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You say 2025 and you say nostalgia. Pay attention, the last twelve months of music – but even before that, of course, we were simply catching up – have been characterized by revival. The most talked about, paid and coveted tour we’ve seen? The Oasis one, pure reunion. Just as Radiohead was a reunion, for the first time in concert without an album behind them, with nothing to say, just for the glory. The discussion also extends to Italy, with the returns of cult bands such as Afterhours, I Cani, Offlaga Disco Pax, now Litfiba. Here too, one could say that faced with the great fall of rock, a couple of generations of alternative orphans took refuge in their myths of the past, but that’s only part of the story. In pop, Max Pezzali has been carrying out a constant and maximalist revival for years, Francesco De Gregori himself has just undertaken a long series of concerts to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Rimmel and in any case, so as not to miss anything, even in rap and trap we moved on to anniversaries, respectively with the tenth Vero of Guè and of XDVR of Sfera Ebbasta.
Prisoners of the past
Of course, albums by new phenomena have also been released and have established themselves on the market. Above all, Bad Bunny, Puerto Rican, the most listened to artist in the world in 2025, who has brought reggaeton back – a new reggaeton, all played, more alto – on the map. But also, to stay in our backyard, Olly and Lucio Corsi, who in any case in their novelty look to the past: and it will mean something. That’s it. Today, what dictates the pace is the return of what was, nostalgia, from CCCP to Articolo 31, up to Paola and Chiara and Club Dogo. At first glance, it must be said that it is really difficult, in general, to look ahead, or at least keep up to date: the continuous flow of songs to which we are subjected, with dozens of weekly releases, makes it impossible for us to concentrate on a particular album, it makes it difficult for us to even just passionately follow the path of this or that artist (and who knows, we might reach a point of saturation), so in the face of such ferocious times it is better to return to the dear, old certainties. In summary: with today’s enormous and very rapid offer, looking at the present is not at all immediate, paradoxically, so it is better to look behind, where you have the sensation of having everything more under control. And okay, that’s a legitimate side of the coin. A need ours, let’s say.
Question of practicality
On the other hand, let’s not kid ourselves, there is a system that is building an empire on nostalgia and reunions and of which the artists themselves are the first accomplices – and let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is clear that then it becomes difficult to develop new music and the corridor to get ahead becomes increasingly narrower. The attitude of recent years, whereby we strike while the iron is hot (and therefore we often write songs that are always the same, often with the same authors, adapting and not breaking the rules), can be seen again in the revivals. But for a matter of mere practicality. That is, singers suffer from the same problems as us: today publishing an album of unreleased songs is a risk, attention on new projects lasts a maximum of a week and being able to pierce this iron curtain is a feat that falls to a select few. Just look at the 2025 rankings, which at the top had a turnover that we were not used to: the fact that there was not a single, true continuous phenomenon means that there was none Nobodywhich a Nobody It’s better to release a record or even just a single. Because it’s not profitable, especially considering that a large part of its revenue comes from streaming (and it’s mostly paltry). It’s a futile effort.
The main source of income for musicians today are concerts, with an upward game on fees that could also have disastrous consequences – as demonstrated by some empty stadiums last season – and which in any case smacks of speculation, but which at least says that, yes, investments are being made there. Here, in this sense, nostalgia – to be understood as a reunion, revival of the album We don’t need an album with which to pierce our already very low attention, we don’t need a song with which to govern the algorithm. The album if anything it’s already thereengraved in our memory in times when music didn’t last a handful of days. And the reunion and the revival I already am the news, are enough in themselves. That is, they are enough to indulge in a decent round of concerts. They don’t go justified. So, a prediction for 2026? Well, what can I say: more reunions, more nostalgia.
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