The most anticipated albums are coming
With the Grammys over, check out this list of the most anticipated albums of the year
As the music industry comes down from the high of Sunday’s Grammy Awards, now’s a chance to look ahead at some of the new tunes you’ll be bumping to over the next 11 months. January already got us off to a good start with Maggie Rogers’ long-awaited debut, Heard It in a Past Life, James Blake’s Assume Form and the Backstreet Boys’ DNA (which is already certified gold in Canada).
Newer artists like Dua Lipa and Cardi B are expected to keep the hit train going, while older mainstays like the Rolling Stones and Madonna are set to make grand returns.
Following is a look at some albums we can’t wait to listen to in 2019. (Release dates may change.)
ARIANA GRANDE
THANK U, NEXT (AVAILABLE NOW)
Just five months after the songstress released Sweetener, Grande is back with Thank U, Next. This time the pop princess wrestles with the death of her ex Mac Miller in September and the dissolution of her whirlwind engagement to Pete Davidson. Grande skipped the Grammys over a dispute with its producers.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
CAN’T SAY I AIN’T COUNTRY (FEB. 15)
The originators of bro country are back with their fourth studio LP. “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 Tyler (Hubbard) and I, you can’t say we ain’t country,” FGL’s Brian Kelley tells Entertainment Tonight. Guests on the 19-song album include Jason Derulo and Jason Aldean.
AVRIL LAVIGNE
HEAD ABOVE WATER (FEB. 15)
The six-time Juno winner preps a new slate of tunes partly inspired by her widely reported ongoing battle with Lyme disease. “One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die . ... In that moment,” she says, “the songwriting of this album began.”
GARY CLARK JR.
THIS LAND (MARCH 1)
The Grammy winner is back with a fiery selection of songs threaded together by the guitarist’s racist experiences growing up in the American south. “Getting dogs--- in the mailbox ... That was a regular occurrence,” he tells Rolling Stone.
HOZIER
WASTELAND, BABY! (MARCH 1)
After making it onto Barack Obama’s 2018 year-end playlist (with his Mavis Staples collab Nina Cried), the Irish singersongwriter will drop his sophomore LP. “It’s a pleasure to finally turn out my pockets and share the work,” he says.
WEEZER
THE BLACK ALBUM (MARCH 1)
After January’s surprise Teal covers LP, Weezer will release the all-original Black Album.
DIDO
STILL ON MY MIND (MARCH 8)
The multi-million selling singer is back with her first new album in five years. “All the vocals were recorded on the sofa,” she teases.
DANGER MOUSE AND KAREN O
LUX PRIMA (MARCH 15)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and Grammy-winning musician-producer Danger Mouse are joining forces for what is sure to be one of the year’s most intriguing collaborations. “Woman came like a bolt out of the blue in the studio, and my voice was the lighting rod it struck,” says O of the record’s first single.
LANA DEL REY
NORMAN F---ING ROCKWELL (MARCH 29)
Now that she’s done feuding with Azealia Banks, Lana Del Rey is putting the finishing touches on her sixth studio release, which features the 10-minute long Venice Bitch. “Some people just wanna drive around for 10 minutes and get lost in some electric guitar,” she tells Zach Lowe’s Beats 1 show.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
SOCIAL CUES (APRIL 19)
Don’t be fooled by the deceptively upbeat first single, Ready to Let Go. The majority of the material on Social Cues was written during the unravelling of lead singer Matt Shultz’s relationship.
THE CRANBERRIES
IN THE END (APRIL 26)
The upcoming 11-track record brings the Irish band’s career to a fitting and powerful end following the death of frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan last year. “Dolores was so energized by the prospect of making this record,” bandmate Noel Hogan recalls.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
FATHER OF THE BRIDE (TBD)
Eleven years after their eponymous debut, the Brooklyn band is dusting off a new set of stripped-down pop songs. Tour dates have been confirmed (they play Toronto’s RBC Echo Beach on June 5), so expect an exact release date any day now.
RIHANNA
(TBD)
In a Vogue cover story last year, RiRi says her followup to 2016’s Anti will be “a reggae album” and will hit airwaves this year.
MADONNA
(TBD)
The Queen of Pop is readying her 14th studio record for release sometime this year. “Yep, in between rose mist spray and serums, I’m actually making music. Can’t quit my day job,” she quips.
THE RACONTEURS
(TBD)
Wow, time flies. After an 11-year hiatus, Jack White’s supergroup has released two new singles with rumours swirling about a full-length album.
THE WEEKND
CHAPTER 6 (TBD)
Performing in Toronto in November, The Weeknd confirmed he’s hard at work on a followup to 2016’s Starboy. “Some chapters are smaller than others, not this next one though,” he tweeted.
MAREN MORRIS
(TBD)
A multiple nominee at this year’s Grammys, Maren Morris is promising her next album will be a bold mix of country, pop, rock and R&B. “After The Middle, I’ve just become braver,” she says. “I’m a little bit of everything.”
THE ROLLING STONES
(TBD)
The iconic rockers are not only planning their first U.S. tour in four years — they’re eyeing new music. “I’m preparing more than anything else, putting material together,” Keith Richards says.
DRAKE
(TBD)
As his recent trek with Migos was winding down in November, the Grammy winner for best rap song told an Edmonton crowd he was already looking ahead. “I promise you that as soon as this tour is over ... I’m going to get right to work on a new album.”