Apple Music has named Tyler, The Creator as its 2025 Artist of the Year, celebrating a run that became the most impactful stretch of his career. The recognition highlights how deeply he shaped music and culture over the past year, and it caps a period defined by record breaking streaming numbers, genre shifting projects, and major festival performances.
Tyler had his strongest year ever on Apple Music. Between November 2024 and October 2025, listeners worldwide logged more than 4.5 billion minutes of streaming time, marking career highs across plays, listeners, and hours listened. Apple says this surge in engagement reflects how dominant he became on the platform. DON’T TAP THE GLASS, released mid tour with no advance buildup, reached number one in more than 55 countries on day one. CHROMAKOPIA also broke his previous first day and first week records when it arrived earlier in the year.
The Tyler The Creator Apple Music Artist of the Year award comes after a year of nonstop output. He began 2025 with the most extensive tour of his career, supporting his most personal project to date. Then he shifted gears mid tour to write, record, and release a second album that sounded nothing like the first. The contrast between the two projects became part of the story, reinforcing why his approach stands out in modern hip hop.
His impact extended beyond streaming. Tyler headlined major festivals including Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and Osheaga. Camp Flog Gnaw, the Los Angeles festival he built himself, returned for its eleventh edition. He also earned five new Grammy nominations spanning both CHROMAKOPIA and DON’T TAP THE GLASS, showing how widely his work resonated across audiences and the industry.
Tyler’s creativity also moved into film. He will soon make his feature movie debut in Marty Supreme, a Josh Safdie directed period drama starring Timothée Chalamet. Apple notes that the combination of music, visuals, storytelling, and performance is part of what defines him as a generational artist.
Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director, said Tyler’s output represents what the Artist of the Year award is meant to honor. He highlighted how Tyler continues to take risks while also shaping the way fans and peers think about creative expression.
In his acceptance, Tyler thanked listeners directly. He said the support he received throughout 2025 made this the biggest year of his career. He also encouraged fans to continue supporting artists who fall outside conventional molds, noting how important that freedom is for those experimenting with new styles and approaches.
“To everyone who listens to my music, thank you,” said Tyler. “I appreciate you so much. This year, for my career, was the biggest so far. To be this year’s Apple Music Artist of the Year, it’s sick. I appreciate the love. I appreciate the recognition. It means a lot to me, especially for the music and things that I make. Please keep supporting folks who are a bit out of the box for how they do things; it means a lot to us.”
Apple presented him with the physical Apple Music Award, which is built around a polished aluminum and glass design featuring Apple’s custom silicon wafer. It represents the same chip technology that powers access to more than 100 million songs across Apple’s devices.
Apple Music users can also explore a curated collection of playlists celebrating the past year of Tyler’s work. And anyone who has recently Shazamed a Tyler track may see a message from him appear on their Home Screen.
