Rare: Selena Gomez
Release date: January 10
She spent Christmas 2019 signing 4,000 copies of her upcoming album for some lucky fans but will it shift enough copies on launch? The 27-year-old has said the album will contain “the most honest music I’ve ever made” and on the promo track she sings: It feels like you don’t care/ Why don’t you recognise I’m so rare? We will soon find out if she would live up to her words.
Miss Anthropocene: Grimes
Release date: February 21
The Canadian musician is expected to deliver cyber-esque synth electropop. “There’s a weird philosophical justification for all pain, and there’s an anthropomorphisation of every form of pain. In our current society, we don’t even know how to talk about things,” she has told Lana Del Rey in a conversation that recently appeared in Interview magazine.
Future Nostalgia: Dua Lipa
Release date: TBA
To tell the world about her album, she posted a picture of the title inked onto her skin on the inside of her arm, just above her elbow. On her second LP she wants to break out of her comfort zone: “I was inspired by so many artistes on the new record from Gwen Stefani to Madonna to Moloko to Blondie and Outkast, to name just a few,” she has said in a statement.
Justin Bieber (TBA)
Release date: TBA
He has released his first solo single in four years on Friday, kicking off a career comeback that will see him release a new album. The new single — Yummy — seems to be a tribute to his model wife Hailey Baldwin. He sings: I’m elated that you are my lady… You got that yummy-yum.
YouTube — where he found fame as a teenager — has said a 10-part documentary series, Justin Bieber: Seasons, will launch on the video platform on January 27.
Limitless: Richard Marx
Release date: February 7
Returning with new music after many years, Richard Marx will walk a fine line between familiar and fresh sounds. “I’m listening to radio and I think it’s really important to let current and new music influence you, but I also think at this stage of my career — and any career that has lasted this long — if you don’t really embrace other people’s talent and see how they can benefit you creatively then you’ve got your head in the sand,” he has told Billboard. Hopefully the album would spawn a hit like Right Here Waiting.
Manic: Halsey
Release date: January 17
In way of singles, we have heard quite a few, yet we want to see how it all comes together, complete with collaborations with Alanis Morissette and Suga of BTS. “The reason this album ended up becoming what it is, which is a very, very personal conversation,” the singer has said.
High Road: Kesha
Release date: January 31
Her last two albums – Warrior and Rainbow — have been about heartbreak and winning against all odds. Now it’s time for Kesha to return to “debaucherous joy”. Though the album will feature a reflective single titled Resentment and the gospel-inspired Raising Hell, we are expecting a light fare from Kesha.
Imploding The Mirage: Killers
Release date: TBA
The Las Vegas group worked on the album in Utah. “That’s where I fell in love with music for the first time, so it’s interesting to be there again and hear some of that music with the geography matching the sensation. Some of that stuff is starting to resurface and a lot of that had to do with synthesiser music. It’s always been part of our DNA but it’s definitely creeping up,” group member Brandon Flowers has told NME. We hope the group will add Land of the Free (which is a response to Donald Trump’s border wall, racism and America’s failure on gun control) to the final tracklist for the album.
Walls: Louis Tomlinson
Release date: January 31
It sure has taken the One Direction member to release his debut album but going by the singles he has released so far, Walls promises to be an intimate affair. Finding an identity after being a part of a sensational group is tough but that’s what Tomlinson has been busy achieving. “I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I’m just honest I’d say,” he said.
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong: Bombay Bicycle Club
Release date: January 17
I guess I’ve found my peace again, and yes, I’ve found my second wind — Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman sings in the title track. The song about finding home and comfort during dark moments is a pointer to the content of the upcoming album from the English indie-rock band.