Music previews

Another year is upon us, so it’s time to get excited about which artists are going to be releasing albums in 2018. We take a forward glance at the next 12 months and give a shout-out to the albums that you should definitely add to your wishlist.

CAMILA CABELLO

Since Camila Cabello’s shock departure from girl group Fifth Harmony in December 2016, the singer-songwriter’s star has risen immeasurably. She has scored success all over the world, having won several top awards on her own, and her solo career has surpassed that of the group that was originally formed on the US version of The X Factor in 2012.

Cabello’s self-titled debut solo effort includes her number one hit, Havana – which topped the UK charts for five weeks – and newly-released track Never Be The Same. Camila is released on January 12.

PLAN B

Rapper and singer Plan B is back soon with his hotly-anticipated third album Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose. Those expecting rap might be disappointed, however. He recently told GQ magazine that he left rapping off the album this time around “because I feel that I’m not being honest with myself if I’m living the high life and I’m trying to rap about the other side of things”. The 34-year-old says the album (due out in April) will have a futuristic slant to it. Some of the album is based on the social and political changes in recent years, and also acts as a conduit for his living in “a perpetual state of heaven on earth”.

KYLIE MINOGUE

Get ready for a “super positive and inspiring” new album from pop princess Kylie Minogue. The Australian music star has admitted that working on the record helped her through a difficult break-up with former fiance Joshua Sasse. Minogue, 49, told The Sun there is “a little bit of heartbreak” in the album and that, somewhat surprisingly, it is largely inspired by her time in the country music capital of the world: Nashville. She said: “I went to Nashville for two weeks and that became the album. I did a lot of work on the album before that but Nashville had a profound effect on me.” The release date and name of the album are yet to be revealed, but Minogue has assured fans it will drop early this year.

ARCTIC MONKEYS

Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys will very likely be back this year with their as-yet-untitled sixth album. The Alex Turner-fronted band’s previous record was released over four years ago, with 2013’s AM nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band’s bassist, Nick O’Malley, has already hinted that the record is under way. He told motorcycle magazine The Ride that they had joined forces from September at a “secret location” and had already started recording. He added that he hoped a new album would be out in 2018, and that “if it isn’t, we’ve got problems”. Watch this space.

RITA ORA

Rita Ora’s second album has been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. The singer-songwriter, whose charttopping debut album, Ora, was released in 2012, told fans on Instagram: “I was going crazy, not being able to put music out, I am happy to do that and knowing you guys are still there makes me so happy.” The pop and R&B singer added that “it’s going to be major” and that she has been “working on it for ages”. “There’s some amazing people on it and amazing surprises.” In 2017, Ora scored two top 10 singles – Your Song went to number seven, and Anywhere peaked at number two – which should surely be a sign of good things to come.