The 10 Hottest R&B Artists of 2025: Staff Picks

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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