Billboard’s Best Photography of 2025

22 hours ago 3

Nothing tells a story quite like a photo, and Billboard has compiled more than 60 of the year’s most defining images.

In 2025, several of the music industry’s leading ladies graced the cover of Billboard. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and R&B icon Erykah Badu both fronted March’s Women In Music issue, Afrobeats superstar Tems posed for the May cover and Wicked: For Good star Cynthia Erivo appeared on the cover of June’s Pride issue. By August, hip-hop’s reigning queen Cardi B lorded over August’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players cover, while global crossover stars Rosalía and ROSÉ delivered stunning shoots for the November and December covers, respectively.

While the ladies certainly came to slay, the men also left quite an impression on Billboard’s covers this year. Jamaica’s King of Dancehall, Vybz Kartel, appeared on the year’s first digital cover, Khalid launched his new era on the cover of Billboard Canada, Leon Thomas made his cover debut for the R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue and EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi scored February’s Sports & Music issue.

Outside of the cover stars, several of the 2025’s buzziest breakthroughs were captured by Billboard, including rising pop star Aubrey Hobert, ambient artist Flawed Mangoes, “Burning Blue” singer Mariah The Scientist, country powerhouse Riley Green and Texas rapper BigXThaPlug. On the other end of the spectrum, Billboard also photographed industry icons such as Joni Mitchell and Daddy Yankee.

As other sectors continue to converge with music, several social media stars caught Billboard’s eye, including Kai Cenat and Druski, both of whom graced print covers in 2025.

Scroll through the following gallery to relive 2025 with a gorgeous collection of Billboard photographs.

Image Credit: Zoe McConnell
Tems photographed on April 1, 2025 in London.
Image Credit: Alex G. Harper
Rosalía photographed on Sept. 24, 2025 at Quixote Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Austin Hargrave
Leon Thomas photographed on July 16, 2025 at KEYS in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Caroline Tompkins
From left: Henry Holmes, Rhian Teasdale, Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand and Joshua Omead Mobaraki of Wet Leg photographed on Sept. 18, 2025 at the Brooklyn Paramount in Brooklyn.
Image Credit: Heather Hazzan
Gracie Abrams photographed on March 20, 2025 at the Brooklyn Paramount.
Image Credit: Diwang Valdez
Bad Bunny photographed on Sept. 3, 2025 at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan.
Image Credit: Joelle Grace Taylor
Rosé photographed on Nov. 10, 2025 at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Andrew Hetherington
Kai Cenat photographed on Jan. 6, 2024 in Marietta, Georgia.
Image Credit: Caroline Tompkins
The Marías photographed on Jan. 15, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Christian Cody
Faye Webster photographed on May 7, 2025 in Atlanta.
Image Credit: Ashley Markle
Pierre (left) and Henry Beasley of Balu Brigada photographed on March 19, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Heather Hazzan
Daniel Caesar photographed on May 5, 2025 at Corner Studio in New York.
Image Credit: Jai Lennard
Erykah Badu photographed on Feb. 7, 2025 at Mars Hill Farm in Ferris, Texas.
Image Credit: Munachi Osegbu
Kendall of Girlset photographed on Oct. 15, 2025 at The Kookaburra Lounge in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Ariel Fisher
Audrey Hobert photographed on Aug. 27, 2025 at the Silver Lake Recreation Center in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Songyi Yoon
Jennie photographed on Oct. 25, 2024 in Seoul, Korea.
Image Credit: Austin Hargrave
Alex Warren photographed on Dec. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Jasmine Archie
Royel Maddell (left) and Otis Pavlovic of Royel Otis photographed on Aug. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: AB+DM
Cardi B photographed on July 30, 2025 at Daylight Studio in New York.
Image Credit: Meredith Jenks
Daddy Yankee photographed on Aug. 27, 2025 at Rein Studios in Brooklyn.
Image Credit: LE3AY
Julia Wolf photographed on Oct. 20, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Malike Sidibe
Prince Royce, left, and Romeo Santos photographed on Oct. 29, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Ssam Kim
Ravyn Lenae photographed on July 11, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Lia Clay
From left: Luka Kloser, Elvira Anderfjärd, and Addison Rae photographed on July 22, 2025 at Quixote Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Austin Hargrave
Ghazi photographed on Jan. 11, 2025 in San Francisco.
Image Credit: Sami Drasin
Doechii photographed on Feb. 1, 2025 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Akasha Rabut
$uicideboy$ photographed on June 20, 2025 in New Orleans.
Image Credit: Erica Hernández
Cynthia Erivo photographed on April 21, 2025 at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Joe Pugliese
“Weird Al” Yankovic photographed on April 17, 2025 at Dust Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: AB+DM
Kali Uchis photographed on Sept. 20, 2025 at Lightbulb Studios in Philadelphia.
Image Credit: Gunner Stahl
Travis Scott photographed on Jan. 17, 2025 at Atlanta Daylight Studio in Atlanta.
Image Credit: Carl Chisolm
Mariah the Scientist photographed on May 20, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Raymond Alva
BigXthaPlug photographed on Dec. 4, 2024 at Electric Pony Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Abi Polinsky
Ningning of aespa photographed on Feb. 10, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Joel Barhamand
D’Mile photographed on Jan. 13, 2025 at his recording studio in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Ysa Pérez
John Summit photographed on Feb. 4, 2025 at Riverset Studios in Miami.
Image Credit: Caroline Tompkins
From left: Hester Chambers, Joshua Omead Mobaraki, Henry Holmes, Rhian Teasdale and Ellis Durand of Wet Leg photographed on Sept. 18, 2025 at the Brooklyn Paramount in Brooklyn.
Image Credit: Sami Drasin
Joni Mitchell photographed on Feb. 1, 2025 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson
Koe Wetzel photographed on Jan. 22, 2025 in Pittsburg, Texas.
Image Credit: Destinee Condison
Vybz Kartel photographed on Dec. 20, 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica.
Image Credit: Pooneh Ghana
Angela Aguilar photographed on Feb. 26, 2025 at Agave Estates in Katy, Texas.
Image Credit: Jennifer McCord
Xavi photographed on Dec. 3, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Christopher Patey
Carín León photographed on April 29, 2025 at Gran Ex-Hacienda La Unión in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Image Credit: Natalia Aguilera
Emilia Mernes photographed on Feb. 13, 2025 in Miami.
Image Credit: Will Crooks
Brandon Lake photographed on May 22, 2025 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Image Credit: David Needleman
Xavi, Nir Seroussi and J Balvin photographed on Sept. 7, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Diana King
Max McNown photographed on July 2, 2025 in Nashville.
Image Credit: Munachi Osegbu
Meghan Trainor photographed on Nov. 18, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Erica Hernández
GELO photographed on July 9, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Jessica Chou
LaRussell photographed on May 13, 2025 in Vallejo, California.
Image Credit: Diana King
Zach Top photographed on Dec. 2, 2024 in Franklin, Tennesse.
Image Credit: Harsh Jani
From left: King, Nora Fatehi and Anjula Acharia photographed on April 3, 2025 at Mukesh Mills in Mumbai, India.
Image Credit: Joelle Grace Taylor
Muni Long photographed on Dec. 13, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Christian Cody
Druski photographed on Nov. 10, 2025 at Hotel Clermont in Atlanta.
Image Credit: Sami Drasin
Tanner Adell photographed on March 29, 2025 at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Matthew Salacuse
Dana Biondi photographed on May 20, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Eric Ryan Anderson
Riley Green photographed on April 9, 2025 at Duck Blind in Nashville.
Image Credit: Malike Sidibe
Odeal photographed on July 25, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Joelle Grace Taylor
Khalid photographed on April 28, 2025 at Hype Studios in Los Angeles.
Image Credit: Tracy Allison
Megan Moroney photographed on Feb. 25, 2024 at The Paper House in Nashville.
Image Credit: Jasmine Archie
Grupo Frontera photographed on Dec. 20, 2024 in McAllen, Texas.
Image Credit: Kathryn Boyd Brolin
Chris Stapleton photographed on April 10, 2025 in Nashville.
Image Credit: Meredith Jenks
Lucy Dacus photographed on March 5, 2025 in New York.
Image Credit: Justin J. Wee
Flawed Mangoes photographed on Dec. 5, 2024 in New York.
Image Credit: Ysa Pérez
Tokischa photographed on Oct. 21, 2025 at The Fillmore Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.