Ann Powers’ Top 10 Albums of 2025

DECEMBER 11, 2025 5:00 AM ET

Zeyne, AWDA
The most compelling Arabic pop — and there’s a ton to explore — blends elements of hip-hop and electronic music with the rich and varied folkloric sources of its home regions. Zeyne, who grew up dancing in a traditional dabke troupe and (like Rosalía, an artist with a similarly ambitious vision) studied classical music before finding her voice in R&B, beautifully blends sources and sensibilities on this no-skips song suite intertwining heartbreak songs with those about exile and the mental unrest a disrupted life can cause. Awda is Arabic for “return”; this debut album is a breakthrough statement about the many kinds of exile that can afflict people.

Zeyne's debut album was mixed in its entirety by Kauner. Listen below:

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Weaving Sounds Into Stories: The Sonic Journey of Kauner Michael MM ’20