BEYOND THE NOTES
Pictured: Lizzy McAlpine
December 29, 2025 | Jodi Chung
Knit sweaters paired with boots, cloudy skies, rainy days, falling leaves, and bare trees can only mean one thing: ‘tis the season for Sad Girl Autumn. Coined to describe the longing, melancholic feeling associated with the turning of the seasons and colder weather, the days may be shorter, but your playlist is on its way to getting longer. Whether it be breakup season, holiday loneliness, or that all-too-familiar seasonal depression, these five incredibly talented female artists should be next up on repeat.
Lizzy McAlpine
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter is nothing short of a sad girl staple. She offers incredibly raw lyricism paired with beautiful melodies, creating slower and remarkably touching songs. McAlpine delves into a variety of themes in her writing, from relationship troubles to personal guilt, and often the unnerving feeling of being the problem in romantic involvements. Her most recent album, Older, was released in April 2024. She has since released a deluxe version 6 months later. She has received highly positive fan reactions as she continues to release live versions of select songs.
Gracie Abrams
Though receiving the highest accolades of her career thus far as a result of her deliciously catchy pop hit “That’s So True,” Abrams is a sad girl to her core. Her debut album, Good Riddance, is a stunning masterpiece of 16 brutally honest, yet magnificently pieced-together tracks. With a highly personal, self-reflective, and mental health-focused narrative, Good Riddance is a rainy-day must-have. Her sophomore album, The Secret of Us, explores classic relationship matters and is an excellent showcase of lyrical and production harmony.
Sydney Rose
A breakout star of 2025, you may be familiar with her as a result of her viral song “We Hug Now.” The song has amassed nearly 200 million streams to date. It is a spectacular display of the harrowing songwriting she is capable of. Rose released an EP earlier this year, titled “I Know What I Want,” and writes about growing up and the feeling of time slipping away in such a method that may have you rethinking your entire state of being – at least now you will have a stunning soundtrack to go along with it.
Not for Radio
The lead singer of the Grammy-nominated band, The Marías, has recently indulged in an exciting solo project under the name Not For Radio. María Zardoya, a uniquely sensational vocalist, has released 10 songs on her latest album, Melt. These tracks provide a thoughtful, reflective perspective on the end of a relationship. They are guaranteed to induce the utmost levels of rumination with this masterpiece of a project.
Sadie Jean
Quickly staking her claim in the realm of all things sad girls, she is undoubtedly one to watch. From her 2023 EP, Simple Like 17, to her 2025 debut album, Early Twenties Torture, she is your go-to for prototypical girl struggles. Jean has a phenomenal ability to dive deeply into both personal and relationship insecurities, and makes her songs feel like an intimate manifestation of her very own diary.