Yes, 2015 was ten years ago.

The year 2015 was more than Snapchat filters and rose gold – music was at its top form for this era-defining year. This 2025, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the beloved albums released in 2015 that set the tone for music in the decade to come. We saw evolution in all genres whether pop, rap, or more, and we witnessed songwriting and production at some of its best.

Ten years ago, Adele said “Hello,” setting the world on fire, One Direction broke hearts as they parted ways, Drake released “Hotline Bling,” we can recall it like all these groundbreaking moments in music happened yesterday. Kendrick Lamar‘s critically-acclaimed To Pimp A Butterfly shifted how hip-hop is crafted today, Lin-Manuel Miranda changed how we consume musicals, and more.

With all this in mind, here are Billboard Philippines’ picks for 15 legendary albums and EPs that turn a decade old this 2025.


Emotion – Carly Rae Jepsen

It feels like yesterday when Carly Rae Jepsen invited us to run away with her in a harkening synth-heavy journey of an album. As her third full-length record, the groundbreaking piece of work established itself as a near-perfect pop feature with radio hits, “Your Type, “I Really Like You,” and more. Co-written by the creative minds of Jack Antonoff and Max Martin, Emotion set the world on fire, proving Jepsen to be more than the girl who wrote “Call Me Maybe.”

25 – Adele

On the other side of the pop girl spectrum was Adele, who released her third full-length album, setting out for adulthood in her music. The record seeks out a new chapter for the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter, who embraces a newfound maturity after her prior works 19 and 21. Max Martin makes another appearance in 25, co-writing “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” ushering Adele into his signature heartbeat of a pace, channeling a folk-pop sound out of the vocalist in contrast to her usual pop-ballad stride.

Geography Lessons – Ourselves the Elves

As Manila gig culture was reaching its pre-pandemic peak, Ourselves the Elves released their debut EP, Geography Lessons. It’s an intimate, dreamy ride of an album full of love, and an old-timey movie kind of atmosphere. Introducing the local scene to shoegaze before it was popularized, Ourselves the Elves became one of the trailblazers for the independent music scene through this legacy-defining piece of work.

Made In The A.M. – One Direction

One Direction’s last album as a unit turns 10 this year. Made In The A.M. marked the British boy band’s first (and last) release without Zayn, and stands as a message of farewell to the era of boy band sensationalism. A number of their greatest hits adorn the record with “Drag Me Down,” “Perfect,” “History,” and more. The album ushers in a more mature direction for the boys, with a pop-rock leaning sound as opposed to the run-of-the-mill boy band production, and a grown-up kind of storytelling.

To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

If there was an album that revolutionized how we see hip-hop today, that’s Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. A certified platinum hip-hop/jazz hybrid piece of work, To Pimp A Butterfly tests the limits of how one can convey a story through a 16-track album. Incorporating the contributions of Thundercat, Pharrell, Rick Ross, and more, each track in this star-studded album is politically-charged, poetic, and sophisticated. Throughout its one-hour duration, Lamar takes you on a sonic journey in the first-person perspective of the oppressive nature of the African-American experience.

Debris – Sandwich

Electrically-charged and attention-hungry is Sandwich’s eighth studio album, which took the band in a more metal-catered direction. Debris is the steamy, angsty aftermath of their alt/rock album prior Fat Salt & Flame. Commended as one of the five-piece’s greatest works since their defining 2006 record, Five on the Floor, Debris was one of the most memorable OPM albums to come out of 2015.

Currents – Tame Impala

A maximalist, psychedelic rock outfit, Currents by Tame Impala was way ahead of its time. Kevin Parker created a lucid dream in his fourth studio album to date, making waves in skate culture, clubs, and all the nooks and crannies where we find stickers of its iconic album cover pasted. It introduced the name of Tame Impala to the mainstream, expanding his audience beyond compare. ‘Til this day, Currents remains one of the most influential rock albums in popular culture.

Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

2015 was largely defined by alt/R&B, and we have The Weeknd to thank for that. As his second studio album, Beauty Behind The Madness became platform for The Weeknd to become the multi-platinum, GRAMMY-winning artist he is today. With smash hits like “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” the record became Abel Makkonen Tesfaye’s first chart-topping album. Nominated for Best Album of 2015 and winning Best Urban Contemporary Album in the Grammy awards, this set out a path for success for the Canadian singer-songwriter.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – Drake

When Drake’s fourth mixtape dropped by surprise, anyone and everyone was using the album cover’s iconic abstract font to make memes and edits as they saw fit – that’s how big of a cultural impact Drake could promise at the time. The record was an aggressive cloud rap declaration of war against anyone that stood in the Canadian artist’s way, hitting hard and heavy with diss after diss in his smash hit “Energy.” If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late marked a new production style from Drake we’d yet to see at the time, as he veers into a darker, more hypnotic direction as opposed to his feel-good albums prior.

Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) – Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton was created ten years ago, let that sink in. Introducing an entirely new style of songwriting and craft into the world of musical theater, Lin-Manuel Miranda ditched the conventions and made history with his work on the soundtrack for Hamilton. Rap had always been a medium for drama and storytelling, but Lin-Manuel Miranda let this reach its full potential as a medium for theatrical expression. The album became a defining work in musical theater, marking the broadway show as a must-see in the bustling streets of New York City.

Oh, Flamingo! – Oh, Flamingo!

Oh, Flamingo!’s self-titled debut EP effectively put the Filipino indie darlings on the map, carefully curating a sound that would become distinctive of the Philippine independent scene. It was with this five-track feature that they built their audience in and out of the gig scene, crafting a coming-of-age narrative for all its listeners. With their impactful debut, the beloved four-piece established their names as staples in the up-and-coming Filipino indie scene.

In Colour – Jamie xx

With his full-length solo debut album, Jamie xx took the world by a storm of electric, dazzling dance music. It’s through the album’s 11-track runtime that we learn how music doesn’t need lyrics to make us feel an entire range of emotions hitting all at once. Fitting to its title, each song on the record shares a different color, but envelops its listeners in a warm embrace, welcoming everyone to the dance floor. Vocal contributions by Romy, Oliver Sim, Young Thug, and Popcaan decorate the album, as well, showing Jamie xx’s collaborative prowess.

Arigato, Internet – Reese Lansangan

Serving as Reese Lansangan’s debut album, Arigato, Internet! is some of the Filipino indie icon’s most defining work to date. Looking back at this record, the dialogue and songwriting explored in this 11-song are highly-definitive of its time. It’s a surge of nostalgia to hear Lansangan sing about tweets when they were still tweets, over the backing of a ukulele riff.

Honeymoon – Lana Del Rey

In her third full-length album, Lana Del Rey took on a completely new direction, ushering in complexities that didn’t quite fit the image of the ordinary pop star. It’s a gothic orchestral outfit that defined the Lana Del Rey we see today. Following the work she’d done on the soundtrack for Disney’s Maleficent revival, we almost see the singer-songwriter transform into the femme fatale she’d written for. Moody and heavy in tone, Honeymoon is some of the artist’s best work we’ve seen to date.

Peripheral Vision – Turnover

In their sophomore studio album, Turnover made the bold stand completely abandoning their pop-punk roots in favor of their well-loved dream-pop direction. With remnants of their pop-punk sound settling into the crevices of the album’s production, the mixture of punk and indie-pop crafted a sound that was entirely unique to the album’s inception. Through this full-length record, the album became a staple to all the indie-heads of 2015.