R&B fitness music used to be found primarily in warmup or cool down mixes. Something you played when the hard part was over. In 2025, that changed. Tyla showed up in dance cardio. Daniel Caesar worked for recovery. Kehlani landed in the top 10 workout music tracks across our platform. Corresponding with broader cultural trends, R&B music broke out of its niche status and started showing up everywhere.

R&B fitness music used to be found primarily in warmup or cool down mixes. Something you played when the hard part was over. In 2025, that changed.

Tyla showed up in dance cardio. Daniel Caesar worked for recovery. Kehlani landed in the top 10 workout music tracks across our platform. Corresponding with broader cultural trends, R&B music broke out of its niche status and started showing up everywhere.

What happened? R&B fitness music is benefiting from the genre’s blending with other genres and an increased intensity. The infusion of country, hip-hop, and pop into R&B music has made it more versatile for curators programming music for workouts. It delivers emotional depth without sacrificing rhythm, something pure pop and electronic music can't always do. SZA, Doja Cat, Teddy Swims, Beyoncé, and Rihanna were in constant rotation this year. The newer, pop-leaning R&B wave kept things moving too, with fresh heat from Brent Faiyaz, Kali Uchis, Ella Mai, and Daniel Caesar fitting effortlessly into both high-intensity sets and cool-downs.

There's history here. Juan Hernandez-Cruz, senior curator at Feed.fm, pointed to a familiar pattern: "There was a time where R&B and hip-hop and pop collided. In the 90s and 2000s, it produced classic hits like Method Man and Mary J. Blige's 'I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By' and the high-energy women's anthem 'Lady Marmalade.' Today we see trends with hits like 'Luther' by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA or 'Safe' by Cardi B featuring Kehlani."

The timing matters too. Hip-hop is in a historic low, transitioning following a celebrated 50-year anniversary and widely publicized Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud. R&B is filling the gap, and fitness programming is better for it.

For platforms still treating R&B fitness music as an afterthought, the data says otherwise. The genre became connective tissue across workout formats this year because it serves emotional needs while working for the fitness climb and the comedown. That versatility is rare.

What to watch in 2026

Eric "Stens" Stensvaag, Feed.fm's Director of Curation, sees the wave continuing with. "more retro-flavored, uptempo R&B in the vein of Olivia Dean, Raye, Leon Thomas, and Ravyn Lenae." Think 90s and 2000s influences meeting modern production. If 2025 was R&B's crossover year, 2026 could be when R&B fitness music becomes essential programming.

The full report

The 2025 End of Year Report covers the songs, artists, and trends that defined fitness music this year, plus 2026 predictions from the curators who called Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan's rise early.

Inside you'll find:

• Top 10 tracks and artists with play counts
• Instructor request data revealing what pros actually program
• Analysis of the nostalgia economy, R&B's crossover, and genre convergence
• 2026 predictions from curators who called Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan's rise
• Customer success metrics and the business case for music strategy

Want the full picture?

Our 2025 Year in Music report breaks down the songs, artists, and trends that defined fitness this year, plus predictions for 2026 from our curation team.