MUSIC TO WATCH THE YEAR GO BY

2020 saw a somewhat paradoxical disco rival. Albums by Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue summoned us to dance floors that no longer existed. Sophie Ellis-Bextor brought the disco to our living rooms via her Kitchen Discos. Jarvis Cocker released a song that acquainted house music with dancing in your actual house – “We are one nation under a roof” he sang, and such we were

As live gigs are unlikely to return anytime soon, you’ll have to make do with your Chromatica Oreos for now. There are, however, plenty of exciting albums to expect in 2021...

Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country Club.

This brilliantly titled album will be out on March 19 and follows her 2019 album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, which was hailed as her best album by fans and critics. Lana Del Rey is a creature out of time. She’s kind of like a throwback to an imagined American Golden Age. She has a knack for writing about romance tinged with obsession, even violence. Jump off the edge of the Hollywood sign indeed!

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish – TBA.

Billie Eilish is the first artist born after the Millennium to top the Billboard chart. Feeling old yet? Her debut album, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, established her as the biggest pop star of her generation.

Since releasing the album, she’s dropped a number of incredible singles, including No Time To Die, My Future and Therefore I Am. With three new bangers under her belt, she’s highly likely to release her second studio album this year.

Adele

Adele – TBA.

Britain’s biggest pop star takes her time between albums. Rumours of a new record have been doing the rounds for quite some time. Former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain confirmed that he was working in the studio with Adele. He described hearing her voice in the headphones: “It was just so powerful and emotive. You know her voice, but to be across the room from somebody doing that, it’s just insane.”

Madonna

Madonna – Madame X Live.

Madge’s last studio album had its moments, both good and bad. The accompanying tour was the most troubled of her career with persistent injuries forcing her to cancel a number of dates. Madame X was not her finest hour, sadly. That being said, the album felt more like a studio recording of a musical theatre show. The live album and DVD could well show the album in a more favourable light.

If the music industry wasn’t so ageist, I suspect her single Crave would have been a smash. (Alas, she’s probably drying her tears with $500 notes).

David Bowie – Brilliant Live Adventures.

Bowie’s estate has swamped the market with ‘new’ albums since the Starman passed away in 2016. The latest round of releases comprises six unreleased live albums from the 1990s. The fourth instalment, Look at the Moon! (Live in Phoenix Festival, 1997), came out on February 12. The next two instalments will be released later this year.

Rihanna – TBA.

Her 2016 album ANTI became an instant classic. Since then she’s been quite occupied earning vast sums of money from her make-up line. Rumours of a new album continue to swirl and could well do so for years to come.

Prince – TBA.

Prince – TBA. Prince’s legendary vault of unreleased material is so vast his estate could release a new album every year for about a century. Last year’s super-deluxe reissue of Sign of the Times featured 45 unreleased studio recordings and a live album. The next reissue is rumoured to be a superdeluxe version of Diamonds and Pearls. It’s highly likely at least one ‘new’ Prince album will come out in 2021. His sister inherited everything and she’s essentially been given a licence to print money.

Kate Bush – TBA.

Nah, the grandest diva of them all isn’t known to be working on anything. We can but dream...

London Grammar – Californian Soil.

Set for release on April 9, London Grammar will release one of the most anticipated albums

of the year. If the single Baby It’s You is anything to go by, this will be an unmissable record.

Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X – TBA.

LGBTQ+ artist Lil Nas X brought country and a dose of queerness to hip-hop with Old Town Road, which broke Mariah Carey’s record as the longest running number one on the Billboard chart. He is yet to release a full-length studio album but he has confirmed that it will happen this year.

Sade – TBA.

Sade has released only six studio albums in her career. Like Kate Bush, she does things on her own terms and refuses to compromise. She recently reissued her albums on vinyl and has confirmed that a new album is imminent.

SZA – TBA.

SZA, who has emerged as one of the best vocalists and rappers in the US, combines funk, soul, rap and dream pop on her albums. Her latest single Good Days is an irresistible track. The follow up to her 2017 album CTRL is on the way. In the meantime, check out her latest single and some of her other stand-out tracks: I’d suggest Julia and Supermodel.