Despite being a year that most people would prefer to forget, when it comes to music releases, 2016 was lit.
Kanye’s Life of Pablo, Queen B’s Lemonade, Bowie’s Blackstar, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, The Rolling Stones’ Blue & Lonesome, and Panic! at the Disco’s Death of a Bachelor are just a select few of the many albums released in 2016 that took the music world by storm. It’s a new year, however, which only means one thing; new music. In January The XX blew us away with their new album I See You, kicking this year off with a bang. Here’s a look at what genius 2017 has in store.
Dua Lipa Dua Lipa
Last year she teased fans of her upcoming work by releasing the track “Blow your mind (mwah) ”. This June she will release her full self-titled album which will include previous singles “Be the One” and “Hotter Than Hell”. Fans can expect to be really impressed.
Ryan Adams Prisoner
This will be his 16th studio album and it is expected to be even more of an emotional rollercoaster than any of his previous works. It will be very personal, grappling with topics like finding yourself again after losing someone you love. He released singles “To Be Without You” and “Do You Still Love Me?” which fans adored, but the most popular has been “Doomsday”, considering it’s timely release- the day before Trump’s inauguration. The powerful and moving album will be released on February 17.
Drake More Life
This album was promised to be released at the end of 2016. To the dismay of his fans, the album was delayed until early 2017. Nothing to worry about as Drake did release some of the tracks last November, like “Fake Love”, so fans can be reassured that when the full album eventually comes, it will not disappoint.
Charli XCX
This girl is most well known from her single “Boom Clap” which appeared in The Fault in Our Stars. This May she will release her third full studio album and she has promised she tried to make “the best pop album of 2017.”
Tinie Tempah Youth
This album is set to be released on 31 March and will include various collaborations. Appearing on the album are hits such as “Not Letting Go” featuring Jess Glynne, “Girls Like” featuring Zara Larsson and “Chasing Flies” featuring Nea. While some of the tracks have already been released, there is still much more to look forward to.
Major Lazer Music Is The Weapon
There is still no confirmed release date for this one, but what we do know is that it will be amazing. The album will feature huge names like Sia, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott. “Cold Water” featuring Justin Bieber was released last year and became one of the biggest hits of 2016, so we can only imagine what the full album release will bring.
Ed Sheeran Divide
There’s no way you could leave this one out of the list. After taking an entire year away from social media to focus on experiencing life and songwriting, Ed is finally back from his hiatus. In January he released the singles “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill” which threw fans into a frenzy. It is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated album of the year. The full album will be released on March 3rd, be ready.
These are only a few of the highly anticipated albums of 2017, but there are many other albums set to be announced for release this year and there are even more whispers about new albums that may or may not be coming soon. The Vamps released “All Night” which hinted at an album with a more EDM focus than before. Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, ex-members of One Direction, have both come out with solo music since the band’s split, giving fans the expectation of solo albums. And surely Jay-Z will release a counter album to Queen B. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade… When your wife gives you lemonade, you better start explaining. Other artists like Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris, Snakehips, Avicii, The Chainsmokers, Zara Larsson, Martin Garrix and Sia have all been rumoured to have albums in the works and coming out at some point in 2017. It’s set to be an incredible year for new music, keep an ear out.
Emer Handly