2017 was a great year for music, but as we move forward into the new year, Music News & Rumors has curated a master list of the 25 Most Anticipated Albums of 2018, which compiles everything that is out there about each artist’s new music. These next 12 months are shaping up to be a big year for music, so read on to see what’s in store.
Ariana Grande
Most Recent Album: Dangerous Woman (May 20, 2016)
Ariana Grande enters the new year following a very successful 2017. Despite not releasing any new music of her own this year, Ariana Grande has remained a very prominent figure among pop culture. She has spent much of the year [2017] working on her new album – the highly anticipated follow-up to “Dangerous Woman”. Everyone knows the horrific incident which took place at one of her Dangerous Woman Tour concerts in Manchester, and Ariana Grande took some well-deserved time off to recuperate from that, but it did not keep her from doing something to pitch in and help. Soon after, she and Scooter Braun, her manager, got to work organizing a benefit concert featuring performances from some of music’s biggest names like Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan, Pharrell, Little Mix, and more. Fans got to hear two new tracks from Ariana Grande including her beautiful “Beauty and the Beast” duet with John Legend and the underrated “Quit” with Cashmere Cat. For the better part of the second half of 2017, Ariana Grande has been hard at work on her fourth studio album, which fans are nicknaming AG4, working alongside her newest collaborator and the project’s producer, Pharrell Williams.
Not too much is known about the specifics of the album, but Scooter Braun and Pharrell have revealed tiny bits of information in recent interviews. In an interview for Variety Magazine, Scooter Braun says, “She has such an extraordinary voice, and it’s time for her to sing the songs that define her. Whitney, Mariah, Adele … when they sing, that’s their song. Ariana has big vocal moments; it’s time for her song.”1 This may not reveal much, but if these few sentences are any indication of the music on the way from Ariana Grande, we are in for some quality music. While visiting the TODAY Show a few months ago, Pharrell gave an update on some of his current projects including his work with Ariana: “Well, the Ariana Grande stuff is pretty amazing. The things that she has to say on this album, it’s pretty next level. Her album is amazing.”2 Again, this quote is not as revealing as some fans may hope, but it is worth noticing that he mentions “the things that [Ariana] has to say on this album.”
Ariana has shared much less of the AG4 process in comparison to the making of “Dangerous Woman.” Fans have not gotten many previews of new songs until very recently. On December 31, 2017, just before midnight, Ariana Grande posted the first real snippet of new music from her new album on Instagram with the caption, “see you next year,” which included the lyrics, “You can feel it, feel it,” with a series of angelic hums and oohs.
Fans must remember that the “Dangerous Woman” era isn’t over just yet. For months, Ariana Grande has been teasing the “Dangerous Woman Tour Film”. This is expected to be released in the very near future and prior to the official launch of the AG4 era, so fans have at least one more thing to expect before the release of any brand new music from her new album.
Ariana Grande’s career has been rising at a constant rate, and with expectations so high, her upcoming album is predicted to be a massive success.
Nicki Minaj
Most Recent Album: The Pinkprint (December 15, 2014)
Nicki Minaj’s upcoming fourth studio album has been one of the most discussed album releases for the past several months. She has been teasing fans repeatedly with pictures from inside the studio – even some with possible featured artists – and sharing tweets hinting around about the new music and even sharing possible new lyrics. In March 2017, Nicki Minaj released a three pack of new songs including “No Frauds” with Drake and Lil Wayne, “Changed It” with Lil Wayne, and “Regret In Your Tears”. “No Frauds” and “Regret In Your Tears” even got the proper music video treatment.
However, do not be fooled; Nicki Minaj did not spend her entire 2017 sitting around to only release three songs. She has attempted to quench her fans’ thirst for new solo music by being featured on several songs and remixes that went on to be impressive hits. The Barbz are obviously eager for some new solo music, but they would never turn down a good feature or remix from Nicki. Some of the most noteworthy collaborations that Nicki Minaj was involved with this past year include “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry, “Rake It Up” with Yo Gotti and Mike WiLL Made-It, “Kissing Strangers” with DNCE, “Motor Sport” with Migos and Cardi B, “Make Love” with Gucci Mane, “Swalla” with Jason Derulo and Ty Dolla $ign, “You Already Know” with Fergie, Run Up with Major Lazer and PartyNextDoor, and countless others. This year has been successful in securing Nicki Minaj’s title as the female artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 hits of all time, surpassing Aretha Franklin for the most total appearances by a female on the chart in its history.
Nicki Minaj’s fans have nicknamed her new album NM4, as it is her fourth studio album, and she has done a great job at keeping it shrouded in secrecy for the past several months. It has been rumored among her fans that the album would be titled after her real name, “Onika”, and she even recently tweeted simply the word “Onika,”3 which further ignited the rumors. We will wait for an official announcement from Nicki before saying the album title, though. It was previously revealed by Nicki that she would be announcing her upcoming tour dates the week of the release of her new album. However, this was said months ago, and plans could have easily been changed by now. In an Instagram comment from August, Nicki replied that she would be touring at “the top of next year [2018.]” Nicki promises that her new album is “gonna be ya favorite one,”4 your top 5 songs from “The Pinkprint” are “definitely about to be dethroned by #NM4,”5 and she wants to “make sure that [her new album] is a classic hip-hop album that people will never forget.”6
Fans have been eagerly waiting to get Nicki Minaj’s new album in their hands – and on their phones – and it seems safe to say that they will have it sooner rather than later.
Beyoncé
Most Recent Album: Lemonade (April 23, 2016)
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of “Lemonade” by Beyoncé, so obviously the anticipation for her new music is always on high. We all know that Beyoncé is notorious for working in total secrecy, so an album could very well be dropping in the next fifteen minutes without anyone knowing. With her headlining performances at Coachella coming up in April, there has been buzz in the music industry that Beyoncé could be planning to release new music in the early part of 2018 leading up to the show. This would make sense as it is a huge audience, both in the actual crowd and those who watch via livestream, but Beyoncé is the most unpredictable in the game, and fans should know by now that she should never be expected to follow any plans but her own.
While the Beyhive didn’t really get any new solo music this year – other than the official release of “Die With You” – Beyoncé blessed them by featuring on several collaborations and remixes released in 2017. Some of these include “Shining” with DJ Khaled and JAY-Z, “Family Feud” with JAY-Z, “Mi Gente (Remix)” with J Balvin and Willy William, “Walk On Water” with Eminem, and most recently, “Perfect Duet” with Ed Sheeran – which earned her a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Needless to say, anything Beyoncé touches is elevated to even higher success.
It was announced that Beyoncé will voice Nala in the upcoming remake of Disney’s “The Lion King,” which hits theaters on July 19, 2019. Beyoncé will also be contributing music including new versions of songs like “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to the movie’s soundtrack, which she is reportedly in the process of planning and recording with Elton John. This new music for “The Lion King” will not be released in 2018, however, as it will be released closer to the time of the movie in 2019. Between recording her parts for Nala and recording the new soundtrack, Beyoncé will definitely be busy with “The Lion King” for a little bit.
JAY-Z recently confirmed that there were originally plans for a joint album from him and Beyoncé before it turned into each of their solo albums, “4:44” and “Lemonade”, respectively, so this long-rumored collab album could still be on the table as well.
Never one to take too long to rest, Beyoncé is currently working on several major projects at once – and probably lots more that we have no clue about – so, in whatever capacity it comes, new Beyoncé music is expected to be released in the very near future.
Justin Timberlake
Most Recent Album: The 20/20 Experience (March 15, 2013) and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (September 27, 2013)
Justin Timberlake has been hard at work on his new album, and it seems that we are very close to hearing what he’s been busy with for the past few years. JT has been pretty vocal about who he is working on his new project with, and it looks like the main producers on his new album are Pharrell, Timbaland, Max Martin, Shellback, and Danja. Timbaland recently talked about Timberlake’s new album in his latest interview for Rolling Stone: “The music we just made? It’s gonna put him on another plateau.”7 Though he has not released a new album since 2013, Justin Timberlake has remained very popular with the release of the hit song “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” for the “Trolls” movie, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably still hearing it frequently on the radio.
The specifics of Justin Timberlake’s new album are being kept tightly under wraps, but we can only assume that coming from him, it will be a quality project. Paparazzi have recently shot some pictures of Justin Timberlake on the sets of a few new music videos. His wife and actress Jessica Biel will also apparently star in at least one of the upcoming videos, according to the paparazzi shots. It is being reported that Justin Timberlake has been shooting several music videos for his new music, so there are rumors that JT’s new album will be released with some sort of visual component; maybe even a visual album.
A very recent article published in Rolling Stone Magazine from December 29, 2017 says, “Someone who’s heard the new album says it ‘pushes boundaries in ways you don’t expect. It’s gonna have a lot of hits’ and includes a collaboration with country star Chris Stapleton.” From that same article, it was reported that “another source confirms that Timberlake is also planning an arena tour. His last, ‘20/20 Experience’ World Tour, earned $230 million. ‘It’s going to be humongous,’ says one promoter.” A few tour dates have started to leak, and it looks like tickets for at least some of Justin Timberlake’s upcoming tour will start to go on sale during the month of January.
With rumors have been circulating around the release date of his new music, there is a very important event coming up on Timberlake’s calendar – his headlining performance for the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show on Sunday, February 4. He is expected to release new music leading up to the highly promoted performance. TMZ recently reported that Justin Timberlake has filed paperwork to register the phrases “Man of the Woods” and “Fresh Leaves,”8 which are now rumored to be the titles of the album and lead single, respectively. The lead single of the project is expected to be released in early January 2018; likely the first Friday of the year – January 5. Justin Timberlake just updated his website with a mysterious and new symbol/logo that looks like a combination of the letters, “MOTW,” which stand for “Man of the Woods” on December 29, so new music is imminent. Different reports are saying different things about the release date of the album with the majority reporting that it is coming around the same time as his Super Bowl LII Halftime Show performance on Sunday, February 4.
The exact genre of the album is another aspect that is still up in the air, especially with the producers involved. Pharrell and Timbaland are very versatile producers, and Justin Timberlake is a very versatile artist and performer, so it is expected that the album’s genre will reflect their combined variety and varying tastes in music. It has been confirmed that Timberlake’s longtime friend Chris Stapleton will be featured on a song on the album. Timberlake and Stapleton have a long relationship, and their most famous collaboration took place at the 2015 CMA Awards where they performed “Drink You Away” and “Tennessee Whiskey” together. His recently registered trademarks for “Man of the Woods” and “Fresh Leaves” carry a rootsy vibe. Because of these things, it seems safe to say that you can expect there to be somewhat of a country vibe to the album.
You should be prepared for some new Justin Timberlake music in your life, and it’s coming very soon, so get ready.
Lady Gaga
Most Recent Album: Joanne (October 21, 2016)
Lady Gaga has enjoyed a phenomenal year filled with great success in 2017. Between headlining the Super Bowl LI Halftime Show (which is now the most watched musical television program of all time), performing with Metallica at the GRAMMYs, headlining Coachella and debuting a surprise new song, embarking on the widely successful Joanne World Tour, filming “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper, releasing a raw and revealing “Gaga: Five Foot Two” Netflix documentary, performing on the AMAs from her tour, receiving a pair of GRAMMY Award nominations (Best Pop Solo Performance for “Million Reasons,” Best Pop Vocal Album for “Joanne”), and countless other accomplishments, partnerships, and achievements, Lady Gaga simply could not have had a better year. But if we’re being honest, why would you expect any less from Gaga? The only new music that Lady Gaga fans got in the calendar year of 2017 was her surprise Coachella single, “The Cure,” but that definitely did not keep her from maintaining her stature as one of pop music’s “it girls” of the year.
While she has been busy promoting her last album, “Joanne,” Lady Gaga has also been quite busy working on new music for the new year. This includes her work on the soundtrack for her upcoming film, “A Star Is Born” – out October 5, 2018 – with help from fellow musicians Jason Isbell, Dave Cobb, and Lukas Nelson. Lady Gaga will release her own versions of songs from the original movie as well as entirely new songs on the soundtrack. Gaga made it a point that the music in the movie should be performed live, so while the film will include live portrayals of the songs, the soundtrack is expected to include recordings from the studio. While at least some of this new music is expected to have somewhat of a more country or Americana vibe to it, you should not expect Lady Gaga’s next official album to have that same vibe. While she has been busy working on the soundtrack’s music, she has also been hard at work on her own new album –which fans have nicknamed LG6 – with producers like DJWS, BloodPop, Mark Nilan, Jr., and Benjamin Rice on music for the new album. These collaborators have been posting pictures of and with Lady Gaga in the studio with the hashtag, “#2018RadioIsOurs,” hinting that this new music could fit in right among the current hits playing on the radio today. It also seems safe to say that this new music will get back to what most people think of as Gaga’s sound. Several pictures from inside the recording studio documenting the creation of Gaga’s new music have been shared, and now it’s only a matter of how long until we will get to hear their finished products.
Just recently, Lady Gaga announced a massive Las Vegas residency of a series of 74 shows at the MGM Park Theater. It is scheduled to start late 2018, and the deal was reportedly worth $100 million, meaning that she will make more than $1 million per show. Based on the timing of this, it could it make it easier to predict Lady Gaga’s plans for 2018. Since we know that Lady Gaga has been in the studio working on new music, her new album could be relatively close to being finished. The only question is what time of year she could be releasing it. The first part of her year will be spent on the European leg of her Joanne World Tour (January to February), from March through September – as far as we know now – her schedule is somewhat open, and then late September/October could potentially begin her promo run for “A Star Is Born” – with new music for the soundtrack being released in October – before she kicks off her Vegas residency in “late 2018.” Based on those timeframes, you can predict when she will release new music.
Following the massive success of “Joanne” and Lady Gaga’s stellar year, fans have been sitting ready to listen to some brand new music, and it looks like we could be getting some very soon.
Selena Gomez
Most Recent Album: Revival (October 9, 2015)
Selena Gomez took some well-deserved time off this year for her health, and, thankfully, she has said that she is at a stage where she feels comfortable stepping back into the music industry. But that is not to say that 2017 was a wash for Selena Gomez by any measure, as fans got lots of new Selena music this year. She released several collaborations like the widely popular “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo, the lesser known track “Trust Nobody” with Cashmere Cat and Tory Lanez, and most recently her song “Wolves” with Marshmello. She also released two songs of her own – the critical success, “Bad Liar”, which was a slight diversion from her typical sound, and “Fetish” featuring Gucci Mane.
Looking ahead, Selena Gomez shared some exciting news which confirmed what everyone was anticipating. While visiting the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimmers, she let fans in on some news when asked about her new music: “There is no might, there is an album. And I think it’s fair to say that people know the year I’ve had, and I’ve poured my heart into my music and I wanted it to be fresh. It wasn’t really about charts for me or numbers. It was more just about what I could creatively do for my music. Yes, I can successfully say that my inspiration for this next album is in full motion and it will be very soon.”9 This interview came shortly before she posted a picture of herself in the studio with the caption: “Currently. Until the next year. Here’s where I’ll be.”10
It’s safe to say that you should be expecting a new album from Selena Gomez to be released sometime in 2018.
Rihanna
Most Recent Album: Anti (January 28, 2016)
It might surprise you to realize that Rihanna has not released a new album in almost two years. “Anti” was released on January 28, 2016, but Rihanna has maintained her level of relevance in pop culture and the media by being Rihanna. The Rihanna Navy did not get any new solo music this year, but they did get a few collaborations that went on to do very well. She was featured on the songs “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller, “LOYALTY.” with Kendrick Lamar, and “Selfish” with Future. “Wild Thoughts” was a huge hit, and the music video was one of the most watched of the summer, and “LOYALTY.” – which even got a music video – has been a fan favorite from his album, “DAMN.”
There has been buzz recently that Rihanna’s secretive writing camp took place where she handpicks her favorite songwriters to get together with her and help her figure out which songs will end up getting recorded and on her new album. This is usually a sign that the creation of the album is in full swing. New Rihanna songs are being frequently registered with the songwriters’ names attached to the titles, but this does not guarantee that those songs will ever see the light of day or even that a new album is imminent. Rihanna has not promised a new album in 2018 and could push late 2018 or even 2019 before being released. There is reason to believe that new music is on the way, however, and with her starring in the upcoming movie, “Ocean’s 8,” she could very well have new music on its soundtrack which should be released around June. Rihanna is also no stranger to just randomly dropping a buzz single that will not appear on any album, so that option should not be completely ruled out either.
While fans don’t have the promise that Rihanna’s ninth studio album is coming in 2018, it is also not entirely out of the question and safe to say that Rihanna will not be leaving the forefront of pop culture anytime soon.
Carrie Underwood
Most Recent Album: Storyteller (October 23, 2015)
Carrie Underwood has chosen to lay low for much of 2017, and while fans may not have gotten the new album that they wished for, it’s not like she was just sitting at home on her couch watching the year fly by. Carrie Underwood presented two awards with Sting at the Golden Globes in January, she and Keith Urban performed their single, ‘The Fighter,’ at the GRAMMY Awards in February, received two nominations at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April, received three nominations at the CMT Music Awards in June and won Female Video of the Year, co-hosted the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley for the tenth year in November, performed a heartfelt rendition of ‘Softly and Tenderly’ as a tribute to the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting – arguably the performance of the night, and won Choice Country Artist at the American Music Awards in November. So, while 2017 could have been considered Carrie Underwood’s “off year,” it was definitely far from it. At the beginning of 2017, in January, Underwood announced she had planned to take some time off to spend time with her family and would then begin to write for her next album. In March, it was officially announced that Carrie Underwood had signed with Capitol Records Nashville – under Universal Music Group – after a long relationship of almost twelve years with Arista Nashville. In November 2017, Carrie released ‘The Storyteller Tour: Live from Madison Square Garden,’ which would mark the end of the ‘Storyteller’ era.
2018 seems like it could be the prime time for Carrie Underwood to unleash some new material on the world. It makes perfect sense following the news that she has recently signed with a new label, Capitol Records Nashville, and they are likely eager to have some new Carrie Underwood music to release. Now that she has somewhat wrapped up the very successful ‘Storyteller’ era with the completion of its tour and the release of its concert film experience, it seems that it would be safe to say that brand new music is up next on the agenda. We don’t know exactly how far Carrie Underwood is into the creation of her next album, so it could be in its early stages or nearing completion, but a 2018 release date does not seem unreasonable given her unparalleled work ethic.
Brace yourselves, because one of this generation’s biggest female voices in music is about to unleash new music, and we could not be more ready for Carrie Underwood.
Christina Aguilera
Most Recent Album: Lotus (November 9, 2012)
Fans of Christina Aguilera should know by now that seeing her name on a most anticipated albums list could potentially be giving them false hope, as she has been expected to release new music for the last several years with no avail. Aguilera has been teasing a new era very recently, however, and it appears we are finally on the horizon of the X6 era. She has recently debuted a new look, and the new look could signify the dawn of her new era. On January 1, 2018, to kick off the new year it seems, Christina Aguilera deleted almost all of her pictures on Instagram leaving behind only 17 posts. This could be hinting that an official announcement about new music could be coming very soon. She has also been brought back to the forefront of the mainstream media thanks to her tribute performance to Whitney Houston at the 2017 American Music Awards in November, which received widespread acclaim.
A list of names attached to her new project have been circulating, and it looks as though some of the producers tied to the new music have been revealed. These names include Noah “40” Shebib (produced some of Drake’s biggest hits like ‘One Dance’ and ‘Take Care’ with Rihanna) and Thundercat (has production credits on the last three albums from Kendrick Lamar).
P!nk recently revealed on “Watch What Happens Live” that she has recorded a duet for Christina Aguilera’s new album: “We did a duet for her album, and I don’t know when it’s coming out, but it’s amazing. We did it two years ago, so I don’t remember the title, but she’s incredible.”11 We know that Christina Aguilera has been working on this new album for several years – it has been five years since a new album – so it is inevitable that some work has been scrapped. This also means that there has been plenty of time for an album to be almost ready or entirely ready for release very soon.
Xtina fans should keep their guard up as usual, but it seems safe to say that Christina Aguilera’s brand new album could be released in 2018.
Justin Bieber
Most Recent Album: Purpose (November 13, 2015)
It may seem odd to realize that Justin Bieber has not released a new album since late 2015. He has managed to maintain his relevance in the music industry and pop culture alike with the release of collaborations like ‘I’m The One’ with DJ Khaled, Chance the Rapper, Quavo, and Lil Wayne, ‘Friends’ with BloodPop, ‘2U’ with David Guetta, and by far the year’s most massive hit, the ‘Despacito (Remix)’ with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The song was able to achieve feats that other songs released this year were simply not able to, and all of this happened while the ‘Despacito (Remix)’ never even received an official performance.
Bieber is always working on new music, whether he makes it public knowledge or not, so a new album in 2018 is not entirely unrealistic. It does look like he will be taking some time for himself for a little while, so don’t expect anything new for at least the first part of 2017. He has expressed that he is not interested in returning to the pressure of the media or going back on tour for the next little bit, but new music could still be on the way. It has been rumored recently that he and Poo Bear have some new music together coming soon, so even if a new album is not necessarily on the horizon, at least fans can expect some collaborations.
Justin Bieber remains one of the most unexpected artists of this generation, so it is not a good idea to totally discount the idea that a new album could be coming in 2018, so Beliebers should be ready for new music at any given moment.
Camila Cabello
Fresh off the success of her song, “Havana,” Camila Cabello is gearing up to release her debut solo album, “Camila,” on Friday, January 12. Camila Cabello’s debut project has been highly anticipated since the news broke of her departure from Fifth Harmony, which was one of the most discussed topics in the music industry at the time. Camila Cabello has released a handful of songs since debuting as a solo artist like “Crying in the Club,” “I Have Questions,” “OMG” featuring Quavo, “Havana” featuring Young Thug, and most recently, “Real Friends” and her current single, “Never Be The Same.”
“Havana” was not her record label’s favorite choice for a single, so, initially, it was not pushed to radio. But after her fans and the general public spoke, it became blatantly obvious that “Havana” should receive an official push to radio as a single – and that her label had made a mistake. The song has sustained massive success and is currently on a high leading up to the release of “Camila.”
It was originally announced that Cabello’s debut solo album would be titled “The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving.” and would be composed of three corresponding parts. That title came before Cabello had a change of artistic direction and chose to scrap much of the original content and move forward with new songs and ideas that represented where she is currently with a new self-titled album, “Camila.” Camilizers were just happy to finally have an official name to call CC1. When she announced the new title, Camila also announced her debut solo album’s release date of Friday, January 12. As of late 2017, this is one of the very few albums of 2018 to have an officially announced release date.
Camila Cabello has just shared the final tracklist for the ten-track album, and with it confirmed that Young Thug is the only artist featured on the project. While fans of features may be disappointed, this gives Cabello a chance to truly showcase her chops as a solo artist on much of the album. It is also worth noting that Camila will not be releasing many of the songs previously released such as “Crying in the Club,” “I Have Questions,” and “OMG” featuring Quavo on her new album. It will be composed of mostly entirely new songs aside from the previously shared “Havana” featuring Young Thug, “Real Friends,” and “Never Be The Same.” Camila Cabello has been working on the project with production mostly from Pharrell. He and Ryan Tedder also have songwriting credits on much of the album.
Camila Cabello’s solo career is currently on the rise, so you should get on board with her new music because it doesn’t look like she is slowing down anytime soon.
Charlie Puth
Most Recent Album: Nine Track Mind (January 26, 2016)
Charlie Puth has had one of the most popular songs of 2017 with his single, “Attention.” The song was released in April 2017 and has been a steady hit at radio and on the charts ever since. Puth just released his latest single, “How Long,” in October, and it is not doing too shabby either. He recently announced that his new album titled “Voicenotes” will be released on Friday, January 19. This release date was shocking to some as it comes almost a year after his lead single, “Attention.” A year between the lead single and album release date is uncommon in comparison to some other single-album release schedules, but his two songs from the album which are already out are still doing pretty well, so it does not look like it will be an issue. There have been whispers that the “Voicenotes” release date of January 19 could be pushed back slightly as he might still be in the process of finishing the album, but as of right now the release date is still on.
If you’re still wondering “How Long” until the follow-up to Charlie Puth’s “Nine Track Mind” is released, then pay “Attention” because “Voicenotes” is coming January 19.
Florida Georgia Line
Most Recent Album: Dig Your Roots (August 26, 2016)
Florida Georgia Line have kept themselves very busy throughout 2017, and it might surprise you to find out that between their Smooth Tour dates – which included their first run of sold out stadium shows, awards show performances, and countless other appearances, they have also been hard at work on their brand new album. The duo, made up of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, have shared several videos and pictures on social media documenting the album making process and have even snuck in a few song previews and lyric snippets. A few months back they shared that they had flown to Los Angeles to collaborate with some unnamed writers and producers on some new music. They knew exactly what they were doing when keeping it a secret.
FGL have enjoyed lots of success since the release of their last album, “Dig Your Roots,” with recent collaborations such as “Last Day Alive” with The Chainsmokers, “Let Me Go” with Hailee Steinfeld, Alesso, and Watt, and the most popular, “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha. “Meant to Be” has been a widely successful pop-country crossover hit, but no one – not even Bebe Rexha, Tyler Hubbard, or Brian Kelley – saw the widespread success coming. The song was not originally going to be pushed to radio as a single from Bebe’s project, but after the overwhelming fan response, it ended up being sent to both pop and country radio.
Florida Georgia Line and the Backstreet Boys have formed a strong bond over the past few years following their collab, “God, Your Mama and Me,” their episode of CMT Crossroads, and touring together on The Smooth Stadium Tour. Both parties have expressed interest in working together again, and they have even hinted that more new music from them could be on the way. It is unclear if this collaboration will appear on an FGL or BSB album – or both – but regardless, we’re ready for another!
New music from the country duo has been promised for 2018, and a new single is expected in the early months of the year. This country duo is doing great, and it doesn’t look like they’re about to slow down anytime soon, so get ready for a new album that is authentically Florida Georgia Line with a little bit of an expected twist.
ZAYN
Most Recent Album: Mind of Mine (March 25, 2016)
ZAYN went off the grid for much of 2017, and while he did release two new songs this year, he was relatively absent from the media. He and Taylor Swift surprise released their hit collaboration, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from the “Fifty Shades Darker” movie soundtrack in December 2016, and while that hit carried over into early 2017, we have yet to get a proper performance from the both of them. In March 2017, ZAYN released a new single, “Still Got Time” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR. The song was catchy and received positive reviews, however, it seems that there was some sort of falling out between ZAYN and PND, and it looks like everyone just tried to move on from it. Later on, ZAYN released another new single, “Dusk Till Dawn” featuring Sia, in September 2017, and the pop power ballad received somewhat mixed reviews. While it was a great song on its own, it was not catchy or memorable enough to become a hit among the masses. “Dusk Till Dawn” featuring Sia is now the official lead single to ZAYN’s upcoming album, which replaces previously released “Still Got Time” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR (which is now identified as just a buzz single). It has been a somewhat rocky start to the beginning of the Z2 era, but it looks like they are off to a good start now that everything seems to be in place.
It has been confirmed that Nicki Minaj is featured on a song on ZAYN’s sophomore solo album. Nicki described their collaboration as her “favorite song of all time”12 in a tweet. Both fanbases are obviously excited for the release of this song, and it is expected to do very well on the charts and predictably at radio as a single. In an interview for Beats 1 in September around the release of “Dusk Till Dawn,” ZAYN said, “The next two singles should be following soon. Album soon after… There’s some big people on there and some people maybe that people don’t expect me to collaborate with.”13 This has further built anticipation for ZAYN’s new album. ZAYN recently registered a brand new song titled “Hurt,” which features credits from some heavy hitters in the music industry. The song features songwriting credits from Chloe Angelides (‘Fetish’ by Selena Gomez, ‘You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore’ by Demi Lovato) and the songwriting team of Andrew Watt and Ali Tamposi (‘Havana’ by Camila Cabello). Burns, a DJ, is also credited on the song. It is unknown as of right now if the song is the next to be released, an album track, or if it will ever see the light of day, but it is still worth noting.
In his cover story for Billboard Magazine, ZAYN detailed the mood of the new album: “The new album mines two main moods: one more rhythmic and pop, the other more downtempo.”14 The chairman/CEO of ZAYN’s record label, RCA Records, Peter Edge, explained that “the last album [“Mind of Mine”] veered into a much more nighttime kind of thing. This one is more of a mix than that.”14 In this same cover story, it was confirmed that ZAYN has been in the studio with veteran producers like Timbaland and Rob Cavallo, but he has “also made a bunch of songs largely by himself.”14 ZAYN has been so into the creation of this album, that he may be in large part to blame for the delay in its release: “He has been toiling away at the disc for months, blowing past deadline after deadline; originally slated for a late-September release, the album now won’t be out until the first quarter of 2018.”14 This confirms that the album will be released within the first three months of 2018 – January, February, or March.
With some exciting collaborations on the way and with so much unknown about the new music, fans are beyond excited to hear what ZAYN has to bring to the table with his sophomore album.
Liam Payne
Liam Payne has had a great year in 2017 with the release of his first solo music, and his songs have been doing very well on the charts and at radio. Payne’s first solo single was “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo, which was co-written by Ed Sheeran, and that’s three hitmakers in a row right there. A few months later, Zedd and Liam Payne released their collaboration, “Get Low,” which didn’t do quite as well as Payne’s other music but is definitely not something to be ashamed of by any measure. Liam’s most recent single, “Bedroom Floor,” is his first purely solo effort released, which features writing credits from Charlie Puth, and it has been doing numbers at radio recently. While no release date has been officially revealed for Liam’s debut solo album, he has promised that fans will have it this year – 2018.
It has also been announced that Liam Payne and Rita Ora will be releasing a new song together titled “For You” from the Fifty Shades Freed movie soundtrack in January. The song is sure to get a big promotional push thanks to the movie, which should heighten fans’ anticipation for each of their new albums.
Liam Payne’s debut solo album is coming this year, and fans will be waiting to hear an official release date when they can get the new music.
Louis Tomlinson
Louis Tomlinson is prepping the release of his debut solo album, and after the release of a few singles, it looks like he will do just fine. Tomlinson is one the two remaining members of One Direction – along with Liam Payne – who have yet to release their debut solo albums. His very first solo endeavor was a collaboration with Steve Aoki on the song, “Just Hold On.” Since then, he has enjoyed the success following the release of his own songs, “Back to You” with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, “Just Like You,” and most recently, “Miss You.” It sure seems like he has a thing for song titles with “You” in them.
While not too much is known about the contents of his solo project, Louis Tomlinson is expected to finally release his debut solo album in 2018, and his fans could not be more ready.
Bebe Rexha
Most Recent Album/EP: All Your Fault: Pt. 2 – EP (August 18, 2017)
Bebe Rexha is on the rise to be a force in the pop music scene, and 2017 helped her work her way up that ladder. Over the past year, Bebe Rexha released a two-part EP, ‘All Your Fault,’ and they brought about her biggest hits to date including ‘I Got You’ and ‘Meant to Be’ featuring Florida Georgia Line. Rexha is currently riding the success of her latest collab, ‘Meant to Be’ with Florida Georgia Line, as the pop-country collab continues to rise on the charts and is doing very well at radio. The collab debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart becoming not only Bebe Rexha’s very first entry and FGL’s sixth #1 on that chart, but she also became the very first female artist to debut atop the country chart and only the third artist overall in country music chart history.
Over the past year, Bebe Rexha has been featured on two songs, ‘Home’ with Machine Gun Kelly & X Ambassadors and ‘Back to You’ with Louis Tomlinson and Digital Farm Animals. Looking over Rexha’s releases over the years, it is clear that she has enjoyed success with her collaborations, but she could easily stand strong on her own.
Bebe Rexha recently announced that her new project is titled ‘Expectations.’ She also announced that the project is set to feature only one collaboration, which is a song featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR. It is unclear if ‘Expectations’ is another EP or if it is finally Bebe Rexha’s debut album, but either way it is new music, and we are ready for it. In a recent interview with Billboard, Bebe Rexha discussed her new ‘Expectations’ project: “I’m definitely changing up the sound. Everyone’s going into more of a rhythmic vibe and urban sound, especially female artists, but I’m going the complete opposite way. It’s very guitar-based and inspired by my favorite bands I grew up listening to, like No Doubt, and I’m not holding anything back… It’s cool that ‘Meant to Be’ is this stripped-back song because I think it’ll help me pivot into that sound. And, the overall meaning of ‘Expectations’ is just growing up in a world where I expected my parents to be superheroes or my career and money to bring me happiness, but realizing as you get older that you have to be the creator of your own happiness. The things you thought might be are not.”15 Based on that description, it sounds like it could be her best and most revealing work yet.
It was recently reported that Bebe Rexha would be featured on the upcoming girls anthem, ‘Girls Girls Girls’ by Rita Ora featuring Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha, and Cardi B, with an official announcement and release date reportedly coming soon.16 Bebe Rexha’s plans for 2018 include opening for Bruno Mars on the Latin American dates of his 24K Magic World Tour from January 31 to February 5, and opening for Katy Perry on the Latin American dates of her Witness The Tour dates from March 14 to March 21.
Bebe Rexha has kept herself very busy over the last year, and it doesn’t look like she plans on slowing down in 2018, so bring on the new music!
Jason Derulo
Most Recent Album: Everything Is 4 (June 2, 2015)
Jason Derulo has kept himself busy this year by releasing several songs. He released three of his own songs: “Swalla” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, “If I’m Lucky,” and most recently “Tip Toe” featuring French Montana. He was also featured on Pitbull’s latest album on a song titled “Educate Ya.” Jason Derulo and Florida Georgia Line were recently in the studio working on new music together, and it is unclear if this collaboration will appear on a new Jason Derulo or Florida Georgia Line album, but either way, we are excited for this potential pop-country collab!
“Swalla” has been the most successful of Derulo’s 2017 releases, and is the lead single to his new album. At the BBMAs in May 2017, Derulo announced that his new album would be titled “777” and explained an album rollout plan in which it would be released in three parts with each composed of seven songs. This rollout style has not been mentioned since, so it is unclear if it is still in his plans. Jason Derulo explained the vibe of his new album in a recent interview: “I do dive in more emotionally, a little more vulnerable – actually, a lot more vulnerable. There’s the party songs, of course, but there are very mature, emotional sides of the album that I don’t think have really been touched on from me.”17 It was previously reported that his 777 World Tour would begin in early 2018, so if these plans are still in place, then the release of his new “777” album should be imminent.
Post Malone
Most Recent Album: Stoney (December 9, 2016)
Post Malone has enjoyed a breakout year in 2017. Malone released a handful of songs over the past year including the “Congratulations” Remix featuring Quavo, “Candy Paint” from “The Fate of the Furious” soundtrack, the official release of “I Fall Apart” from his debut album, “Stoney” as a single, and his breakout hit, “rockstar” featuring 21 Savage. He celebrated his first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with his most successful single to date, “rockstar” featuring 21 Savage. Malone has reached mainstream popularity and was considered a strong contender for a Best New Artist nomination at the GRAMMYs. He was also featured on two songs released this year: “Burning Man” with Watt, and the more widely popular remix of Lorde’s “Homemade Dynamite” with SZA and Khalid. His rise to national stardom officially set off this year, and it shows no signs of stopping.
It has been long announced that his sophomore album would be titled “Beerbongs and Bentleys,” and he even tweeted an album cover. These could, of course, be changed, however, but it is worth noting that the album title and cover are out there. He had previously announced in a radio interview that the album would be released on December 1, but when the day rolled around and fans were left without an album, Post tweeted this: “Hey guys, I know a lot of you guys were expecting a project today, it won’t be dropping for a little while. I’m sorry to let you down, but I need make sure this album is perfect for you. I’m gonna keep working… and make the best… album ever. I love ya.”18 The project features collaborations from some pretty popular heavy hitters on the music scene right now, with the album reportedly featuring Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign, and John Mayer.
“Beerbongs and Bentleys” by Post Malone will see its official release in “a little while,” so just sit tight for a minute while he makes it “perfect for you.”
Shawn Mendes
Most Recent Album: Illuminate (September 23, 2016)
Shawn Mendes had a very successful year in 2017. He spent much of the year touring on his Illuminate World Tour, and he also released one of radio’s biggest songs of the year, ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.’ The song was brought into the world as a deluxe track on the re-release of his latest album, ‘Illuminate,’ in April 2017 and has been an increasingly popular hit ever since. He performed it at pretty much every show he could; The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards just to name a few.
Shawn has spent the last few months of 2017 working on the follow-up to his latest work, and recently revealed that he has about 25 songs done for the new album so far, and he hopes to get another 25 songs done before selecting the final tracklist for the project. When asked about his plans for his new album – which fans have nicknamed SM3 – and plans for 2018, this is what Shawn had to say: “Next year [2018], I want to do a lot of festivals and bigger shows to a more widespread audience, so I’m hoping to be able to create music that allows me to do that.”19 Virtually all of Shawn Mendes’ singles have gone over well with the general public, so it is expected that fans will enjoy any new music of his that is released in the near future.
Mendes Army, get ready, because new music from Shawn Mendes is coming.
Iggy Azalea
Most Recent Album: Reclassified (November 21, 2014)
Iggy Azalea is getting ready to make her proper comeback to the music industry. She has attempted to launch a new album era for an album titled “Digital Distortion” a few times over the past year with little success following the release of her previous singles, “Team”, “Mo Bounce”, and “Switch” featuring Anitta. Unfortunately, none of these songs became a massive enough hit to kickstart the release of a new album, so her label kept pushing back the release date. That was until she decided to virtually scrap the entire “Digital Distortion” album – but not before quietly leaking a few of the songs for her diehard fans.
We can all admit that she has had a few rocky starts leading up to her sophomore album, but it sounds like a solid plan is finally in place for new music. Iggy Azalea has revealed that the new album is now titled “Surviving the Summer” and has been sharing little snippets on Snapchat and Instagram of new songs. She recently revealed in a tweet to a fan that new music is coming in January, so we will see if she holds true to her promise.20 Either way, Azaleans should be looking forward to some new music from Iggy coming really soon.
Migos
Most Recent Album: Culture (January 27, 2017)
The Migos’ careers are currently on a high, and they have achieved widespread relevance in the mainstream media over the past year. The general public loves their music, and their collaborations keeps things fresh for listeners. It has not been long since the Migos released their most recent album, ‘Culture,’ in January 2017. That album featured collaborations with names like Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, Gucci Mane, and 2 Chainz, and boasted their biggest hit to date: ‘Bad and Boujee’ featuring Gucci Mane.
The follow-up to that album, ‘Culture II,’ is coming in the early part of 2018 – possibly as soon as January – and is set to feature collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop and rap. ‘Culture II’ by Migos reportedly features Drake, Big Sean, Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Travis Scott, Rae Sremmurd, and more. The new album has been highly anticipated by fans following the release of their latest single, ‘Motor Sport’ with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, which has proven to be a big hit for all involved. The Atlanta-based group most recently released a new song titled ‘Stir Fry,’ produced by Pharrell, set to be the theme song for the NBA All-Star Game in February, which is sure to heighten the anticipation for their new project. The Migos previously announced that Kanye West would be executive producing their new album, so that has also helped elevate fans’ expectations.
Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff are gearing up to release one of the most anticipated albums in hip-hop currently, ‘Culture II,’ so put that thing in sport and get ready for the ride.
Cardi B
Cardi B has enjoyed a very successful breakout year in 2017. She celebrated the release of her official debut single, ‘Bodak Yellow,’ which was an amazing hit for her. It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and Cardi B became the first solo female rapper to top the charts since Lauryn Hill did it in 1998. It probably would have spent more than a week atop the charts had Taylor Swift not released her new single, ‘Look What You Made Me Do,’ the week after it reached the top spot, but both artists are big fans and supporters of one another, so thankfully there is no bad blood between the two.
Cardi B was featured on a handful of songs this year including ‘No Limit’ with G-Eazy and A$AP Rocky, ‘Kamasutra’ with Juicy J, ‘La Modela’ with Ozuna, ‘Um Yea’ with Offset, and the most successful of her collabs, ‘Motor Sport’ with Migos and Nicki Minaj. Cardi B has spent this year on a constant rise to fame, and she shows absolutely no signs of stopping. Most recently, she has just released her second official single, ‘Bartier Cardi’ featuring 21 Savage, and it is shaping up to be a massive hit as well. Because of the great success and based on the music released thus far, music fans have been anxiously awaiting the release of her official debut album. Cardi B is set to be featured on at least two new songs that we know about. The first new collab from Cardi B is coming on Thursday, January 4 where she is featured on a Bruno Mars song, which is reportedly a remix of his new single, ‘Finesse.’ The two recently shot a music video for the song, which is expected to be released soon, as well. Another exciting upcoming collaboration, which does not currently have an announced release date, is ‘Girls Girls Girls’ by Rita Ora featuring Cardi B, Charli XCX, and Bebe Rexha. The song is predicted to do very well given the four names involved, so stay tuned for an official release date for that song.
Cardi B had previously announced at a concert that her album would be coming in December before announcing new plans that the release of her debut project had been pushed back to work on more new music. Speaking exclusively to Capital XTRA in November 2017, Cardi B discussed the pressure leading up to the release of her upcoming debut album: “Some people love me, and a lot don’t. So it’s like… it’s got to be good. I have a deadline, and it [the album] will be coming out in January. I have three good songs right now. I’m gonna drop a single December, then I’ll drop my album in January.”21 She held her promise by dropping a single, ‘Bartier Cardi,’ in December, so it is likely she will be forced to stay on track with releasing her debut album in January because of her deadline. Either way, it is obvious that fans are ready for some more music from the latest to disrupt the rap scene.
Cardi B has dominated the charts with her hit, ‘Bodak Yellow,’ so fans are expecting an album that will meet that same success, and hopefully we get to hear it sooner rather than later.
Sam Hunt
Most Recent Album: Montevallo (October 27, 2014)
Sam Hunt chose to take the back seat for much of 2017, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the biggest forces in music of the year. His latest single, ‘Body Like a Back Road,’ was released in February 2017 and broke several records – including the record for most weeks spent atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (25 weeks) – without much promo or even an official music video. While there has been pressure from his record label to release new music, Sam Hunt has made the executive decision to lay low before releasing a new album.
In April 2017, Sam Hunt told Billboard that he was more interested in releasing a series of singles rather than an entire new album all at once: “I try to make music that’s more relevant to my life and relatable to the culture I live in. Putting out music as it’s made, versus holding it until an album’s finished, allows me to be more timely and maintain balance.”22
However, a few months after revealing this rollout plan for new music, Sam Hunt had this to say when Billboard asked him about a timeline for new music in July 2017: “No, I don’t [have a timeline], to be honest. I don’t want to come off as I’m not excited about making music or I’m not very hopeful to have new music for the fans who are anxiously awaiting new music, but, you know, I’m in a place in my career and in my life where I’m not willing to give music 100 percent of me anymore. I did that for four years, and it was fruitful as far as my career goes, but everything else in my life had to be put on hold, and I’m just not willing to do that for years and years at a time.”23
In November 2017 – his most recent comment on new music – Sam Hunt revealed in an interview before the Stars and Strings concert that new music will be released in early 2018: “I’ve been working on new music along with doing other things that I put on hold for the last few years. I do have some songs starting to accumulate. First of the year [2018], I’ll have music ready to rock.”24 Most recently, Hunt released his version of the song, ‘This Land Is Your Land,’ for the soundtrack for Netflix’s ‘Bright’ movie starring Will Smith.
A brand new single is expected to be released in early 2018 with a new album possibly following soon after, so fans of Sam Hunt should get ready because if they’ve gotten used to going 15 in a 30, that’s about to change.
Noah Cyrus
Noah Cyrus is currently on the rise to stardom, and she is not relying on her last name to get there. She released a series of songs this year including “Stay Together,” “I’m Stuck,” “Almost Famous,” “Chasing Colors” with Marshmello and Ookay,” “Again” featuring XXXTentacion, “All Falls Down” with Alan Walker and Digital Farm Animals, “My Way” with One Bit, and “Slow” with Matoma. Fans of Noah Cyrus have enjoyed lots of new music this year, but have not received word on when they can expect an album. For a while now it has been known that Noah Cyrus’ debut album would be titled “NC-17,” which is a play on words given her age of seventeen years old. This title will lose its sharp relevancy, however, when her eighteenth birthday rolls around on January 8. Will she rename the album ‘NC-18,’ keep the planned ‘NC-17’ title, or choose an entirely new title? Who knows.
What we do know is that new music is on the way – and soon. Cyrus very recently shared a video wishing fans a happy holidays from the set of the music video for her new single, so that song should be released relatively soon.
In a recent interview about her new album, Noah Cyrus had this to say: “The one thing I’d like to get across about my album is how personal it is. In the beginning of last year [2016], I was going through a breakup while writing. But now, I’m not heartbroken anymore – it was for the best and I think a blessing in disguise.”25 Noah has hinted around about releasing a collaboration with her sister, Miley Cyrus, on her debut album, but nothing has been officially confirmed just yet.
Get ready, because a new single – and eventually a debut album – from Noah Cyrus are on the way!
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