It’s that time of the year again — when Spotify wraps up your music taste in a colorful bow and hands it over for you to share with friends. Spotify Wrapped has become a much-awaited annual ritual that can feel both validating (“wow, I really am an ‘old soul’ with a listening age of 73”) and mildly humiliating, depending on your level of self-awareness.
As one of Japan’s most widely-used music streaming apps, Spotify also provides some insight into the songs and artists who defined the country’s music scene this year. This year’s charts confirm a huge moment for J-Pop: not only did one band absolutely dominate the charts, but Japanese music reached incredible new heights worldwide.
Read on for a glimpse into Japan’s most popular music this year, while also keeping in mind that Spotify’s data does not comprehensively reflect the whole country’s taste; many use other apps, or stick to analog forms of listening.
Kenshi Yonezu, courtesy of Billboard Japan | Photo by Tomokazu Yamada
Mrs. Green Apple Dominates Japan’s Domestic Charts
The popular rock band, Mrs. Green Apple continues their reign as the most listened-to artist in Japan for the third consecutive year. They maintained a jaw-dropping streak on the Spotify Japan Top Artist daily chart for over 1,503 consecutive days.
The band’s single, “Lilac,” was crowned the Top Track of 2025, jumping from last year’s second place to claim the position. The band didn’t just have one hit, either; they placed a stunning seven songs in the domestic Top 10, including “Que Sera Sera” and “Soranji.”
Just below Mrs. Green Apple and rock power trio back number, singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu came in at Number 3 on the artist chart, powered by his mega-hit “Iris Out,” which set multiple new records for the highest daily domestic streams in Spotify Japan history.
Meanwhile, boy band Number_i showed their massive presence in Japan’s music scene by landing “God_i” at Number 5 on the Top Tracks chart.
rosé and bruno mars in the “Apt.” music video
Viral Global Artists and Songs in Japan 2025
While domestic musicians continue to dominate Spotify’s charts year after year, there are a few global artists and songs that had decently high rankings on the Top Artist and Tracks lists.
For instance, BTS member Jin’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” placed 19th, Korean rapper Chanmina’s “Sad Song” placed 44th, and K-Pop group aespa’s “Whiplash” placed 54th.
Interestingly, no songs by Western artists or groups were found among the Top 100 tracks; aside from domestically produced songs, only Korean music had a presence. “Apt.” is the notable exception, as it features American singer Bruno Mars with Blackpink member Rosé (placed 24th).
Japan’s Top Artists of 2025 has a similarly domestically-focused lineup. Chanmina appears again as 11th on the list, alongside K-Pop groups Twice (17th), BTS (18th), Stray Kids (26th), TXT (33rd), aespa (35th), Seventeen (37th), Le Sserafim (38th) and Enhypen (50th).
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are the first Western artists to be featured on the list, placed 41st with their song “Die With A Smile.” They are followed by Taylor Swift, placed 43rd.
Yoasobi, courtesy of the Grammys | Photo by Kato Shumpei
J-Pop’s Global Takeover
The global charts confirmed that Japanese music enjoyed a strong presence abroad this year. Japanese duo Creepy Nuts’ song “Otonoke” was named the Most Streamed Japanese Song Overseas, marking their second year of winning the title.
Hits like Fujii Kaze’s “Shinunoga E-Wa” (I’d Rather Die) and Yoasobi’s “Yoru ni Kakeru” (Racing into the Night) also made the list, placing 2nd and 10th respectively.
As for the Most Streamed Japanese Artists Overseas, vocal powerhouse Ado dethroned the enormously popular Yoasobi, who held the title for four years, as the most-streamed Japanese artist worldwide, with nearly 80% of her streams coming from outside of Japan, thanks to her massive world tour.
Unsurprisingly, the love for Japanese music is often fueled by anime; the Demon Slayer playlist was a dominant force, even hitting Number 1 on Spotify’s global daily active users chart for five days straight.
