10 huge new albums that will/might/probably won’t but hopefully could appear in 2021

Keep your ears peeled
Billie Eilish, Rihanna, Dave and Drake
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Jochan Embley7 July 2021

Musically, 2021 hasn’t been half bad. We’ve had Olivia Rodrigo confirming herself as biggest thing since sliced bread, Lana Del Rey proving that she doesn’t give a monkey’s about pop music trends but still being brilliant, Black Country, New Road cementing their status as the Next Big Guitar Band, and lots more.

But we’re not done yet. The rest of the year still has some huge dates for the musical diary, and here, we’ve rounded up five confirmed releases that we can’t wait to hear. We’ve also had a word with the wishing well and picked out five releases that could/should/probably won’t but hopefully will materialise. Fingers crossed!

Dave — We’re All Alone In This Together (July 23)

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Where do you go after releasing a chart-topping, Mercury Prize-winning, BRIT Award-scooping debut album? For Dave, the answer is backwards. As he explained in a recent interview, Psychodrama was about his life so far, but this follow-up (with an album title provided by none other than Hans Zimmer) delves into all that happened before he was born; “heritage, history, culture, my family, the countries that we come from, the regressive state of humanity in where we are now”. Stormzy looks set to feature on at least one track, but the rest is all under wraps.

Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever (July 30)

Talk about pressure. Billie Eilish is still only 19, and it’s hard to remember the last time an artist this young generated so much expectation for a follow-up album. But Eilish seems confident — earlier this year, she said the new record feels “exactly how I want it to”, and the early singles sound like a subtle progression from her debut: still understated, still slyly strange, and still hugely powerful.

Lorde – Solar Power (August 20)

Quite a bit has changed in the world since Lorde last released an album, with Melodrama arriving in what now feels like the positively ancient times of 2017. Since then, the New Zealander has had to overcome some heartbreak — the death of her dog Pearl meant the new album was delayed “indefinitely” while Lorde took time for “recalibration” — but now, back working with superstar producer Jack Antonoff, we’ve finally got the first single (the folky, sun-dappled title track) and the record itself is within touching distance.

Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (September 3)

On her latest record, Islington artist Little Simz is exploring her own experience as an introvert “in this industry where you’re expected to have this extroverted persona all the time” — but that’s not to say it won’t be a bold statement. The album is set to pack in 19 tracks, and with Simz’s ability to wrap dense lyricism around her multifaceted instrumentals, it certainly seems like this will be a collection of songs with plenty to say.

Taylor Swift — Red (Taylor’s Version) (November 19)

Taylor Swift’s mission to reclaim power over her back catalogue continues apace. We’ve already been given a re-recorded version of Fearless, and now it’s the turn of Red, her fourth studio album from 2012. If it’s anything like the Fearless re-do, it’ll pretty much be a note-for-note remake, but Swift has promised that this time fans will “hear all 30 songs that were meant to go on Red. And hey, one of them is even 10 minutes long”.

Drake — Certified Lover Boy

First it was meant to arrive in 2020, but then the pandemic happened. Then it was meant to appear in January this year, but an operation to fix his dodgy knee put an end to that. Now, it looks like Drake’s sixth studio album might finally be on the horizon, with a release in the second half of 2021 almost certain. The latest tidbit to throw fans into a frenzy? The Canadian rapper changed his Instagram bio to “Certified”. It ain’t much, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Lana Del Rey — Blue Banisters

If two Lana Del Rey albums in as many years felt like a gift, then was it greedy of us to expect a third? Blue Banisters looked as if it was going to drop on July 4, but a day before, Del Rey took to Instagram to confirm that the record wouldn’t be arriving the next day, but instead would come out “later later”. A new single, meanwhile, is arriving “soonish”. Make of that what you will.

Lil Nas X — Montero

Lil Nas X is a trailblazer. His decision to come out as gay while sitting atop the US charts — the first person to ever do so — and his taboo-busting videos and performances ever since have made him one of the most talked-about artists of the moment. He’ll undoubtedly turn things up a notch when he releases his debut album, Montero, set for a release sometime “this summer”.

Rihanna — R9

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You can’t blame Rihanna for taking a break from music — her Fenty brand has been nothing short of game-changing — but we can’t be the only ones who would really, really like to hear a follow-up to 2016’s Anti. The general consensus is that she has her new record pretty much in the bag (“Update: me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it”, she posted on Instagram back in December 2019) but when it will actually appear is anyone’s guess. “You are not going to be disappointed when it happens,” Rihanna recently said. “It’s going to be worth it.”

Kendrick Lamar

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This is by far the longest shot, but we’re desperate for King Kenny to reclaim his throne. It’s been more than four years since DAMN. and the speculation that something new is in the works has been pretty much constant ever since. His headline slot (or lack thereof) at Glastonbury in 2020 could well have been an indication that a new album was imminent, but all we’ve had are airy quotes from those close to the LA rapper that the project “might” appear soon. Sigh.

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