Google has unveiled its Year in Search

Google has unveiled its Year in Search, highlighting the top trending questions, cultural moments, rising stars and entertainment that captured the UK’s attention in 2025. This year, Brits topped the lists across music, TV and entertainment. From blockbuster sequels to rock royalty remembrances and a landmark year for British women in music, 2025 proved a year full of emotion, nostalgia and curiosity.

As the UK reunited around the long awaited Oasis resurgence, celebrated a landmark year for iconic British female artists and tuned in to watch favourite homegrown stars on The Celebrity Traitors, the nation once again turned to Search to follow the moments that brought people together and to make sense of it all.

Here are the themes that defined 2025 in the UK.

A landmark year for British women in music

2025 belonged to British female musicians. This year’s top trending female artists list shows just how strongly local stars resonated with listeners. The UK music scene in 2025 is a rich tapestry of voices and styles, with female artists confidently shaping their own narratives and defining the sound of the year.

Cat Burns takes the number one spot as Google’s Top Trending Female Music Artist of 2025, supported by the release of her album ‘How To Be Human’ and her standout appearance on The Celebrity Traitors. She tops a list that includes global superstars like Alanis Morisette and Gracie Abrams. Lily Allen features second on the list, following the release of her critically acclaimed album ‘West End Girl’, demonstrating that British women shaped the nation’s listening habits in 2025.

Reacting to the accolade, Cat Burns said:”This year has been a whirlwind. Going from watching The Traitors on my sofa to actually being in the castle was surreal, and the love I’ve felt from the British public has been genuinely heartwarming. To have that support carry over to my new album How To Be Human means the world to me. It’s been such a massive year for women in music, so ending 2025 as Google’s Top Trending Female Musician is the cherry on top.”

“From the Traitors castle to releasing How To Be Human, 2025 has been the most unexpected, incredible journey. I’m a massive fan of the other women on this list, so to end the year as Google’s Top Trending Female Musician feels unreal. A massive thank you to everyone who searched, streamed, and supported me this year, and I’m excited to see what’s in store in 2026.””

Joining Cat on the Top Trending Female Music Artist list are fellow Celebrity Traitors contestants Paloma Faith and Charlotte Church.

Rock royalty

Music nostalgia ran high this year. The UK mourned the death of Ozzy Osbourne, which sent searches for him and for Black Sabbath soaring. Both appear prominently in the top trending male music artist list, reflecting the country’s enduring connection to its rock icons.

Glastonbury Festival 2025 drove a massive surge in UK search interest for legendary rockers Rod Stewart and Neil Young. Their respective appearances—Stewart in the coveted ‘Legends’ slot and Young as a headliner—cemented their status as top trending male music artists for the year.

Oasis also once again captured the UK’s collective attention. Their long awaited 2025 reunion tour brought the nation together in a moment of shared nostalgia, with millions of fans attending 17 sold out UK shows as part of their 41 date worldwide run. The tour dominated headlines and search behaviour throughout the year, helping the band secure the number one position on this year’s Top Trending Male Music Artists list.

Bingeworthy blockbusters and television

Television played a major role in bringing viewers together this year. The first ever UK Celebrity Traitors became a national talking point from the moment the first clasped cloak appeared on screen. As fans tuned in to see which famous faces would stay faithful and which would be unmasked as traitors, the show appeared across multiple trending lists, including TV Shows and People, with Ruth Codd appearing just one spot below the newly anointed Pope Leo XIV.  The nation remained gripped throughout the twists and turns, with ‘When is Celebrity Traitors on’ surfacing as the third top trending ‘When is…’ question of the year.

Alongside the chaos in the turret room, Netflix’s Adolescence quickly became a breakout sensation, generating nationwide conversation and securing its place as one of 2025’s most talked-about binges and Google’s top trending TV series.

On the big screen, Brits turned to blockbuster sequels for comfort and nostalgia. Bridget Jones returned for her fourth film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, earning a place on the top trending movies list as fans reunited with one of the nation’s most beloved characters. Worldwide, Wickedmania continued as people across the UK searched for ‘When is Wicked 2 coming out?’.

2025’s Year in Search Top 10 lists: