That's a (Spotify) wrap: The artists and anthems that defined Scandinavia in 2025

Brace yourselves. The annual Spotify Wrapped has landed, bringing with it a torrent of data detailing your personal soundtrack for 2025. Were you swept away by a wave of unexpected Sabrina Carpenter? Did you champion the enduring legacy of George Michael with 'Father Figure' on repeat? Or did a certain – perhaps shameful – guilty pleasure track torpedo your public ranking, condemning your stats to the vault instead of an Instagram Story share?

Related: Summer of '25: The songs that defined Scandinavia this summer

While the individual deep dives are undeniably captivating, our focus is naturally drawn to the broader listening currents shaping the Nordic region. With established artists retaining their crowns, new genres seizing the zeitgeist, and a distinct rise in local flavour charting across the board, we present the definitive artists and anthems of Scandinavia in 2025, complete with exclusive insights from Spotify's Nordic editorial lead, Emma Vikström.

Finland continued its significant home bias trend in 2025, mirroring recent years. All 10 of the most-streamed songs and the 10 most listened to artists on Spotify were from the home nation. Rapper Turisti remained the number one most-streamed artist, with the likes of Ares and Averagekidluke quickly following - a pattern observed earlier in the summer. Ares solidified his prominence among the most listened to, with three of the top ten songs originating from his discography.

Related: “Blood, sweat and tears have gone into this”: Rapper Turisti on his new album ‘Magic City’ and becoming Finland’s most-streamed artist

"The dominance of Finnish music is still striking," notes Vikström. "In no other Nordic country do local artists dominate the charts in the same way, but in Finland, listeners love the contemporary, distinctive and urban music of Finnish artists."

Earlier in 2025, Sweden said goodbye to beloved boy band Hov1, and in honour of them, Swedes showed their appreciation by streaming their songs, which rocketed them to the top of the list.

That is not to say, however, that they made it onto the top 10 songs of 2025. Instead, Sweden showed adoration for its Eurovision entry, and streamed 'Bara Bada Bastu' by KAJ so much that it broke streaming records on Spotify the next day, solidifying its spot as the number one song of the year.

Norway has long embraced international artists, and the country’s 2025 streaming data proves it. In 2024, Taylor Swift topped the charts, followed by Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and Eminem – and the pattern continued into 2025. Swift held on to her crown (with Eilish and The Weeknd close behind), while new global favourites like Drake and Tate McRae joined the rankings.

International names dominated elsewhere, too. Bruno Mars appeared twice – at number three with ROSÉ on ‘APT.’ and at number eight with Lady Gaga on ‘Die With A Smile.’ British breakout star Lola Young rounded out the top 10 with ‘Messy.’

According to Vikström, 2025 was a standout year for Norwegian music, with local artists reclaiming the spotlight. Rising talents like Ari Bajgora and Tobias Sten helped define the year’s sound – and Sten, especially, made a major impact. Two of his tracks, 'Fy faen du e deili' and 'Eli', landed in the top ten.

Sten’s success also signalled a shift in what Norwegians are listening to. Country music surged in popularity, and he became not only the most-streamed local artist of the year but also the leading voice of Norway’s fast-growing country-pop scene.

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American singer-songwriter Alex Warren cemented his hold on the Nordics this year. After first breaking through as one of the most-streamed artists in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, he proved it was no one-off – ending 2025 still dominating the region’s charts.

In Norway, Warren placed 10th overall, while his track Ordinary became the country’s most-streamed song of the year. The hit also travelled well: it reached number seven in Denmark and climbed to number two in Sweden.

Danish newcomers APHACA truly made 2025 their breakthrough year, racking up standout numbers across the board. The rising boy band landed at number seven among Denmark’s most-streamed artists, and their singles performed even better – taking the number one, three and eight spots with 'Smelter Under Månen', 'En drøm om et menneske' and 'Et sted hvor vi de første', respectively.

“The year has seen a significant surge of new female talent, including Annika, Mille, Berg, Mumle, Dahlin, and Svea S, underscoring a powerful rising trend in Denmark,” explains Vikström. “Not only have they achieved individual success, but they have also fostered strong communities.” This local cohort dominated Denmark’s most-streamed songs chart, with Mumle landing at number two, Annika securing positions four, five, and six, and Mille rounding out the top 10.

Beyond its own internal streaming, Sweden contributed to the global music scene with its audible exports. "Beyond the charts, Sweden’s music export keeps thriving," says Vikström. "Swedish artists continue to put the country on the map – Zara Larsson has had a truly global moment, and Swedish hard rock and metal are gaining ground with Ghost leading the charge."

Aside from Larsson and her Grammy nomination (hopefully win) for 'Midnight Sun', Sweden also lent a hand in terms of producing some of the songs that have defined the past twelve months. Ilya Salamnzadeh was one of the writers behind Ed Sheeran's 'Azizam', Elvira Anderfjärd produced Addison Rae's debut album, and Noonie Bao co-wrote Charli XCX's hit 'Apple'.