Who’s Still Making Music for Adults?

STUDIO814
Jul 17
2 min read

Turn on the radio, scroll your feed, open any major playlist — and you’ll hear music made for teens, by teens, about teen things. Or music made by adults, pretending they’re still teens.

There’s energy, sure. But where’s the depth? The weight? The stuff that speaks to the messiness of aging, heartbreak after 30, rent anxiety, divorce, parenthood, identity shifts, real grief, long love, or the quiet burn of not knowing what’s next?

In 2025, a lot of people are asking: Who’s still making music for adults?

The Industry Skews Young — and So Does the Sound

It’s not new that the music industry chases youth. That’s where trends move fast, money flows, and content gets shared. But lately, it feels like everything is optimized for a 17-year-old with a short attention span.

Songs are shorter
Lyrics are simpler
Marketing is meme-based
Emotional range is compressed to “vibe,” “rage,” or “sad but hot”

That works for playlists and algorithms. But it doesn’t leave much for people who’ve lived through some things — and want music that reflects that.

What “Adult Music” Actually Means

It’s not about genre. It’s not about sounding old. It’s not about soft rock and jazz playlists on streaming apps. It’s about perspective. Honesty. Complexity. Maturity that doesn’t pander.

Music for adults sounds like:

Lyrics that embrace ambiguity
Songs that admit you don’t have answers
Themes that move past first love or first heartbreak
Sounds that aren’t afraid to breathe — not just hook you in 10 seconds
Voices that carry time, not just youth

It’s music that lives with you — not just music that trends for you.

Who’s Still Doing It Right Now

There are artists still writing from this space. Some have always done it. Some are growing into it:

Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Adele, Bon Iver, James Blake, St. Vincent — aging with their audience instead of chasing the next youth market
Little Simz, Solange, Sampha, Frank Ocean — not always releasing, but when they do, it lands
Cleo Sol, Moses Sumney, Nick Hakim, Big Thief, Laura Mvula, Yves Tumor, Feist — making space for nuance, melancholy, grace, and growth
Killer Mike, JPEGMAFIA, Pusha T, Kelela, Nas — proving adult rap still exists, and still slaps

They're not loud on socials. They’re not dropping every month. But they’re saying something real.

Why This Gap Matters

When the entire industry skews young, adult listeners feel invisible — like music stops being “for them” after a certain age. That’s how we lose lifelong fans. That’s how we flatten the culture.

People don’t stop needing music when they turn 30. In fact, they may need it more.

We need songs for:

People in long relationships that aren’t perfect
People going through burnout, not breakups
People trying to rebuild, not just glow up
People grieving, aging, healing — living

Conclusion: Make Music That Grows Up

There’s still a massive audience that wants music with depth. They don’t need it to be serious — just honest. Thoughtful. Adult.

In a culture that’s constantly chasing what’s new and young, it’s radical to make something that lasts.

So to the artists wondering if anyone still wants that kind of music: Yes. We do.

We’re just waiting for it to show up — and stay.