I'm Aozaki Shouhei, Klassic Note's only listener and judge. It's that time of the year again, where I sit down in front of my PC at the end of the year to commend and rank the songs I listen over the year. This year was a year of worry for mainstream artists, with the return of many long lost artists without much reason, to current regulars not performing up to my expectations. But with Anime songs making a return, and a boost from the VTuber music industry, I think we are still standing at our 18th year coming. I am still following the motto of "Searching For The New Classic" though, but just like every year that came before it, it has only gotten more challenging with more experience in listening to more of them.

As usual, the results below do not fully represent the many songs I listen to for the year. Past year songs are typically suppressed since recommending them is not as trendy as the ones who were released this year, so I will withhold in promoting too many of them even though some have made more than some impact in my life for the past year. Being critical of new artists is still as bad for them as I am of regulars anyways, but that will not stop me as I will continue to find songs that I like over artists, even if they still stand to impress.

(Results finalized on 31/12/2025)

Note: For a detailed explanation of the results, click/tap over the minimized detail bars you see throughout the post, like the one above.

[Click here to skip to "The Top 20"]

This year, I have given a total of 232 songs over the past 12 months, similar to the count last year. I have still been spending more time on each release longer compared to past years in recognition of their efforts even listening to them the second time in a year, but I ended up finding more comfort in giving familiar artists instead of new artists I picked up. The Internet as usual has helped with exposure and promotion of music, and with music streaming services it has become easier than ever to give any recommendation I see them on YouTube and/or Apple Music, hopefully providing than enough bandwidth to listen to newly found artists and their new songs too. Sadly, I also foresee that I get stuck on artists coming back from hiatus, impressing to different extent, and I will see that going into the new year too, which hopefully will deliver much more new stuff instead of living in the past, which is what I try to avoid.

Here is how the new songs fared this year:

>> Female Solo is the most popular vocal style in the songs of 2025.
>> Female Solo to Male Solo Ratio: 1.482

>> 4 Stars is the most common rating in Klassic Note 2025.
>> Song Integrity Survey reveals a dip in 4B rating (above average) but is compensated by more 5-star rating overall.

>> Japanese is the most popular language in songs of 2025.

>> 2025 is the most common year of release in songs of 2025.

>> Anime songs are 3.88% of 2025 songs, mostly on character songs.

>> 22 out of 47 singles in 2025 are considered besides A-side.
>> 6 of all singles released are in Klassic Note Review 2025.

>> Average Monthly Growth: 19.33
>> Top Active Months: Jan  (+25), Jun (+29)

Every day is unique as it is special; Songs that surface in our minds will set us in a mood and drive our everyday lives. From waking up to going to work, arriving home and going to sleep, there's always a different melody that will pop up in my mind from listening to the huge amount of songs within and in past years. I would confidently say that my mood for the year could be summarized with the songs I'm listening to every single day.

And that's why we have a tie this year so congrats Polkadot Stingray and TOMOO for the most memorable Songs of the Year in 2025!!

TOP SONGS OF THE YEAR 2025

TOP SONGS OF EACH MONTH

TOP SONGS TO START THE DAY

TOP SONGS TO END THE DAY

Klassic Note may be all about the songs, but what is with songs if they aren't released in some form? I say that though, but with the rise of digital singles and how music is distributed more often through digital platforms in smaller doses instead of coming up with physical releases, it's always in my comfort to listen to albums every once in a while then be committed to their constant promotions. Many releases performed better than ever as I spend more time with them this year, and I continue to give more songs beyond the one or two title songs with a music video, sometimes even without. Many artists are going for more than one good album in the year with the world opening up, and we do see this year some are adding a couple of singles and/or new songs from time to time within the year. Regardless of their approach, I will still give them due attention as long as I know of them. Limited Edition Only singles are great but sadly does not meet my requirement of Review, but I will still talk put them in just because they are worthy of mention.

Top 10 Singles

Top 10 Albums

In Klassic Note there are Awards; And then, there are Commendations. Commendations are thing that are worth mentioning but not necessarily in competition since it can be unique in circumstance. That, or I want to credit them as many of them as possible and it doesn't exactly qualify as a regular award. Many listed may be repeats, but this is the place where I give proper recognition to certain things that stood out among the others.

Thanks to Murder by Death for coming back with one last hurrah, eill for absolute impressive music videos to remember and then more from the past few years from her EP released this year. I'm in addition, also welcoming back UNLIMITS and Yogee New Waves with open arms, which I hope will translate to them releasing more new and great songs.

One of the most important things that built the foundation of this Song Awards are of course, the Awards themselves. They have also been historically the toughest to decide every year apart from the Top 20 itself, which shows how much thought is put into figuring out the distinct feels of all the songs I give for the year, and how important they are compared to all of the others above. As with previous years, it has always been a challenge to get the right songs to fit the Awards and what they should represent, and as much as I try I still hardly feel for some of these songs which are worthy of their titles, especially pertaining to certain emotions and moods. Regardless, I have made my decision, so here are the results.

Congratulations to otoha for THE ARTIST and THE CONTRIBUTOR awards with an absolutely awesome performance for the year, producing two EPs and their first full album, striking impact with every release. This was also how I guessed they won the Anime audience while taking THE INSPIRATION award from my song list. I will also give special mention to THE EMOTIONAL award just because apart from yama's emo tune from their album, I also felt the agony from Anime movie "Look Back" that I could not walk away not giving haruka nakamura a mention on their soundtrack. THE ANISON is also a much contested award this year due to an influx of Anime having character songs, and I must say the "Hyakkano" Anime win is much deserved even though it has as many opportunities to win my heart as they have girls in that series.

Last but not least, we have the song rankings. Every year, I try my best to showcase Klassic Note in the most diverse way possible, hopefully with a good balance of what I truly love and representation of what the year means for Klassic Note in 2025. And in these songs I recommend, many have left an impression, some I cannot miss putting them in just because, and others I think they are genuinely worth a mention. It was hard to come up with the list as with ever year, as there have been many dramatic changes to when I initially thought of this, but now that the results are out, I'm not going to think too much into it and hope this is adequate to show what Klassic Note 2025 is after a year in the making. 

Congratulations to Furui Riho for taking the top spot this year!! The song for Anime was truly inspirational and right on beat even with its own mood let alone the happy-go-lucky mood of the show, though I would argue they are going against many other contenders who also deserved the spot, so let's just say this is the vibe I'm in right now, and they can stay while this vibe lasts.

Below is an audio preview with timestamps of The Top 20 of Klassic Note 2025, for your listening pleasure. (Tip: Click on any row on the table above to skip to that track!)

And that is all for Klassic Note this year; I hope you enjoyed looking through these results, giving some of them as listen, and enjoyed as much as I did. If you were here to give yourself a chance and listen to the above snippet of what I've listened to in 2025, you're welcome for the glimpse into my music listening experience for the year. If you have given any of them a listen afterwards - even just one of them - it will make me happy. The legacy of Klassic Note has shifted once again and with the world changing in perspective and how they make song, I'm still happy to be able to share my thoughts about music every year even if it isn't much considering who I am with respect to what the world listens to.. With this, I conclude my recognition for artists, releases and songs for the year while I take a break before I continue my journey in the new year.

I will see you again and have a happy new year! And I will ever, as I have always been I will be "Searching For The New Classic".

- Aozaki Shouhei, on the Klassic Note

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