To say 2020 hasn’t been the best of years would arguably be the biggest understatement of all time. However, one shining light coming out of all this has been music. So far, 2020 has provided us with albums from megastars such as Dua Lipa, Lil Uzi Vert, Taylor Swift and even a visual album from the queen, Beyoncé herself. As we still have around a third of the year left, we thought we’d take a look at some of the most anticipated albums which have been, confirmed or heavily speculated to drop in 2020.
Rihanna
It seems like decades ago we got the masterpiece that is Anti and ever since then fans have been, not so patiently, waiting for another Rihanna album to bless our speakers. While there have been some high profile features to quench our thirst such as her show-stealing appearance on PARTYNEXTDOOR’s comeback album, fans are itching for something more substantial and it seems like it’ll be coming sooner than later.
Lana Del Rey
Release date: September 5th
Lana Del Rey has had somewhat of a resurgence recently, her latest album Norman fucking Rockwell was critically acclaimed and received two Grammy nominations and was featured on the incredibly successful lead single for the Charlies Angels soundtrack. Lana’s 7th studio album will be titled Chemtrails over the Country Club.
Cardi B
Cardi B’s debut album showed that she’s a force to be reckoned with and exceeded all expectations by mixing her typically braggadocios style with some truly vulnerable moments. Cardi has managed to keep her relevancy at an all-time high and with the recent release of her single “WAP” with Meg Thee Stallion, it seems as if an album rollout is about to begin.
Billie Eilish
While Billie Eilish doesn’t have to drop an album anytime soon, it definitely would be welcomed considering how incredible her debut effort was. Her most recent single “My Future” showed a more hopeful and uplifting output from the 18-year-old and could indicate an intriguing change of pace for her next album. If this is the lead single for her next project we expect it could be dropping a lot sooner than people think.
Katy Perry
Release date: August 28th
Although Katy Perry seems to be entering into the twilight phase of her career, it doesn’t discredit her as one of the biggest and best pop stars of the last decade. The level of consistency she showed for over a decade is quite staggering and while this album may not reach the dazzling heights we usually expect from her it will still be a welcome release nonetheless.
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean epitomizes the idea of a reclusive artist. He doesn’t do interviews, he’s barely seen in public and there’s never any promo for anything he drops. Considering it’s now been over four years since his last album, it’s safe to say that it’s likely we’ll all be shedding more than a few tears to Frank’s voice again at some point in the near future.
Alicia Keys
Incredibly, this will be Alicia Keys’ seventh studio album. Titled ALICIA, the singles that have been released so far for the album has featured quite an interesting and unique take on the modern soul. The latest release features Khalid and is a pretty solid effort so we hope to see a few more high-profile collaborations like this one on the album.
Kendrick Lamar
After it was revealed he was supposed to be headlining Glastonbury and BST Hyde Park this summer, many thought it would be in conjunction with an album release. However, there have been numerous rumours that the album is coming this year and Billboard columnist Bill Werde tweeted that recording of the album was finished in January.
SZA
Labelmate of Kendrick Lamar, SZA has spent a similar amount of time without dropping her next album. When SZA burst onto the scene in 2017 with her larger than life album, Ctrl, her songs were played everywhere. You couldn’t go on Instagram or Twitter without someone quoting her. It’s well noted that TDE (her label) likes to take their time with their releases but now seems like a better time than ever for more SZA music.
Words by Chris Saunders
Graphics by Georgia Walters
