Be On The Lookout For These Albums In 2017!

If 2016 is any indication of the type of great music we have in store for 2017 then it is going to be a great year musically. We can look forward to a slew of musicians releasing highly anticipated albums, along with some others we were not even expecting to be released.

TLC

TLC has not released an album in 15 years! Finally, 2017 looks to be the year that we will hear from the all-female R&B group, so we don’t have to keep chasing waterfalls for long. Even though the group is short the “L” component of TLC (Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes sadly passed away in 2002) that does not mean they are handicapped in making the same great music fans grew to love.

T-Boz came out in December of 2016 and said, “The album is being mixed, y’all… the album, for the most part is done, and new year’s drawing near, when we said it would be out in the first quarter.” Look out for that new album early 2017.

Trey Songz

“Trigga” Trey Songz is set to release his seventh studio album in 2017. It will be titled Tremaine and is a follow-up to his last effort, Trigga. Songz is usually a big hit maker with singles such as “Neighbors Know my Name” and “Bottoms Up” featuring Nicki Minaj, but this time around he might be taking a new route in his artistry.

In an interview in December 2016, he said, “Everybody takes everything in so fast and then they’re on to the next thing, so I want to figure out how to hold people’s attention.” That could mean a lot coming from any artist.

Grizzly Bear

The last time Grizzly Bear released an album was in 2012. Five years later and the indie rock group is going to be releasing something new, much to the liking of their fans. There have been hints dropped by guitarist and vocalist Ed Droste via Instagram that imply the new album will be politically influenced and have piano ballads.

In October 2016, there was a tweet from Grizzly Bear that said, “Album 90 percent done. Last update until you hear it.” Sounds like they are in full grind mode and do not want to be bothered about the album.

Charli XCX

The British pop star is coming back in style and with confidence in May 2017. The album may not have a title yet but as fans, you can rest assured that this might be her best work yet. These new tracks will come together in what is said to be her most pop-commercial album yet, so expect radio hits galore!

She was quoted saying she is trying to make “the best pop album of 2017” so there proves the confidence we mentioned above. Many pop artists will also be releasing new work this year, so the competition is fierce.

Nelly Furtado

The “Promiscuous Girl” artist is making her way back to airwaves on March 31st. Nelly Furtado’s last album in 2012, The Spirit Indestructible did not follow the success of its ancestors but it was still a great release in 2012. Half a decade later, The Ride is coming to music playing devices everywhere.

Her lead single “Islands of Me” is not the chart topper you might expect but it is enough to keep long-time fans engaged and anticipating the new album. Hopefully, we get some production from Timbaland for old time’s sake and we can get to dancing!

Lorde

Have you ever seen a diamond in the rough? If not, then you and Lorde have one thing in common! One step closer to becoming her best friend. On a serious note, her fans are demanding a new album be released A.S.A.P. Luckily, that album is coming sooner than we think.

Before her twentieth birthday, Lorde wrote an extremely long Facebook post talking about life and she spilled some details on the album. “I want nothing more than to spill my guts RIGHT NOW about the whole thing – I want you to see the album cover, pour over the lyrics (the best I’ve written in my life), touch the merch, experience the live show.” Get excited, everybody.

Kelly Clarkson

The American Idol star is coming out with something she said she’s had inside her since junior high school. During a Facebook Live stream, she said, “everybody’s been asking me to make a soulful record for years and while we’ve always had soulful influences on my record, we’ve never actually made a soulful record. So, that’s what Atlantic Records and I are about to do.”

Since she first reached fame the singer’s life has changed quite a bit. She is now married and has two biological children and two step children. She also left her former record label (of 14 years) RCA to join Atlantic. Clarkson’s first single is expected to be released in April!

Sampha

For his debut album, Process is a very fitting name. It has been a long time coming that we have been anticipating the release of a solo studio album from Sampha. Along the way, he has made guest appearances on artists’ tracks such as Drake (who we will get to later on) and Solange.

With the long list of artists he’s worked with, you’d think Sampha would have an album of his own out by now. The UK singer/songwriter will combine all of the talents we love on his ten-track LP, which will come out February 3rd. Try to contain your excitement.

Gorillaz

Well, it has been nearly seven years since Gorillaz’ last studio album, The Fall was released. That marks the longest break in-between albums for the animation-loving group. There has yet to be much information leaked about the album so far but fans can expect greatness according to Jamie Hewlett after a promise that the album will be “really [expletive] special.”

There have been reports of possible guest artists featured on the album, including Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Vic Mensa and Massive Attack. That list is pretty impressive, to add to the already impressive Gorillaz, so we can for sure expect something really special later this year.

Beck

If you have heard Beck’s latest single “Wow” then you know that this next album is going to be much different than the last. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to fans because many of his follow-up albums take a turn in a new direction and end up going somewhere you did not expect.

Many have questioned the single “Wow” because of its severe pop feel but that doesn’t deter fans from patiently waiting for his new album. In any event, you would think the follow-up album that won Album of the Year at the Grammys would have to be amazing.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran just revealed the album title and tracklist for his forthcoming album set to release on March 3rd. With 12 songs bolstering the album we can expect the UK star to give us ear-pleasing music. And we can expect some chart-topping hits on this album as he already admitted “Shape of You” was originally written with Rihanna in mind and we all know Rihanna has the hits.

Sheeran also came back to Twitter after a year-long absence and tweeted, “The 3rd album is on its way and is the best thing I have made thus far.”

Kanye West

2016 was quite the year for Kanye West. From getting dissed by his former protege Kid Cudi to being on watch for mental illness related issues, there was no shortage of Kanye drama. Many artists in the industry don’t have the nicest things to say about Kim Kardashian’s husband, as Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill recalled, “I think Nathan was gonna try to punch Kanye. We were two rows behind him, and Nathan was flipping him off.”

After all the nonsense he has been through you cannot guess what is going to happen next with him. One thing you can be assured of is that he will give you quality music. His supposed next album was teased on Twitter with a track list and is supposed to come out sometime in 2017.

John Mayer

John Mayer is taking an interesting path with his next album. He hasn’t released a studio album since 2013, so we’re hoping the artist was able to create some great new music in the last three-plus years. In fact, you probably have already heard some of his new album when he released “Wave 1” in the middle of January 2017.

Mayer supposedly has so much material that he could not release the album all at once and is going to take a less traditional route. “The album will be released four songs at a time,” he wrote. “There were too many songs to ever get out the door at once.”

Big Sean

The rapper signed under Kanye West is set to release I Decided on February 3rd. He has built up a head of steam with songs such as “Bounce Back” and “Moves” and he has already announced tour dates.

Big Sean for sure has a treat in store for his fans as he has recruited fellow Detroit MC, Eminem to appear on his album. Speaking of the featured artist he said, “He lit it up. He went on there and – it kind of reminded me of why I am such an Eminem fan and it reminded me of why I fell in love with Eminem’s work.”

Haim

It’s Haim time! 2013 was the release of the trio’s debut studio album and 2017 will be the time for them to come out with a follow-up. In the time span, the sisters have teamed up with a wide range of artists including Kid Cudi, Lorde, Calvin Harris and Major Lazer.

That just makes their new album that much more anticipated. Este Haim says, “You don’t even know what’s coming for you. I’m warning you. You. Don’t. Even. Know.” Hopefully, they back up that statement, and it seems like they will because their talent is sky high.

Drake

Drake has pretty much evolved into one of the biggest musicians in the music game across many genres. His first two albums set record-setting album views online, and Drake has not missed a step when it comes to creating music.

After recovering from a few bumps in the road (Joe Budden called the artist arrogant, and said it would get in the way of his career) it is almost like he is an architect of a full proof formula that allows him to win every time. His next anticipated work was set to originally release in December of 2016 but things change. See more on the next slide.

Drake

As we mentioned, More Life was slated to be released back in December of 2016 but Drake did not hold up his end of the bargain. Now it looks like we will just have to sit and wait for the full album to be released at some point in 2017. He has already released three songs tied with the project, one of them being the smash hit “Fake Love.”

When talking about More Life on his radio station he described it in a very peculiar fashion. He said, “I want to give you a collection of songs that become the soundtrack to your life.” Well, whatever it is Drake, your fans are patiently waiting.

Kehlani

Kehlani is a young R&B diva who demands respect. First, she was nominated for a Grammy for a mixtape. Now Kehlani has reloaded and is set to launch her first studio album on February 3rd. She had a hit song on the Suicide Squad soundtrack titled “Gangsta” and looks to be riding the wave of that success.

2016 wasn’t that great of a year for her personally, as she dealt with the aftermath of a suicide attempt, but the release of her new album should help her put that behind her in a big way. Her single “Distraction” is a strong indicator of how great this album might be.

Sean Paul

Just give him the light and he’s good to go! That’s right, Sean Paul is coming back in 2017 and we are ready to hit the dance floor. Or maybe just dance in the car. We’ve been waiting for Sean Paul to release a new album since 2014. Although we haven’t heard any new music from the artist over the last couple of years, he still managed to stay relevant.

When he appeared on Sia’s “Cheap Thrills”, the world was all for the dance hall artist. He recently just celebrated the five-year anniversary of his album Tomahawk Technique so that could mean he is getting ready to start pushing his new album.

Father John Misty

Pure Comedy is set to come out April 17th and that would be album number three for Father John Misty. The album will boast 13 tracks and is co-produced by Josh Tillman and Jonathan Wilson. When he announced the album it was accompanied by a 2,000-word essay explaining what the album is about.

“Pure Comedy is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. The species’ only hope for survival, finding itself on a cruel, unpredictable rock surrounded by other species who seem far more adept at this whole thing (and to whom they are delicious), is the reliance on other, slightly older, half-formed brains.” Well, at least you know what to expect.