Looking ahead at the growing list of albums that are expected to be released over the next twelve months should get any music lover excited. 2019 looks to be a massive year of albums released as the industry anticipates the release of new albums from major names in music like Adele, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and so many more – you’ll have to read on to find out! This is shaping up to be a very exciting year filled with tons of new music from the artists we’ve all been waiting on.
Rihanna
Latest Album: ANTI – January 27, 2016
Rihanna broke the internet last month with a single Instagram comment confirming to a fan that she will release her new album in 2019. Rumor has it that she has been quietly working on two new albums at once including one album with songs that cross over between pop, reggae, and dancehall music and another that focuses more on pop, dance, and EDM songs; sure to be an experimental project/pair of projects. She is rumored to have worked with a long list of collaborators including Diplo, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Timbaland, Alesso, Skrillex, blackbear, Black Coffee, Raye, Popcaan, H.E.R., PartyNextDoor, and many others. It has been reported that she has virtually every Jamaican artist, producer, and songwriter from the island working on her album, so expect to hear some of that island influence. Rihanna has been visible this year from rolling out new lines of Fenty makeup and her new Savage X Fenty lingerie. She and Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) secretly filmed a movie together titled Guava Island last year, so expect to see it sometime in 2019 as well. Her new music has been shrouded in secrecy, and everything remains quite a mystery, but we know it exists and is coming soon, so just know to be ready. It sounds like Rihanna is finally coming through with some new music this year, so keep your eyes and ears out for this album.
Ariana Grande
Latest Album: Sweetener – August 17, 2018
Ariana Grande decided to take matters into her own hands by releasing the song, “thank u, next,” while in the middle of the Sweetener album cycle and has decided to tour two albums simultaneously on the upcoming Sweetener World Tour in 2019. Grande is also set to headline Coachella this year, making history as only the fourth female artist to ever headline the festival and the youngest headliner in the event’s history. She will take the stage in the desert on April 14 and 21, so let the countdown begin for those making the trip and watching YouTube’s livestream from your couch. In her “breathin” music video, she teased the titles to some of the upcoming new songs like “needy,” “nasa,” “remember,” “make up,” “ghostin,” and more. In an interview with Billboard, Grande described the songs on Thank U, Next as “deep, bass-driven bangers with trap beats alternating with airy, sad ballads.” It has also been revealed that the album will include a total of 13 tracks with no collaborations. She recently teased on Twitter that the song “7 rings” will be released prior to the album’s release as her next single and that the song will have its own music video. We already have the title track “thank u, next” and the dreamy “imagine,” and based on these two songs alone, we are in for a sweet treat with the album.
Adele
Latest Album: 25 – November 20, 2015
Adele is rumored to release her fourth album around Christmas time in 2019. As of early 2018, a music insider had told that she had already written some songs for the album, and The Sun reported she would spend most of summer 2018 writing for the album. During her Carpool Karaoke episode with James Corden in January 2016, she revealed that 25 would be “the last album after [her] age,” saying, “I believe in trilogies, yeah. The next one is just gonna be Adele.” If that remains true, then expect this new album to be a self-titled project. Adele kept a relatively low profile in 2018, but it sounds like that will change this year.
Lady Gaga
Latest Album: Joanne – October 21, 2016 / A Star Is Born Soundtrack – October 5, 2018
Lady Gaga was one of the most successful artists of 2018 with one of the biggest blockbuster movies in the world with A Star Is Born. She spoiled fans by essentially releasing an entire new album of songs for the movie’s soundtrack, but she was simultaneously working on her own new solo album that is expected in 2019. She started her Vegas residency, Enigma, on December 28, 2018, which is revolutionizing what we knew about the typical Vegas residency. She is confirmed to have worked with BloodPop, DJWS, SOPHIE, Mark Ronson, and Boyz Noize among others on her new album. The style of the album remains a question, but based on these collaborators, it is expected to have an experimental edge with catchy and electropop-leaning tracks. Fans speculate the album could be titled Enigma after her Vegas residency or at least follow the aesthetic of its visuals, but we’ll just have to see. In non-music news, she will co-chair the Met Gala with Harry Styles, Serena Williams, Alessandro Michele, and Anna Wintour (such an exciting group!) on May 7, 2019. LG6 is coming in 2019, and no one ever knows exactly what to expect from Lady Gaga, so this should be pretty exciting.
Beyoncé
Latest Album: LEMONADE – April 23, 2016 / EVERYTHING IS LOVE – June 16, 2018
Beyoncé had a huge year in 2018 from her history-making Coachella performance in April to embarking on the widely successful OTR II Tour with husband JAY-Z and releasing their joint album, EVERYTHING IS LOVE. In all honesty, nobody knows how or when Beyoncé is going to release her next solo album, but that doesn’t mean speculation isn’t running on high. I am baffled as to how she will outdo her visual album, LEMONADE, in terms of its rollout, but I never underestimate that Beyoncé will come through with something totally unexpected. She and JAY-Z were denied a request to film at the Colosseum in Rome in mid-2018, and the intentions for that secret project remain unknown. She is rumored to have been in negotiations with Netflix to premiere a visual component for her next album. The streaming giant reportedly offered a seven-figure sum for Lemonade, but contractual obligations with HBO and TIDAL did not allow it, so that could mean Netflix gets a second chance this time around. Beyoncé is clearly determined to make sure this new album is even more groundbreaking and visually impressive than anything she’s done before, so have no fear that this album, whenever it comes, will be spectacular.
Taylor Swift
Latest Album: reputation – November 10, 2017
Taylor Swift is fresh off the release of her incredible Netflix concert special for the reputation Stadium Tour, which seems to have capped off the reputation era quite nicely. At the 2018 American Music Awards in October, during her acceptance speech for Best Album, Taylor teased, “I always look at albums as chapters in my life. To the fans, I’m so happy you liked this one. I have to be really honest about something… I’m even more excited about the next chapter.” Taylor Swift will star in the upcoming film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats alongside the star-studded cast of James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen, and Judi Dench set to hit theaters on December 20, 2019. She is expected to sing on the movie’s soundtrack and rumored to have written an original song for the film. 2018 saw Taylor Swift leave the label that discovered her and where she’s been for 12 years at the Nashville-based Big Machine Records with Scott Borchetta. She announced in November 2018 that she had signed a new record deal with Republic Records, and in the announcement, she teased new music writing, “My biggest goal moving forward is to make you proud. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to show you what I’m making next.”
Miley Cyrus
Latest Album: Younger Now – September 29, 2017
Miley Cyrus’ social media underwent a blackout for much of 2018 but ended with the release of her Mark Ronson collaboration, “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.” During promo for the new song she has revealed some things about her own new album, which she says she hopes to release in June 2019, but doesn’t know for sure: “I don’t have any definite dates, but definitely in the new year you guys are gonna be hearing a lot more music” (from her interview with San Francisco’s 99.7 radio station). Cyrus revealed in an interview with 95.5 PLJ in New York that she reunited with Bangerz collaborator Mike WiLL Made-It to work on new music and that his songs “lean more hip-hop.” She also revealed that she worked with Mark Ronson on songs for her own album that are “rock-driven and modern,” with Andrew Wyatt on songs that “lean a little bit more pop-alternative,” and there will be some “straight-down-the-middle pop records.” She recently confirmed that Swae Lee will be featured on a song. Miley is definitely back, and 2019 is definitely the year we get some new music from her.
Thomas Rhett
Latest Album: Life Changes – September 8, 2017
Thomas Rhett is one of the most dominant forces in country music today, and he has been hard at work on the follow-up to his highly successful album Life Changes. He revealed in 2018 that he would be going into the studio in December and January to finish writing and recording his new album and that new music would be released in early 2019. The lead single to the album is expected to be released within the first quarter of 2019 (January-March). Since Life Changes, Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins’ lives have changed even more with the adoption of their daughter Willa Gray and birth of their daughter Ada James, so there is sure to be some new inspiration for some incredible new songs. Thomas Rhett revealed in the past that he hoped to have several collaborations featured on his fourth album but kept quiet about exactly who. He recently announced the 2019 Very Hot Summer Tour dates with Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, and dad Rhett Akins, which is set to kick off in May 2019, so expect to hear some new music before or around that timeframe. TR posted on December 14, 2018 that he “recorded song 15 today… so pumped to share all this new music with you,” letting us know that he is deep in the recording process. Thomas Rhett always comes through with amazing music, so I expect nothing less from him on this upcoming new album.
Justin Bieber
Latest Album: Purpose – November 13, 2015
Justin Bieber has taken some time away from music to live his life, including marrying his wife Hailey Baldwin-Bieber. However, as of late 2018, it seems that Bieber is back in the studio working on new music. He has reportedly been seen leaving the studio multiple times, and sources say he has been working on a new album for months while he’s been recording “everywhere.” Believe what you will, but it seems that music in some capacity is in the works. He reposted a video on Instagram of a little girl saying that he had quit being a singer, but he responded with, “Don’t believe everything you read sweet little girl you will hear something from me sooner than you think.” This sentence alone gives me hope that Bieber will release new music this year and possibly a whole new album, so stay tuned to see what comes of it.
Cardi B
Latest Album: Invasion of Privacy – April 5, 2018
Cardi B was by far one of the biggest stars of 2018 cranking out hit after hit after hit, and it doesn’t look like 2019 will play out any differently. She is planning to release a deluxe edition of her debut album with new songs early this year, but she is also set to release a new album of entirely new material by the end of this year. She says she has a series of features set to roll out through 2019, so even if her own album takes a little while, we will still get to hear some new Cardi verses. During an Instagram Live, Cardi B revealed that in early 2019 she plans to release a new single featuring another artist. Reports have started to swirl that she and Bruno Mars have teamed up yet again to release a new song together featuring another secret big artist on January 25, so we might have that to look forward to starting off the year. Even more recently, Cardi reassured fans on Instagram Live that a new album was coming this year and hopefully around April, saying, “Of course there’s gonna be an album in 2019. Hopefully, I can get my album done around the same time that Invasion of Privacy came out [April 2018], but I don’t know how possible that’s gonna be because I feel like I’m gonna be extremely, extremely busy.” Stay tuned to hear what Cardi B has to offer this year.
Camila Cabello
Latest Album: Camila – January 12, 2018
Camila Cabello was propelled to proper pop superstar status in 2018, and she released her debut album Camila following her departure from Fifth Harmony. She proved she could do it as a solo artist in a big way and enjoyed the success of “Havana” featuring Young Thug, “Never Be the Same,” and delivered a powerful performance of “Consequences” with an orchestra at the AMAs. Cabello has been in the studio working on new music, and she has teased on social media that she has played some new songs for her mom, so an album is clearly forming, and 2019 is going to be another big year for Camila.
Selena Gomez
Latest Album: Revival – October 9, 2015
Selena Gomez has managed to lay relatively low while releasing little droplets of music along and along, but it has been quite some time since a proper album release. It has been difficult to keep up with the status of the album because she has kept relatively mum about any details. During an Instagram Live, she revealed that her favorite song on the album was “Rare.” She says she has yet to set any official release dates. The only new music fans got were in the form of two songs – “Back to You” from the 13 Reasons Why Soundtrack and “Taki Taki” with DJ Snake, Cardi B, and Ozuna. While it is never safe to assume that Selena Gomez will release a new album at any given time, 2019 just might be the year.
Katy Perry
Latest Album: Witness – June 9, 2017
Katy Perry spent much of 2018 on reconstructing her career after the mixed reactions that came from Witness. While the album might not have been met with such amazing reviews, Witness: The Tour was one of the highest grossing and most successful tours in recent history. Early in 2018, Capitol Records’ Steve Barnett revealed to Variety that Katy has a plan to get back on the public’s good side saying, “But she has a plan, and we have a plan, and we feel good about it.” She also joined the American Idol reboot as one of the judges alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, which may have been part of this grand scheme to win over the public again. Perry released a cover of “Waving Through a Window” from Dear Evan Hansen, an Amazon-exclusive Christmas song “Cozy Little Christmas,” and she debuted a song titled “Immortal Flame” in the Final Fantasy Brave Exvius video game. Katy Perry has been in the studio recording new music, so we know a new album is in the works, and 2019 could be the year it gets released.
Post Malone
Latest Album: beerbongs & bentleys – April 27, 2018
Post Malone enjoyed a massively successful 2018, and his success does not appear to be slowing up anytime soon. To cap off what was already a stellar year, Post Malone released a new single titled simply “Wow.” on December 23, 2018. In November 2018, he tweeted that he was “trying to put out a new body of work before the end of the year but we all know how that goes…” So clearly a new album is ready to go or at least in its final stages. Brand new song “Wow.” is expected to appear on the new project, which is expected to be released in early 2019 if everything goes according to Post’s wishes.
Florida Georgia Line
Latest Album: Dig Your Roots – August 26, 2015
Florida Georgia Line’s new album, Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, is the only album on this list with an officially announced release date heading into 2019. Can’t Say I Ain’t Country will be released on February 15, and it is shaping up to be some of their best work yet. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley say that much of the album is a throwback to the ’90s country they grew up on. BK says, “You can say a lot of things. You can call somebody a lot of different names and have a lot of different opinions, but at the end of the day, when it comes to me and Tyler, you can’t say we ain’t country.” He went on to say, “I think there’s still something for everybody on this record. I think we both think the songs are the strongest probably since our first record or maybe ever.” The tracklist has been revealed featuring what will surely be some incredible collaborations with Jason Aldean, Jason Derulo, and rising Nashville songwriter turned singer Hardy. We’ve already heard lead single “Simple,” “Colorado,” their latest single “Talk You Out Of It,” “Sittin’ Pretty,” and the inspiring “People Are Different,” which have only succeeded in hyping us all up for the full album’s release in February.
Sam Hunt
Latest Album: Montevallo – October 27, 2014
Sam Hunt continues to appear on these most anticipated album lists, but he is one of the artists who are the most questionable as to whether they will actually release a new album each year. The only new music he released in 2018 was his single, “Downtown’s Dead,” which was his first new single in 15 months. At that time, he said he planned to release another new song titled “Nothing Lasts Forever” soon after ‘Downtown’s Dead,” but it never got released. He revealed in an interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway that had “lots of songs in pieces,” but did not have the songs in order to craft a full album saying, “I don’t necessarily have a record ready. I don’t have quite enough continuity in the songs I’ve been working on.” He opened for Luke Bryan on his What Makes You Country XL Tour, which many predicted would encourage the release of more new music (it didn’t). I will optimistically anticipate that Sam Hunt will release a new album this year, or at least a couple of new songs because I think I speak for us all in saying we need new Sam Hunt music.
Childish Gambino
Latest Album: “Awaken, My Love!” – December 2, 2016
Childish Gambino had one of the biggest songs and music videos of 2018 with his hit, “This Is America.” The song immediately shot to #1 thanks to its music video, which was a hot topic in the media. He also released a summer pack of two other songs, “Summertime Magic” and “Feels Like Summer,” which are expected to appear on his upcoming album. Childish Gambino’s 2019 is shaping up to be monumental with him set to headline Coachella on April 12 and 19. Chance the Rapper confirmed in 2018 that he and Gambino had worked on a joint project, so let’s hope that sees the light of day, as well. Donald Glover has previously suggested that this upcoming album will be his last under the Childish Gambino moniker, so for that reason alone, it deserves a place on this list.
Lana Del Rey
Latest Album: Lust for Life – July 21, 2017
Lana Del Rey is one of the most elusive artists in the industry. She released two new songs in 2018 – “Mariners Apartment Complex” and “Venice Bitch.” She has also previewed two new songs on social media titled “Sylvia Path” and “How to Disappear,” and she debuted two new songs with Jack Antonoff at his annual Ally Coalition benefit concert that she called “country songs” supposedly titled “I Must Be Stupid for Being So Happy” and “Hey Baby Blue.” Lana is set to release a new song titled “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have- but i have it” on January 9, and she recently revealed that her new album is completely finished and mastered. She also has a “short book of poetry” titled Violent Bent Backwards Over the Grass that she says she “will be putting out later” and that she has been writing for the past thirteen months. She worked on this upcoming new album with Jack Antonoff with co-writing credits and production. All these songs are set to appear on a new album explicitly titled Norman F***ing Rockwell set to be released this year.
SZA
Latest Album: Ctrl – June 9, 2017
SZA has been working on the follow-up to her excellent debut album, Ctrl, released in June 2017. In an interview with Power 105.1, she revealed that her new album will be more personal than her last, and she also teased that it could be released before the end of 2018 (it didn’t), so expect to hear it this year. She has shared some snippets on social media of new music, but it is not clear whether these songs will appear on the album or when the album is coming. In late December 2018, SZA cleared off her Instagram account and deleted all of its posts, so a new album must be imminent.
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