Photo: Instagram.com/badgalriri
As the pandemic continues on with the new Omicron variant, the new year is ready to present a stacked playlist of new releases we can enjoy while tiding through 2022. Some artists put their work on hold during the pandemic, and others have been rolling out one album after the other with no hesitation. From indie breakthroughs to hip-hop stars and long-awaited returns, the grind hasn’t stopped. Here are some of 2022’s most anticipated album releases
Aaliyah
The Unstoppable album falls as part of the relaunch of Aaliyah’s record label Blackground Records 2.0. The new album will stream two of her solo albums for the first time since her death in 2001, and features unreleased vocals duetting hip-hop and RnB stars like The Weeknd, Drake, Future, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, and Snoop Dogg. As fans embraced the releases which were previously only available as hard copies, excitement for the new release boomed as soon as the lead single ‘Poison’ featuring The Weeknd released last month.
Cardi B
Photo: Instagram.com/cardib
Following her 2019 Grammy-winning debut album Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B’s new album was set to launch in 2021. Due to the pandemic, however, the singer put the release on hold. “I just stopped working on my album out of nowhere because I feel like the whole Covid thing discouraged me to put out my album,” she told hip-hop magazine XXL.
However, she announced on Instagram last month that she has big plans for 2022. Cardi will be releasing her album this year, along with her new film, Assisted Living.
Kendrick Lamar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL7R-dFlgk
Back in November, Kendrick Lamar announced that his fifth album would be the last under the record label TDE. American collaborator and producer Sounwave then revealed online that he is working on an album with an unnamed artist. The untitled follow-up for the Grammy-winning album Damn will feature Dr Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J Blige.
Lizzo
Lizzo’s untitled album will be the follow up to her third album Cuz I Love You, which was nominated for six Grammy Awards in 2020. The RnB singer returned with Cardi B with the song ‘Rumours’ in August as an announcement to the beginning of a “new era”.
Rihanna
Rihanna is planning on returning with a different musical persona in 2022, and recently announced that she is busy working on an experimental album. She sees music as fashion, with a vast field for play. Just how she should be able to wear whatever she wants, she’s going to have fun with music and make this experience completely different.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s 2021 musical appearance came with re-recorded works of her albums Fearless and Red. The singer-songwriter is planning on continuing this movement with the release of two other reworked albums, assumingly her 2006 self-titled debut album and 2010’s Speak Now.
The Weeknd
This year, Abel Tesfaye posted a New Year’s Day Instagram post of a conversation with La Mar Taylor, the co-founder of The Weeknd’s music label, XO Records. In the clip, Abel told Taylor that “Everything feels chaotic again. Music can heal and that feels more important than another album roll out. Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people.” The Canadian artist announced on his Apple Music 1 radio show, Momento Mori in October that the album was done, and was only missing a couple of characters that are key to the narrative.“Some people that are near and dear to me, some people that inspired my life as a child, and some that inspire me now. More to come in the following months,” he said.
Avril Lavingne
Photo: Instagram.com/avrillavigne
The queen of punk is returning to music in Febraury 2022 with a brand new album. According to Lavingne, this album is what she has always wanted to make her whole career.
Paramore
Photo: Instagram.com/paramore
The band is reportedly back in the studio, working hard on their next album. After their last recorded work, After Laughter, which dates back to 2017, there have been no hints of their upcoming project—other than its arrival in 2022.
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