii’s year, from “Anxiety” becoming a global sensation to earning five Grammy nominations. I’m predicting 2026 will be even bigger for her.