‘Tis the season again: to make a list, check it twice (and a couple more times for good measure) and then reveal who are the hottest artists of the year. In this case, we’re talking Billboard’s staff picks of the R&B artists who left the most indelible footprints in 2025.
Before moving forward, let’s underscore that these picks were not decided strictly by chart data. As we previously mentioned on our initial list in February, while chart success was a factor in the staff discussion, other criteria was also taken into account: vocal performance, musical and lyrical resonance, cultural buzz, touring success and business endeavors and partnerships.
There’s no doubt that some R&B fans will disagree with these staff picks and decry that other artists are more deserving of a slot on the list. However, there’s also no doubt that both sides can agree on one thing: that 2025 was a strong year for R&B.
As noted in Billboard’s October story predicting which R&B artists would score nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards, this year witnessed anticipated returns (Justin Bieber, GIVĒON, Teyana Taylor, Kehlani, Bryson Tiller) and breakthroughs by a mix of established and rising stars (Ravyn Lenae, Mariah the Scientist, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Leon Thomas).
This year also uncorked a refreshing blend of contemporary, alternative and traditional R&B as fermented by the aforementioned in addition to genre torch bearers such as Lalah Hathaway and Bilal plus promising movers and shakers such as Durand Bernarr, Kwn and Destin Conrad. Also notching notable buzz this year: Odeal and Summer Walker, the latter sliding under the wire with the final chapter in her Over It trilogy. Additional honorable mentions making in-roads in 2025 include Elmiene, Khamari and Alex Isley.
Then put another check in the win column labeled tours: R&B turned up and showed out this year, thanks to supremely successful runs by Chris Brown on his first-ever stadium world tour with special guests Tiller, Jhené Aiko and Walker; Brandy and Monica’s BPC Presents: The Boy Is Mine Tour; and The Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage. Tour starring Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Stephanie Mills.
R&B also will be taking center stage once again at the upcoming Super Bowl LX pre-game festivities, when Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Jones follows in the footsteps of Ledisi — the former’s fellow Grammy-winning colleague and also 2026 Grammy nominee — who memorably performed “Lift” at last year’s Super Bowl pre-game celebration.
All of which underscores another truth that can be agreed upon: R&B is doing the damn thing! With that said, let’s now unveil the hottest R&B artists of 2025.
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kwn (Feb. 2025 Rank: N/A)
Image Credit: Easy Ramsey With her witchy, sensual, bedroom-ready anthems — which pull equally from The Weeknd and Floetry — kwn emerged as one of London’s most alluring R&B exports this year. On Valentine’s Day, her viral makeout session with Kehlani in their “Worst Behaviour” remix music video catapulted the track to breakthrough hit status, helping it reach No. 9 on R&B Songs. By June, she launched her With All Due Respect EP, which found her linking with FLO, notching a minor hit with “Do What I Say” and mounting an accompanying headlining tour on both sides of the pond. Equipped with a unique queer perspective and world-building skills that have quickly captivated audiences, kwn made quite the impression this year. — KYLE DENIS
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Ravyn Lenae (Feb. 2025 Rank: N/A)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Atlantic Records Still riding off the high of her critically acclaimed album Bird’s Eye, Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae saw her hit single “Love Me Not” shoot up the charts this year, debuting at No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April and peaking at No. 5 in August. And while some feel like that particular song is more pop than R&B, it’s hard to deny the year that she had: Lenae has been putting work in. She started really bubbling in 2017 when she opened for SZA during the Ctrl Tour, and she took advantage of that momentum by teaming up with Steve Lacy for her Crush EP, which included the fan favorite “Sticky.” Lenae is proof that if you stay consistent, you will eventually be rewarded. — ANGEL DIAZ
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Summer Walker (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 9)
Image Credit: Rahul Bhatt Summer Walker spent the summer opening for Chris Brown’s history-making Breezy Bowl XX Tour. But by the time fall hit, she had kicked off the satirical, nuptial-themed campaign for her trilogy-capping Finally Over It album with the Grammy-nominated lead single “Heart of a Woman.” Separated into “For Better” and “For Worse” halves, Finally Over It finds Walker prioritizing peace after enduring the pain of past relationships, while calling back to ‘90s and ‘00s R&B sonics. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, notching the largest debut for an R&B album by a woman in 2025, and completed the chart-topping Over It trifecta by becoming her third No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. — HERAN MAMO
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Mariah The Scientist (Feb. 2025 Rank: N/A)
Image Credit: Vijat M Mariah the Scientist sparked the flame to her shimmering 2025 with “Burning Blue,” which netted the R&B singer her first top 40 hit and a No. 25 debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Teaming up with Kali Uchis, Mariah went back-to-back on the Hot 100 (No. 51) with the confessional “Is It a Crime.” Continuing her elevation, she parlayed her momentum into a No. 11 debut on the Billboard 200 with her intimate Hearts Sold Separately album in August. Following their fun Over It Radio interview, Summer Walker recruited Mariah for her Finally Over It standout “Robbed You,” which flips 50 Cent’s “I’ll Whip Ya Head Boy” into a hostile love ballad. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
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SZA (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 1)
Image Credit: Cass Meyers SZA continued to ride the high of her 2022 Billboard 200-topping album SOS into 2025 with its deluxe Lana edition sending it back to No. 1, while her “Luther” collaboration with Kendrick Lamar spent 13 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100. “Luther” also scored nominations for record and song of the year as well as best melodic rap performance at the 2026 Grammys, while their “30 for 30” collab and “Crybaby” from Lana also earned nods.
After popping out at his Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance, SZA took over more global stadiums with her former TDE labelmate for their Grand National Tour, which Billboard Boxscore reported as the highest grossing co-headlining tour ever. Outside of music, she made her feature film debut alongside Keke Palmer in the buddy comedy One of Them Days, while launching her Not Beauty cosmetic line and being appointed as Vans’ artistic director. — H.M.
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PARTYNEXTDOOR (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 5)
Image Credit: Courtesy For years, it felt like PARTYNEXTDOOR was being preserved as OVO’s secret weapon. His early 2010 releases were beloved and established him a cult-like fanbase, but superstardom remained elusive for the R&B singer, who seemed able to craft chart-topping hits for everyone except himself — with examples including Rihanna, Kanye West, and of course, Drake.
That all changed this year. Riding high off his third top ten debut with PARTYNEXTDOOR4 last year, Party and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U at long last gave the Mississauga singer his first No. 1 album, with all 21 tracks debuting within the Hot 100 as well. The momentum has not let up since, as Party has topped some more charts, toured the U.K. with his OVO brethren, entered the Fortnite universe, and most recently nabbed a Grammy nomination for “Somebody Loves Me.” As the Canadian crooner seems finally poised to step fully into the spotlight, it’s clear the R&B world has been more than ready to receive him. — MACKENZIE CUMMINGS-GRADY
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GIVĒON (Feb. 2025 Rank: N/A)
Image Credit: Ben Dorado + Daniel Derro GIVĒON spent 2025 reasserting himself as one of R&B’s most affecting storytellers. In July, the Long Beach baritone delivered his sophomore album Beloved, a 14-track meditation on modern romance told with striking emotional intelligence. Led by the top-30 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop hits “Twenties” and “Rather Be,” the set debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 — his second top 10 on the chart — and entered at No. 4 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, further solidifying his place as a commercial and critical fixture in contemporary R&B.
As Beloved resonated with fans, GIVĒON hit the road for his Dear Beloved Tour, a fall run that culminated in a career milestone: a sold-out headlining night at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Nov. 6. The achievement marked a major step forward for the singer, who will take the tour overseas in 2026 for his first European dates since 2023’s Give or Take trek.
He also notched a major radio win this year, earning his first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay through “Are You Even Real,” his collaboration with Teddy Swims that topped the chart in April. With a new album era connecting onstage and on the charts, GIVĒON’s soft-spoken delivery continues to cut deep, reminding listeners that vulnerability remains one of R&B’s most powerful currencies. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON
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Kehlani (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 7)
Image Credit: Markus Klinko The self-proclaimed “Serial Lover,” Kehlani’s 2025 hinged on her greatest strengths: honeyed vocals, emotional candor and a flair for nostalgia. After gliding across the remix of Jordan Adetunji’s Grammy-nominated heater “Kehlani,” the Bay Area luminary spent the year hopscotching between features with feline agility. Her placements — from kwn’s “Worst Behaviour” to Karri’s “Go” — doubled as a showcase of her generosity as a connector for rising stars, while her allegiance to her “Ring” bestie Cardi B remained ironclad on their top-30 Hot 100 anthem “Safe.”
Yet despite the torrid run of guest spots, it was Kehlani’s solo expedition on “Folded” that sealed her career year. The unabashed R&B singer/songwriter time-warped listeners straight back to the ’90s with her soft-but-scathing breakup anthem. Opting for peace over pettiness, she delivered a signature record that not only climbed into the Hot 100’s top 10, but also attracted remixes from R&B goddesses Brandy and Toni Braxton — cementing “Folded” as one of 2025’s defining R&B statements. — CARL LAMARRE
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Leon Thomas (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 6)
Image Credit: Raymond Alva From scoring the definitive R&B anthem of the year with his very Hot 100 top 10 hit “Mutt” (No. 6) to scoring a whopping six Grammy nominations, including album of the year, Leon Thomas represented rhythm & blues splendidly throughout 2025. Through the deluxe edition of his breakthrough Mutt album — which buoyed street hits like “Yes It Is” and “Not Fair” — Thomas graduated from an in-demand producer-songwriter to a front-facing rock star for R&B’s current mainstream resurgence.
The Billboard cover star won best new artist at the BET Awards, earned two MTV Video Music Award nominations, and launched his headlining Mutts Don’t Heel world tour, playing 50 dates across three continents. Reinvigorating the genre with his singular blend of soul, funk, rock and hip-hop, as he expanded upon with October’s PHOLKS EP, Thomas’ name was essentially synonymous with term “R&B” in 2025. — KYLE DENIS
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Chris Brown (Feb. 2025 Rank: No. 2)
Image Credit: Mastermind 2025 has been a momentous year for Chris Brown. His Grammy win in February for best R&B album (11:11 [Deluxe]) — his second after 13 years — provided the perfect ramp-up to the 20th anniversary of his self-titled debut album (Nov. 29, 2005).
He coupled that celebration with the Breezy Bowl XX World Tour, his first-ever stadium outing. Brown sang and danced his way through 39 cities and 48 shows. Entertaining 2 million fans across North America, Europe and the U.K., the indefatigable artist claimed his highest-grossing tour to the tune of $300 million. Now as 2025 draws to a close, Brown is still notching career wins. Peaking at No. 16 on the Hot 100, his latest single “It Depends” featuring Bryson Tiller also landed two nods in the 2026 Grammy derby: best R&B song and best R&B performance. — GAIL MITCHELL