2019 is bound to be a big year in music, with new releases expected from artists including Lana Del Rey, Madonna, and maybe even Cardi B (who just dropped an album last year) and Rihanna (who won’t stop teasing her album-hungry fans).
Here, we’re tracking all of the new releases you need to know throughout the year. Check out our picks so far below, and watch this space for updates. Missed our favorite songs of 2018? Catch up with our roundup here.
“Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It” by Lana Del Rey
Ahead of releasing her album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, her follow-up to 2016’s Lust for Life, Del Rey dropped a new single with a striking (yet lengthy) title. On the track, co-produced by Jack Antonoff, the songstress is straightforward about her well-being: “Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not / But at best, I can say I’m not sad.” But despite the somber sound and Sylvia Plath references, Del Rey assures that she hasn’t lost hope.
“Juice” by Lizzo
Lizzo serves her signature, lovable sass on this disco-inspired feel-good single. The track is brimming with self-empowering aphorisms to inspire a whole year’s worth of Instagram captions. “Mirror, mirror on the wall / Don’t say it ’cause I know I’m cute,” “I’m like chardonnay, get better over time,” and “No, I’m not a snack at all / Look, baby, I’m the whole damn meal” are just a few favorites.
“Song 31” by Noname feat. Phoelix
The Chicago MC wasted no time to release new music into the new year. On January 1, she treated her fans to a one-off single sonically reminiscent of her recent stellar album, Room 25, with its jazz influences, smooth background vocals, and Noname’s slick, nonchalant flow. The rapper is no stranger to discussing race in her music, and in “Song 31,” she touches on a number of topics, including African American representation onscreen and the problems with mass incarceration in the U.S.
Follow the playlist below, and follow Harper’s BAZAAR on Spotify, to stay updated on new additions.
Who Else to Look Out For
So who else is releasing new music this year? Among the artists who’ve announced 2019 LP releases are: Avril Lavigne (Head Above Water, Feb. 15), Backstreet Boys (DNA, Jan. 25), Broods (Don’t Feed the Pop Monster, Feb. 1), Carly Rae Jepsen, Girlpool (What Chaos Is Imaginary, Feb. 1), The 1975 (Notes on a Conditional Form), and more.
Some stars have also hinted at new releases, but haven’t confirmed dates yet. Ariana Grande, for example, is recording her new album, Thank U, Next, named after her post-breakup mega hit, Billboard reported in December. Solange told The New York Times last fall that her new project was “imminent’ but hasn’t released it yet; will 2019 be her year? In November, The Weeknd also said his new album, Chapter 6, is “coming soon;” perhaps we’ll see his follow-up to My Dear Melancholy, in the coming months.
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