Heated debate has been bubbling away among NHS leaders this year over which albums truly define 2025. In WhatsApp groups, long car journeys between trusts and the quieter moments after board meetings, opinions have been sharply divided. These conversations reflect the breadth of the service itself. NHS leadership spans generations, cultures, backgrounds and professional journeys, and the music that circulates among its senior ranks mirrors that diversity. What one executive reaches for as comfort, clarity or release may be unfamiliar to another, shaped as much by personal history as by role or responsibility.
Is Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving a quietly profound reflection on care and connection, or too gentle for a system under sustained strain? Does Lady Gaga’s Mayhem represent creative renewal, or controlled spectacle? And can an album as inward-looking as Oklou’s Choke Enough really speak to the lived reality of system leadership? The sheer breadth and quality of records released this year made narrowing the list far from straightforward. From confessional pop and experimental electronica to political rap, gospel, Afrobeats and long-established modern classics, the variety of music in circulation among NHS leaders reflects a workforce that is plural, international and shaped by many voices.
What follows is not a definitive ranking of taste, but a snapshot of what NHS executives are actually listening to in 2025. Popular music, it turns out, continues to inspire, irritate, divide and sustain. As it should.
The Albums NHS Execs Are Listening To:
1. OK Computer, Radiohead
Still the album most frequently cited by NHS executives, and still uncannily current. Its anxiety about systems, technology and human cost feels less like late-1990s paranoia and more like a diagnosis of modern public service.
2. Hounds of Love, Kate Bush
Returned to repeatedly for its emotional intelligence and endurance. Side two in particular, with its themes of fear, immersion and survival, resonates strongly with leaders navigating prolonged pressure.
3. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Time, stress, money and mortality. Few albums articulate the psychological weather of senior leadership as cleanly, or as enduringly.
4. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
Enduringly relevant in institutions built on collaboration under strain. Its emotional politics still mirror boardroom dynamics with surprising accuracy.
5. Divenire, Ludovico Einaudi
A favourite among medical directors and system leaders. Wordless, purposeful and precise, it is often described as music that helps thinking rather than distracts from it.
6. 22, A Million, Bon Iver
Fragmented, coded and emotionally searching. Particularly popular among leaders navigating complexity without clear resolution.
7. Blackstar, David Bowie
An album about mortality that never lapses into sentimentality. For NHS leaders, it feels less like art and more like quiet reckoning.
8. Ghosteen, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Returned to during difficult periods for its dignity and patience. An album about loss that offers no easy consolation.
9. Javelin, Sufjan Stevens
Often encountered during moments of personal disruption. Intimate and fragile, it is spoken about more in private than in public.
10. Laugh Track, The National
Songs about fatigue, responsibility and emotional containment land with uncomfortable familiarity. It feels unusually attuned to senior leadership.
11. My Soft Machine, Arlo Parks
Valued for its empathy and emotional literacy. A recurring favourite among leaders whose work centres on care, safety and people.
12. The Art of Loving, Olivia Dean
Warm, reflective and restorative. Frequently described as calming rather than distracting during difficult weeks.
13. A Complicated Woman, Self Esteem
Sharp, analytical and emotionally brave. Widely admired for its clarity and refusal to simplify experience.
14. Choke Enough, Oklou
Ethereal and precise. Its layered, restrained sound rewards attention without demanding it.
15. Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits
A long-standing favourite for its restraint and craftsmanship. Often returned to on long drives and reflective evenings.
16. Mayhem, Lady Gaga
A return to control, ambition and reinvention. Confident, disciplined and unapologetic.
17. Beatopia, beabadoobee
Intimate, guitar-led and emotionally precise. Popular among younger leaders and those drawn to understated storytelling.
18. More, Pulp
Funny, self-aware and tinged with melancholy. A record that resonates with leaders reflecting on legacy rather than momentum.
19. Curtis, 50 Cent
Direct, familiar and rhythmically assured. Continues to surface in personal playlists.
20. Lux, Rosalía
Ambitious, demanding and expansive. Its scale and experimentation have made it one of the year’s most discussed albums.
21. The ExPerience, Lila Iké
Measured, soulful and rooted. An album that emphasises balance, reflection and steadiness.
22. People Watching, Sam Fender
Direct, emotionally grounded and widely relatable. Its themes of grief and responsibility travel far across the service.
23.This Is Me, Sarah Geronimo
A reminder of the power of vocal performance and emotional clarity. Frequently cited for its sense of resolve and confidence.
24. Euro-Country, CMAT
Sharp, witty and politically alert. A record that balances humour with seriousness.
25. Listen Without Prejudice, Regine Velasquez
A touchstone for expressive range and control. Its presence reflects deep personal connection rather than trend.
26. Never Enough, Turnstile
Driven and propulsive. A record used as release rather than reflection.
27. West End Girl, Lily Allen
Culturally unavoidable in 2025. Its candour and detail have kept it in constant rotation and conversation.
28. Reggae Love Songs, Vybz Kartel
A consistent presence in rotation, valued for its melodic clarity and emotional tone.
29. Everybody Scream, Florence + The Machine
Dramatic, mythic and emotionally maximalist. Part of a long-running dialogue with her work.
30. Tyla, Tyla
Light, rhythmic and fluid. Well suited to long journeys and mental reset.
31. Double Infinity, Big Thief
Restrained, lyrical and quietly powerful. A record that rewards patience.
32. Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Immediate, playful and sharp-edged. A lighter counterpoint within heavy weeks.
33. Viagr Aboys, Viagra Boys
Abrasive, satirical and confrontational. Its presence reflects an appetite for provocation.
34. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis
Enduringly present. Its confidence, familiarity and emotional immediacy continue to resonate decades on.
35. If, Davido
Not an album but a recurring reference point. Its inclusion reflects how listening habits now move fluidly between records and individual tracks.
What was your favourite album of the year? Check out the playlist below to listen to what NHS execs were jamming to this year:
