What defines a ballad? Usually a slower song, heavy on the songwriting, that is about love. It could be about the feeling of falling in love, or the messy feelings about falling out of love. There are moments of beautifully timed melodies and heartbreaking lyrics that make you say, “Oh, I’ve felt that way before, too.” Most importantly, it’s a song that’ll make you cry…and yearn…and fall in love…and cry again.
As we prep for the major film release of Power Ballad starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, we want to take a look at some songs that we’d consider iconic “power ballads.”
Power Ballad Out On June 5!
Our prayers have been answered, and Nick Jonas is back on the big screen. We’ve been waiting and waiting for at least one Jonas Brother to make a return to film acting, and it looks like Nick might be up first. Releasing on June 5, Power Ballad is about risking it all for a career that you thought you once had. We don’t want to give it all away, but this movie is all about the love of music – making music and the people you meet along the way in the industry. So if you’re here to read about power ballads and iconic songs, then you’ve come to the right place, and we know any music fan would also be a fan of Power Ballad, too. Plus, anytime we get to see Nick Jonas act and sing, we’re sold.
Get tickets to see Power Ballad when it comes to theaters everywhere on June 5!
‘All I Ask’ By Adele
If we didn’t start this list with Adele, then we’d be doing it wrong. Although she has an endless number of iconic ballads, we find ourselves listening to ‘All I Ask’ the most. It’s timeless and just so beautifully written, all the best qualities of a power ballad. When’s the last time you listened to ‘All I Ask?’
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‘Lay Me Down’ By Sam Smith
In terms of what it means to showcase powerful vocals on a ballad, Sam Smith is taking the cake here. Even though it was released in 2015, ‘Lay Me Down’ still hits the same in 2026. Sam’s vocals are just too powerful to ignore, and when we need an extra good cry, we turn on this song.
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‘Die On This Hill’ By Sienna Spiro
No one is doing it quite like Sienna Spiro right now. Performing ballads with her entire chest is her thing, and like many other fans, we can’t get enough. If you’ve ever seen Sienna perform live, then you know what we’re talking about. If not, we highly encourage you to stream any of her songs, but if you’re looking for that power ballad moment, check out ‘Die On This Hill.’
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‘Favorite Crime’ By Olivia Rodrigo
Still one of our favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs to date. Honestly, any song from Sour would qualify in our power ballad playlist, but ‘favorite crime’ just hits the spot perfectly. Do you think we can expect any more power ballad moments from Olivia on her upcoming album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love? We certainly think so!
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‘Adore’ By Prince
I hope you didn’t think we’d leave out this song! When we talk about power ballads, we have to talk about Prince. This was a hard choice for us, as Prince just might be the king of writing ballads. But, when we thought about it, we knew we had to add ‘Adore’ to this list. There’s truly nothing like the way this song makes us feel!
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‘Speechless’ By Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson is a certified yearner, and his love ballads are some of our favorites. ‘Speechless’ sits at number one, and if you’ve never heard the song before, genuinely, what are you doing? It’s one of the most heartfelt love songs that reminds us that we’re totally actually very much single. Regardless, we’ll sing along and yearn the same.
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‘Sign Of The Times’ By Harry Styles
Ballads are supposed to make you cry…so it’s a no-brainer that ‘Sign of the Times’ would be on this list. Harry Styles does the pop ballad genre justice, and now that he’s back on tour, we get to hear this incredible ballad live again. No matter how many times we listen to it, it breaks our hearts over and over and over again. But hey, isn’t that a sign of a power ballad?
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‘My Everything’ By Ariana Grande
Ouch, our hearts. Like all these other artists, Ariana Grande knows how to write a ballad, and certainly perform one, too. There’s nothing like hearing ‘My Everything’ live (maybe it’ll be included on the setlist for the eternal sunshine tour?), and we come back to it time and time again when we need a good cry. Do you think we’ll be getting more power ballads on her upcoming album, petal?
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Did we shout out your favorite ballad? If not, which song would you add to our playlist? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! If you’re pumped to see Nick Jonas in Power Ballad, hit us up! We wanna chat!
Find more songs to listen to here, honeybee!
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