From Meghan Trainor to Kanye West: The most highly anticipated music for 2019
We look at the expected music releases to come later this year from pop artists in Britain, to K-poppers, to metal bands in Germany
Meghan Trainor at the Hot 99.5's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2018 in Washington DC.It’s 2019 – which can only mean one thing. A whole load of new, exciting music is on the way. Last year we saw some stellar albums dropped from some of the biggest names in the business, and this year we’re sure to see this continue. Here are our top tips on what you should be looking out for this year:
January will kick off the year with a tonne of releases you need to keep your eyes and ears peeled for. Clockenflap performers Sunflower Bean will be put out their new EP, King Of The Dudes, alongside one of the biggest rising stars in pop – Meghan Trainor and her record Treat Yourself. Mike Posner was last here at Dragonland 2017, and he returns to the limelight with A Real Good Kid. Other releases this month include the emotionally charged indie/folk-stress Sharon Van Etten with Remind Me Tomorrow, 4AD favourites Deerhunter’s eighth full-length Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, Amo from pop-punk superstars Bring Me The Horizon, and drum’n’bass act Rudimental drop their third record, Toast To Our Differences.
February sees Beirut return to their Balkan folk roots on their fifth effort, Gallipoli, after their last two albums took a more direct pop influence, while White Lies are set to switch up styles once more on the aptly-titled Five out on February 1. Avril Lavigne, one of the biggest selling artists of the 2000s, will also make her long-awaited return this month with her sixth studio album, Head Above Water.
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Norwegian singer Sigrid is one of the most exciting new acts emerging in the pop world right now, and she will start March with a bang, when her debut, Sucker Punch, is released, before chart-mainstayer Lana Del Rey delivers her follow-up to 2017’s epic, Lust For Life. The Killers’ guitarist Dave Keuning is also venturing out with his first solo effort, Prismism. British indie-rockers Circa Waves are one of the bigger names slated for an April release, and The 1975’s next album, Notes On A Conditional Form, is scheduled for the end of May.
The rest of the year seems a little more unpredictable. Metal-heads have a few big releases to look forward to with Slipknot and Babymetal having recently put out new singles, and German heavyweights Rammstein are expected to have new material out in spring.
For psychedelic rock fans, Tame Impala have hinted at a summer release, their first album since Currents in 2015, while their associated act Pond promoted their latest single, Sixteen Days, back in November, so a new album from them is also likely.
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There has been new music from Migos, and one of Jack Whites’ many other bands The Raconteurs put out two singles in December, Carly Rae Jepsen unveiled Party For One in November, and experimental pop artist Grimes hinted towards a more industrial and nu-metal hybrid with her new track We Appreciate Power. Chance The Rapper has been releasing songs throughout 2018, and is likely to finish with an album of some sort, and Vampire Weekend have reportedly been road-testing new material recently.
Further afield, there are set to be big releases from Kanye West, dance giant Major Lazer, former Reading and Clockenflap headliners Foals, tear-jerker aficionado Adele, and maybe even the return from the queen of pop – Rhianna.
In the K-pop world, we can expect comebacks in January from Luna, Astro, and KNK who will be releasing their first material, Lonely Night, with a brand new member. With Blackpink’s global success in 2018, the girl group is likely to continue their upwards trend with more releases. Not only that – Jennie from the band recently released her debut single, Solo, which could hint to her first solo venture.
Needless to say, even at this early stage, this year is set to be a belter for new music to add to our favourite playlists.