The 30 Most Intriguing Musicians of 2025

Today I’m sharing the third (and final) installment of my guide to the 30 most intriguing musicians of 2025. Click here for part one and part two of this survey.

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Rumer

The first thing you will notice is that calmly centered voice, a little like Karen Carpenter’s, but with a slightly funkier, more soulful inflection. And you can’t miss the Burt Bacharach flavor—it is perhaps no coincidence that Rumer married Bacharach’s former music director.

And there’s more! The songs sometimes even modulate into new keys. I thought they made that illegal sometime around 1999.

Everything sounds so authoritative and familiar, but embracing well-crafted pop maximalism in the current day is a huge challenge—like rebuilding the Brill Building out of Lego. But what a joy to see it happen.

At some point this kind of artisan commercial music will come back on to center stage. So why not now.

This is from Rumer’s new album In Session.

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Hagneya

Poland is a tremendous source of creative music right now, but it’s not easy for outsiders to find it. Consider Hagneya, who doesn’t even have a webpage or Wikipedia entry. She keeps a low profile in her current home base in the Netherlands, and brings her music to the world via occasional gigs and uploads to online platforms.

Her music evokes the organic pace of the natural world—the song titles, with their mention of birds and dawns and whales, tell you as much. But you also hear it in the unfolding soundscapes. Nothing is contrived, nothing is rushed. And even in front of a large audience, she still makes you feel like you’re at some pastoral retreat or isolated seashore.

If you want to reclaim healing, human music in age of bland domineering machines, this is a good place to start.

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Cristóbal Tapia de Veer

You may not recognize the name, but you know his music. Cristóbal Tapia de Veer composed the music for the hit TV show The White Lotus—and it’s one of the most intensely creative soundtracks I’ve heard in recent years, mixing voices, instruments, textures in mysterious ways.

The TV industry agrees—at least judging by the Emmy Awards he has won. And this music is now showing up in unexpected places, getting remixed by DJs and migrating to dance floors.

But Tapia de Veer has decided to walk away from all this. He recently announced that he won’t compose for The White Lotus anymore—and did it so vehemently that he may lose other commercial opportunities as a result.

I give him credit for this plea for more creative freedom—but I will miss his music next season on the TV show. Even so, I have a hunch that he will benefit from burning his bridges. He has no choice but to move onward. And with his talent, that could take him almost anywhere.