With a new year comes the anticipation of what's to come in the music industry. This year has already seen some excellent releases, like Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus, the surprise release of four songs by Taylor Swift, Cracker Island by Gorillaz, This is Why by Paramore, The Day My Father Died by SYML and Gloria by Sam Smith, but it's never enough. There's so much more for us to see.
The music industry is not just what we hear on the radio, but includes hundreds and thousands of artists and genres that contribute parts of themselves to the industry through their works. From Jisoo's highly anticipated solo music to a personal peek into Lana Del Rey's life through her latest release, here are some albums to look forward to throughout 2023!
Lana Del Rey: Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Release Date: 24th March
Lana Del Rey is a 37-year-old music artist who saw her breakthrough in the music industry after her debut single, Video Games (2011), closely followed by her album Born to Die in 2012, with one of the most notable songs being Summertime Sadness. Since Born to Die, she has released seven studio albums. Her most successful album is Norman F**king Rockwell! (2019), which was also a significant turning point in her production and songwriting style. She's primarily known for her melancholic style of pop music, with a voice that represents a dark, vintage aesthetic and intense lyrics.
Her 9th studio album, Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, was released on March 24, 2023. It comprises 16 tracks, including interludes featuring Jon Batiste and Judah Smith and collaborations with SYML, Tommy Genesis, The Bleachers, Father Jon Misty and more. The album is produced by Lana herself and Jack Antanoff, an award-winning producer and lead singer of The Bleachers, who has also worked on albums like Norman F**king Rockwell!, Midnights by Taylor Swift and Melodrama by Lorde.
Being a massive Lana Del Rey fan, it has been a well known piece of information that this album has been in the making for two years. To finally listen to it has been incredible for the entire fanbase, especially since it's the most personal album she has released so far. It includes glimpses into her family, which is something we have not seen before.
Jisoo: Me
Release Date: 31st March
Jisoo is a singer, actress and a member of Blackpink, the Korean girl group. Blackpink, formed in 2016, consists of four members: Jennie, Rose, Jisoo and Lisa. The group won Best Female Group at the Billboard awards and has released record-breaking tracks like How You Like That and Pink Venom.
The group has also collaborated with pop icons like Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga. The members have pursued their individual careers with their own releases and acting gigs, Jisoo's being that of the lead actress in Snowdrop, a k-drama TV series released in 2021.
Jisoo took to her social media platforms on March 4, 2023, to tease and announce the release date of her debut individual album, Me. The title follows the autobiographical theme of all the other band members' first solo releases; R (Rose), LALISA (Lisa) and Solo (Jennie). As the last Blackpink member to release her music, fans have anticipated this to see how it may be different from the music she creates as a part of Backpink, as well as from the personal projects of other group members.
They can now give her album a listen too! She released the tracklist on March 27: "꽃 (FLOWER)" and "All Eyes on Me".
The National: First Two Pages of Frankenstein
Release Date: 28th April
The National is an American indie-rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger on vocals, twin brothers Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner on strings and keys, and brothers Scott Devendorf on bass and Bryan Devendorf on drums. Their first album, The National, was released in 2001 and remastered in 2021.
The band's album Sleep Well Beast won Best Alternative Music Album at the 60th Grammy Awards. The members have also participated in individual projects, one being Aaron and Bryce Dessner's incredible writing and production on Taylor Swift's 2020 surprise album, evermore.
First Two Pages of Frankenstein, set for release on April 28, 2023, is the band's 9th studio album. The tracklist revealed 11 tracks with features like Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens and Taylor Swift. It teases a new and exciting chapter in the band's discography, and especially after Aaron Dessner's incredible production on evermore, fans have been excited to see what his production will do for the musical style of the band.
Being a band that has been together for so long, its music is always evolving and I'm looking forward to seeing what we get from this album! They have already released three singles on the album: Tropic Morning News, New Order T-Shirt and Eucalyptus. This comes not long after Cherry Tree Vol. IV, their eighth studio album, was released in September 2022.
Ed Sheeran: Subtract
Release Date: 5th May
Ed Sheeran is an English singer and songwriter. Some of the most popular tracks he wrote for other artists include Little Things and 18 by One Direction, Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, Dark Times by the Weeknd, River by Eminem and 2002 by Anne Marie. He has also co-written and featured on songs like Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Lay It All On Me by Rudimental.
His debut studio album, titled + (plus), was released in 2011, after which he released x (multiply) in 2014, ÷ (divide) in 2017, and No.6 Collaborations Project in 2019, which included some incredible features like Khalid, Camila Cabello, H.E.R. and Bruno Mars, and = (equals) in 2021. In 2018, Divide won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
We have finally come to - (subtract), which will be released on May 5, 2023. He released the first single from this album, Eyes Closed, in March 2023. Having anticipated a new album since early 2022, fans are beyond curious as they started receiving notebooks with the minus sign on them and finally got an announcement from Ed about his sixth studio album.
What's more exciting is that Ed revealed that Taylor Swift introduced him to Aaron Dessner, and they worked together on this album. I'm looking forward to seeing what they created together! He also announced tour dates in North America from May 6, 2023, to September 26, 2023.
Freya Ridings: Blood Orange
Release Date: 5th May
Freya Ridings is an English singer-songwriter who rose to fame after the release of her ballad, Lost Without You, in 2017. This was followed by her debut EP, You Mean The World To Me, released in 2019. She released her debut self-titled album in the same year, from which her song Castles took to the charts.
Her first album was ranked number 3 on the UK charts. She has a YouTube channel where she posts music videos and covers of other songs, such as driver's license by Olivia Rodrigo and Bad Guy by Billie Eilish.
She dropped her first single after three years, "Weekends", which came right before the announcement of her brand new album, Blood Orange, scheduled for release on May 5! She also released Can I Jump? and Face In The Crowd as singles from the upcoming album. Freya spoke about the inspiration behind Blood Orange in an interview, saying that it's about two parts of her life; one being heartbroken and lonely and the other experiencing pure happiness.
After Lost Without You's success, people are looking forward to what else she has in store! I'd love to see her expand from ballads and dabble in other styles.
Jonas Brothers: The Album
Release Date: 12th May
The Jonas Brothers is a pop-rock band comprising three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas. The band was formed in 2005 and released four albums before breaking up in 2013 because of creative differences. While a lot of people thought their case would be like that of One Direction, much to their surprise, the trio made a comeback in 2019 and immediately released a new song, Sucker, which they went on to promote on stages like that of the Late Late Show with James Corden. This was followed by the release of their fifth studio album, Happiness Begins.
Their sixth studio album, The Album, will be released on May 12, 2023. They released the lead single from this album called Wings. They spoke about how this album talks about their current lives.
A lot has happened since their last release; they got married and now have children and wanted to embody this experience in their music. With so many new experiences and changes in their lives, this album is definitely going to have a more mature tone to it which I'm interested in hearing. They hinted that the Bee Gees were one of their inspirations for the genre this album entails. The trio also mentioned that they will be going on tour in 2023!
Lewis Capaldi: Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
Release Date: 19th May
Lewis Capaldi is a Scottish musician initially discovered from a recording uploaded on SoundCloud. His first single, Bruises, was released in 2017, making him the first unsigned artist to hit 25 million listens on Spotify. After that, the release of Someone You Loved in 2019 won over the hearts of many as it rose to number one in multiple countries.
His debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, was released in 2019. The tracklist included Bruises and Someone You Loved, along with other top-rated songs, like Before You Go and Hold Me While You Wait.
Almost four years later, he finally announced the release of his second studio album. He has released three singles: How I'm Feeling Now, Pointless and Forget Me. He teased this album back in 2020 and 2021, and in October 2022, fans finally got what they had been anticipating for such a long time.
When asked about the inspiration behind the album, he said that he went out in the world and 'saw what's s**t' and wrote music about it. As someone who had his previous album on repeat as an absolute heart-crushing experience, this album seems to be following the same theme and I can't wait to hear it. He is currently on a world tour till October 2023.
Arlo Parks: My Soft Machine
Release Date: 26th May
Arlo Parks is a British singer and songwriter discovered in 2018 when radio presenters in the UK noticed her demos uploaded on BBC Music Introducing and shared with people in the industry who now manage her. She creates R&B and indie music and released her first EP, Super Sad Generation, in 2019. This was followed by her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, in 2021, which reached number 3 on the charts in the UK. It also won the 2021 Mercury Prize.
My Soft Machine is her second studio album. The artist has released two singles on this album: Weightless and Impurities. The album consists of 12 tracks in total.
Regarding the album's theme, Arlo spoke about how it's her journal and how she sees the world through her own eyes. It's about reaching into herself and translating every detail she observes into music on this album. I first came across her music late in 2021 and find her style to be so unique that it sets her apart from what mainstream music looks like today.
I'm expecting nothing less than the impact her debut album had on me, and am desperately waiting for this release! She is going on tour in Asia and Europe starting in July 2023.
Niall Horan: The Show
Release Date: 9th June
Former member of the global phenomenon known as One Direction, Niall Horan, is an Irish singer and songwriter. After the band split in 2016, he, like other members, explored his individual musical abilities and released two singles in 2017: This Town and Slow Hands, followed by his debut album, Flicker. He then released his album, Heartbreak Weather, in 2020. He has collaborated with several artists, such as Julia Michaels on What a Time and Ashe on Moral Of The Story.
After a series of EPs, Niall has finally announced his third studio album, the show, scheduled for release on June 9, 2023. He has released one single from the album so far: Heaven. The official tracklist consists of ten songs.
He has also dropped hints about a world tour, since fans get ticket codes when pre-ordering the album on his official website. In a conversation with Seth Myers, Niall talked about how he is nervous about releasing this album due to the complicated timing of the drop of Heartbreak Weather during the pandemic, but is ready to hand this project over to his fans. As a massive One Direction fan, I have continued to support their individual careers and seeing Niall's personal music evolve has been a treat and I'm ready for more!
Other than these, artists like Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles teased new releases with unknown release dates. Fans hope to get a rock album from Harry Styles after a snippet of Talk leaked. He spoke about making new music after the release of Harry's House in a Rolling Stones interview. Taylor Swift has dropped massive hints regarding the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version), the re-record of her third studio album through her Bejeweled music video. Lorde has spoken about not wanting to wait four years to release a new album after her 2021, Solar Power. Rihanna has acknowledged that 2023 might be the year for R9, her fandom's name for a potential new album. Zayn Malik and Selena Gomez are also artists who teased new music later in the year. Confirmed or unconfirmed, we have some exciting masterpieces to look forward to!
