What I'm Grateful For: 2025

Since 2021, WFUV has ushered in the holiday season with an eye to gratitude, asking musicians how they've navigated the past year — and the songs and charities that mean the most to them. (You can also read what artists wrote in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.)

For 2025, 15 artists have generously offered us their perspective on what it means to be thankful, even when the year has been a difficult one of grief (Patty Griffin), stolen instruments (Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths), attacks on trans rights (Meg Duffy of Hand Habits), or catastrophic storms in Mexico (Silvana Estrada).

FUV thanks Griffin, Stokes, Duffy, Estrada, Leon Bridges, Couch's Tema Siegel, Curtis Harding, claire rousay, Devendra Banhart, Frankie Cosmos's Greta Kline, Cannons' Michelle Joy, Presley Haile, Rachael Yamagata, The Belair Lip Bombs' Jimmy Droughton, and Gail Ann Dorsey for their words: 

What have you been most grateful for in 2025?

I'm most grateful for my community and friends. They give me the confidence to go out into the world and be great. - Leon Bridges

I have an especially great bunch of people around me — family, friends, people I work with. I know it won't stay still like this forever, so I'm so grateful for them all being here right now. - Patty Griffin

I’m grateful for restorative Sundays. I used to struggle to do leisurely things without feeling guilty. Now, I choose to step away from work to be unashamedly present in other meaningful activities that serve me as an individual and as an artist, especially just before a tour. - Tema Siegel of Couch

I have been grateful for our friends and music community. We had a tough EU tour where our instruments got stolen. Dealing with that so far from home, and the sheer amount of problems to solve while driving to a different place every day, it was hard. But so many people went above and beyond to help us source gear, work through issues, and just checked in. We felt very supported and very lucky. - Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths

I am consistently thankful for my health, family, and friends. Without these, nothing else holds the same significance. - Curtis Harding

My newly adopted cat named Daphne. She is a spunky tripod with the same thyroid disorder that I have. She does many cute things like throw up in my bed, try and eat my piercings out of my face at night, screams when she’s hungry, etc. I am grateful for Daphne in 2025. - claire rousay

Definitely the release of my album Vendrán Suaves Lluvias. I can’t believe the love it’s been receiving — I’m truly moved when I think about how difficult it was to make, and how now I can finally let it go into the world, trusting that music always finds its place — in the hearts of people. - Silvana Estrada

Strangers on a train, who from station to station go from kind to indifferent to cruel and back again, and I'm no different. And just remembering how very much we are all in the same boat, yet not the same, and I don’t know what others have been through is something worth remembering. I'm grateful for that and my Dharma teachers, who no matter how hard I try, still haven’t given up on me! - Devendra Banhart 

Putting out my record Blue Reminder and feeling extremely supported by the people around me that made it possible. And also, supporting Perfume Genius' record Glory as well as my own. It takes a village. - Meg Duffy of Hand Habits

I've been feeling really grateful for the positive attitudes of the people I've been touring with — my bandmates, crew, and other bands. Everyone's moods are the main component that makes a tour good. - Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos

I’m most grateful for my health and for the incredible love and support that surrounds me every day. Having people who show up, believe in me, and hold space for me: that’s everything. - Michelle Joy of Cannons

My team. I’ve had so many incredible folks in my corner this year helping me open doors and stay the course. Without them it’d be a lot harder to keep it between the lines. I’m endlessly grateful for their support, guidance, and belief in what I’m doing. - Presley Haile

Learning to live in more clear alignment with my heart. It’s brought in such beautiful support in every area of my life. - Rachael Yamagata

There’s so much that we don’t take for granted in 2025. We’re privileged to see the world while sharing our music. Our second album, Again, came out in October with the support from Third Man Records. We’re also so grateful for the network we have built around us and couldn’t have done any of this without them. - Jimmy Droughton of The Belair Lip Bombs

In 2025, I have been very grateful for all of the people in my life who support me in believing in myself and reinforcing a relevance for existing. That includes many people in my close personal and professional circles on a daily basis, as well as the incredibly beautiful souls who continue to show up at my performances, connect with me through the digital portal, and find a meaningful connection with my music. All said, what I have been most grateful for is my health, which allows me to get through it all. - Gail Ann Dorsey 

Gail Ann Dorsey (photo by Jimmy Fontaine, PR)

Is there a particular cause or charity that means a lot to you and why?

I'm really proud of my charity, The Big Good, that I started with my friend Gary Patterson. It’s only been around for five years and we’ve been able to pour so much money back into our community. - Leon Bridges

There are so many things. I keep steady contributions going to a lot of different things, like helping people pay their bills. -Patty Griffin

Rosie’s Place has been on my mind a lot lately. They’re a Boston-based women’s shelter, food pantry, community center, and much more. Millions of Massachusetts residents are losing access to food aid right now, and they’re in need of the services Rosie’s Place provides. Beyond offering food and shelter to unhoused women, Rosie’s Place also takes preventative action and seeks long-term solutions via advocacy, housing stabilization programs, and legal services. They believe in dignity for all, including immigrants and trans women. I’m so glad there’s an organization like Rosie’s Place in my community, and I’m very excited to fundraise for them on tour this fall through our program, Couch Family Photos! - Tema Siegel of Couch

To The Front Aotearoa (aka Girls Rock) is an organization in New Zealand that connects girls, trans, intersex, takatāpui, queer, and gender-diverse youth together with music, primarily with school holiday programs where you start a band and write songs together with mentors from the local music community. It's been going since 2018 and it's been really cool to see it flourish. - Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths

In my view, treating yourself well is the highest form of charity. If you don’t practice self-kindness, it’s challenging to extend that kindness to others. - Curtis Harding

The Trevor Project allowed me to give them money from a benefit project related to a cassette release a few years ago. not all causes accept your money but this one did, gladly. - claire rousay

Right now, in Veracruz, my homeland in Mexico, we’re suffering from terrible floods — unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Climate change is a reality, and it’s affecting the most vulnerable regions of the world. Climate change is definitely a cause that deeply worries me at the moment, because of how it’s impacting my region and others across the global south. - Silvana Estrada

Basically anything that has to do with bringing attention to the decades long ongoing destruction of Tibet. [Students for a Free Tibet.] - Devendra Banhart

TENT (Transgender Education Network of Texas): They have so many resources for trans youth in Texas who need support in a state that has an overwhelming amount of anti-trans legislation/advocates. - Meg Duffy of Hand Habits

Abortion funds. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to make decisions about my own body and health, but that shouldn't be an anomaly. - Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos

Yes, Women in Distress holds a special place in my heart. They help women escape domestic violence and rebuild their lives through shelter, therapy, childcare, and job support. My mother was once helped by the organization and now gives back by volunteering and helping secure funding. Knowing that a refuge like this existed for her, and continues to exist for women in need, inspires me to support it however I can. - Michelle Joy of Cannons

I’m a huge animal lover, so any rescue or adoption cause comes first to mind. Every animal deserves to be loved and cared for, and I’m grateful for organizations that make that possible. - Presley Haile

Living in harmony with our natural environment and protecting animals is dear to me. I think there is a bridge to a kinder world as we recognize the consciousness connection between all living things. - Rachael Yamagata

There are many great causes, ideas, and wonderful efforts by well intentioned, goodhearted people for so many things that desperately need attention, but one that feels particularly moving for me are people and charities that rescue and care for animals, particularly dogs, cats, and other domestic-type animals, but not excluding all wild and tamed living creatures. The reason why is I feel there is great knowledge about existing in natural harmony with one another on this planet to be learned from the animals Maybe it could even eliminate some of our friction with one another as humans if we looked into this more seriously. - Gail Ann Dorsey

The first that comes to mind is Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian aid that provides critical medical assistance to regions in conflict. Everyone deserves access to healthcare and we fully support their indiscriminate assistance. Another close to home would be the multiple Australian bush fire relief charities. Every summer in Australia comes with the risk of devastating bushfires that get worse every few years. The impact on ecosystems is severe and many people's lives change after their homes are destroyed. - Jimmy Droughton of The Belair Lip Bombs

(Photo of The Belair Lip Bombs by Bridie Fitzgerald, PR)

When you look back at your life as a musician, what song are you most grateful to have written and why?

I’m most grateful for "River." I think that song is the most transcendent and poignant of all my work and is a reflection of my most authentic self. - Leon Bridges

I can't put my own songs in that context. But I have written a lot of things over the years about my mother. (Which is funny because she and I made up little songs when I was very small ... my first songs were written with her! ) It wasn't always a popular thing with her, in fact it was controversial at times, but I think it helped us both in the long run, to know each other better. It certainly opened the dialogue between us more often. She passed at 93 this year. If I have had a steady muse, it's been my mom. - Patty Griffin

At this moment, maybe "On The Wire," one of the singles off of our new album, Big Talk. It’s about being unfairly prickly towards people I love and feeling upset with myself for making them feel bad. The second verse is dedicated to my bandmates. I’m grateful to be able to write honestly about our dynamic and I look forward to singing this one with/to them night after night on tour! - Tema Siegel of Couch

I guess I'm grateful for the song "Whatever." When I decided I might start a band, I wrote so many songs, but I knew they weren't very good. "Whatever" was the first one where I felt like it was doing what I wanted it to do. It was the first demo I shared with my friends who would become my bandmates. Then it was our first song to receive funding from NZ on Air to make a music video, and that music video had a very minor viral moment on /r/listentothis that meant I was selling our EP CDs on Bandcamp to people round the world. It made touring internationally feel like a distant possibility and I'm grateful for it. - Elizabeth Stokes of The Beths

Every song evokes a sense of gratitude for me. However, I believe the songs I have yet to compose hold the greatest gratitude, as they represent the anticipation of what lies ahead. - Curtis Harding

None of them. I’m very grateful for a lot of songs written by other people though. anything by Vic Chesnutt will do - claire rousay

I’m very proud to have written "Si Me Matan," a song that speaks about femicide in Mexico, but has become a feminist anthem internationally. It saddens me to think that we all live with fear right under our skin, simply for being women. The magic of this song is that it revealed to me the immense community of women who dream of a better world — who want dignified, free lives for ourselves and for those who will come after us. I believe it’s a song filled with love and hope. - Silvana Estrada

This question may be why I keep writing songs! I still don’t have an answer! The first thing that came to mind was a cover, just getting to record a song by Ella Jenkins called "Wake Up, Little Sparrow" meant the world to me. Listen to the original and try not to weep! - Devendra Banhart

Every song teaches me a bit more about myself, about what's swirling around inside. I think at this moment, the title track from Blue Reminder showed me a lot about myself. It also hit a lot of compositional markers for me, harmonically and structurally. - Meg Duffy of Hand Habits

I'm grateful for every song I write. Writing a song is one of the most intimate and thoughtful ways to spend my time, and anytime I can do that, I feel incredibly lucky. - Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos

“Sweeter” means the world to me. Every time I perform it, I imagine myself dancing with my dad in another lifetime. Our relationship was complicated and painful at times, but I found peace with him before he passed and even more through this song. "Sweeter" lets me imagine a softer version of us, one filled with love, forgiveness, and hope. It reminds me that music has the power to bring beauty to even the hardest parts of life. - Michelle Joy of Cannons

In 2021, Nick Brumley and I wrote "Mountain Daughter." It felt like catching lightning in a bottle, one of those songs that just arrives. That song carries so much meaning for both of us, and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. - Presley Haile

"Elephants" was certainly a gift, introducing me to a new more intuitive way of creating. It has a magic in it that has brought very life-changing people into my world. It also broke me from formula in an important way. - Rachael Yamagata

Each of us has a song we hold close to our heart but we were all blown away by the reception of our lead single "Hey You." It set the tone for what the coming year would look like and has been a great inspiration of what we can achieve together. - Jimmy Droughton of The Belair Lip Bombs

I would have to say one of my more recent songs, a song called "Maybellene." I will be releasing this song early next year as the second single from my forthcoming album in spring 2026. Something about this song seemed to materialize for me through some kind of vortex that I rarely, if ever, experience when I am attempting to write a song that turns out like this, and I sincerely believe it was specially sent to me as an answer, a thank you, and as a healing for myself. It's a song about suicide. Whenever I perform this song at my concerts, something special enters the space. I am deeply grateful to have been blessed with creating a song with such an energy. - Gail Ann Dorsey

[Ed. note: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.]

About the artists/bands:

Leon Bridges: Following 2024's Leon, Bridges' most recent releases include a Christmas single with Norah Jones ("This Christmas I'm Coming Home") and his collaboration earlier this year with Hermanos Gutiérrez ("Elegantly Wasted"). Bridges and Charley Crockett also hit the road this summer for "The Cowboy and The Crooner" tour.

Patty Griffin: Her eleventh album, Crown of Roses,  released in July, is the singer's first in six years and was nominated for a 2026 Grammy in the "Best Folk Album" category.

Couch: The Boston-based septet released their debut album, Big Talk, in October. The band of longtime friends, who released their debut EP in 2021, are in the midst of a 2025 North American tour with UK/EU dates in 2026.

The Beths: Aside from confronting thievery and a broken-down bus, The Beths have had an otherwise good year thanks to their much-praised fourth album, Straight Line Was a Lie. They'll be back in New York on December 5 for a show at Bowery Ballroom.

Curtis Harding: The Atlanta-based singer released his celestial fourth album, Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt in September — and has tour adventures ahead this winter, including a gig at Brooklyn's Elsewhere on January 23.

claire rousay: The prolific, adventurous Canadian musician released her latest, a little death, on Halloween. Her North American tour continues until December 7 with UK dates in April 2026.

Silvana Estrada: The Latin Grammy winner's second album, released in October, is Vendrán Suaves Lluvias, which she produced. Estrada just played Webster Hall in November and her North American tour continues until December 5 with a full tour of Mexico in February 2026.

Devandra Banhart: In September, Banhart celebrated the 20th anniversary of Cripple Crow by releasing a new deluxe edition with a previously unreleased B-side, live recordings, and demos (including a demo of "I Feel Just Like a Child"). Banhart embarks on an extensive tour of South America in Feburary.

Hand Habits: Meg Duffy, who records as Hand Habits, released their new album Blue Reminder, in August. In addition to touring behind their own new record, Duffy has also been on the road as part of Perfume Genius's touring band (which included an FUV Live session). As Hand Habits, Duffy will tour North American with Cass McCombs in April 2026.

Frankie Cosmos: Greta Kline and her bandmates have a new album, Different Talking, the New York band's sixth release. In a statement, Klein says the album is about being "grown up and figuring out how to know yourself." The quartet tours Japan in Feburary.

Cannons: Singer and lyricist Michelle Joy and her bandmates released a new single this year, "All I Need," and have announced the "Afterglow" tour with Bob Moses for the spring of 2026. That tour includes two New York dates at Brooklyn Paramount on April 16 and 17.

Presley Haile: In June, Texas-born Haile released her debut EP, Off to Find a Sunny Day after breaking out with her 2023 single "Mountain Daughter."

Rachael Yamagata: Rachael released her first album in nine years, Starlit Academy, in October that includes the single "Somebody Like Me."

The Belair Lip Bombs: The Australian quartet dropped their second album, Again, on Jack White's Third Man Records in October. Their 2026 North American spring tour will include two New York dates at Night Club 101 on April 9 and Baby's All Right on April 10.

Gail Ann Dorsey: Bassist and singer Gail Ann Dorsey has released her first new solo single in 21 years, "(It Takes All Kinds) To Make a World," ahead of a 2026 album. A longtime part of David Bowie's band, in January, she joins former Bowie bandmates for "The Sound and Vision of David Bowie."