In this episode of Live From Mars, I sit down with John Stein, Head of Editorial at Spotify, to break down Spotify Wrapped 2025 and what the year in music actually sounded like.

We go behind the scenes of how Spotify Wrapped is made, how editorial teams balance streaming data with human curation, and how playlists like Discover Weekly and Fresh Finds help artists break and grow over time. John shares his 12-year journey at Spotify, how editorial has evolved, and how decisions made inside Spotify impact millions of listeners every day.

We also unpack the biggest music trends of 2025, including introspective pop, album-first listening habits, country rock crossovers, masked metal artists, and why songs released in previous years continued to dominate the charts. We talk about slow-burn artists, touring as a growth engine, and how older catalog songs keep finding new life on streaming.

Plus, we look ahead to 2026 music predictions, the rise of more organic sounding music in response to AI, and which albums and artists might still be talked about a decade from now.

If you’ve ever wondered how Spotify decides what you hear, why Wrapped became such a massive cultural moment, or how music discovery actually works in 2025, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

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This week on Live From Mars, I’m joined by my good friend (and resident guy-who-screams-songs-in-the-car) Nick Palmai to finally give Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful the deep dive it deserved. We’re talking about why this album became my favorite of 2025, why it got such a mixed reception, and how a messy rollout and delayed visual release may have kept people from fully getting what Miley built here.

What we cover in this episode

• Why Something Beautiful is one of the most underrated pop albums of 2025
• Our IRL story: meeting at the Something Beautiful premiere and watching the film before the album dropped
• The rollout choices that helped and hurt the album (and why “End of the World” deserved way more)
• Why the project feels so cinematic, loud, and experimental compared to Endless Summer Vacation
• Best Worst Fave: our picks for the best song, weakest track, and personal favorites (yes, “Golden Burning Sun” stans rise)

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you’re following the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and if you feel like being nice today, drop a 5-star review.

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We’re continuing my Top 3 Albums of 2025 series with the record that kicked off the year’s biggest pop era: Lady Gaga’s Mayhem. I’m joined by two of my first internet friends, Seth and Amanda, for a full deep dive into the rollout, the tracklist chaos, Best / Worst / Fave picks, and why this album stayed in our rotation all year.

If you’re looking for a Lady Gaga Mayhem review, an "Abracadabra" breakdown, Mayhem Ball reactions, or Grammys Album of the Year predictions, this episode covers all of it.

Topics covered

• Why Mayhem is a Grammy Album of the Year contender
• "Disease" vs "Abracadabra" and how the Grammys premiere reset the era
• Tracklist debate, production shifts, and whether "Die With a Smile" belongs on the album
• Best / Worst / Fave picks including "Perfect Celebrity", "Vanish Into You", and "How Bad Do U Want Me"
• Most underrated songs on Mayhem
• Tour thoughts, Mayhem Ball performances, and what Gaga should do next
• Grammys 2026 predictions, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Dance Pop Recording

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro and Top Albums of 2025 series setup

02:37 - Seth and Amanda join the conversation

05:11 - Rollout talk: "Disease" to "Abracadabra"

06:09 - "Abracadabra" Grammys premiere reaction

11:37 - Does "Die With a Smile" belong on Mayhem?

13:30 - Tracklist debate and the two-halves album conversation

16:12 - Best, Worst, and Fave picks

20:30 - Why "Vanish Into You" hits and why Amanda disagrees

27:30 - Most underrated songs on the album

29:15 - What’s next for Gaga after Mayhem

35:21 - Grammys 2026 predictions across major categories

37:57 - Plugs and wrap-up

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