Mirroring many other parts of New Orleans in 2025, the city’s music community this year had a lot to celebrate, faced new challenges, mourned losses and used art in acts of defiance and resilience.
Many people ring in the New Year with music-filled partying, but the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street started 2025 with tragedy. In the aftermath, though, buskers and club musicians returning to the French Quarter became emblematic of the city mourning and standing back up. Several local musicians held benefit shows to support those impacted, and Master P, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Mia X released a song, “New Orleans, Keep Holding On,” to benefit victims’ families.
New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl amid a typically busy Carnival season, and a number of local musicians were incorporated into the marketing, promotion and sponsored events. DJs Mannie Fresh, KLC the Drum Major, DJ Poppa and Legatron Prime were tapped by Apple Music to make mixes highlighting the city’s hip-hop legacy in the week leading up to the game…