With a new year in full swing, many music fans are eager to see what albums will come out in 2024. From artists whose fans have long awaited a new release to those who continue to dominate the scene with consistent album drops, 2024 already has an impressive lineup of albums coming within the next several months.
Here are five albums to look forward to this year:
Declan McKenna - 'What Happened to the Beach?'
On Feb. 9, Declan McKenna will release his third album since 2020's "Zeroes," titled "What Happened to the Beach?" McKenna already dropped a few singles from the album late last year, including "Elevator Hum," "Nothing Works" and "Sympathy." The English singer-songwriter is gearing up for what might be his biggest release yet.
McKenna has shared that his new album will be centered around looking inward, moving away from his past sonic themes of political unrest and disillusion.
In an interview with NME, he said, "I've made a hella weird new album: it's got a lot of strangeness to it, but that hasn't come through me trying to be anything other than myself. This music came from living in the moment and not worrying too much about some deeper meaning or trying to make songs that live up to the all-time greats or something like that."
The singer will be touring Europe starting in March and playing multiple festivals this summer.
Ariana Grande - “eternal sunshine"
After recently releasing the lead single "yes, and?" for her upcoming album, Ariana Grande has finally returned as pop music's princess again. Given the title of the new project, fans are already suspecting the album will pull inspiration from the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," especially due to the singer's recent Instagram likes and posts.
The release is Grande's first solo in three years since 2020's “Positions," but it marks a transition from her R&B-inspired sixth record to Madonna-esque club anthems about self-love and self-respect. “eternal sunshine” will be released March 8.
Faye Webster - 'Underdressed at the Symphony'
With the announcement of her fifth studio album, "Underdressed at the Symphony," Atlanta native Faye Webster is finally back. It's been three years since the singer released 2021's "I Know I'm Funny haha."
With a release date of March 1, the singer has already dropped a couple of singles for the album, most notably "Lego Ring (feat. Lil Yachty)," on Jan.11. The new collaboration sparked chatter about Webster and the rapper, who have been friends since high school.
Webster said the album is not as serious and heavy as her previous ones, wanting to write more about her day-to-day life and interests. She recently revealed the 10-song tracklist for the album, which includes previously released singles "Lifetime" and "But Not Kiss."
Charli XCX - TBD
Throughout 2023, Charli XCX has teasingly hinted at releasing another album following 2022's "CRASH." After a busy year promoting her single "Speed Drive" for the "Barbie” soundtrack and working with Addison Rae on "2 die 4" and Sam Smith on "In The City," the singer has hinted that she will return with solo music this year.
Last April, the singer posted a photo of her working in the studio to Instagram. She also erringly dropped another photo last month, captioned "bye for now.," causing her followers to believe she was planning to announce a new album.
Following her December post, Charli XCX was interviewed at the 2023 Fashion Awards, where she said, "I finished a record but it's not out. So, next year that will be out, and then I can say that's my highlight."
Lorde - TBD
Everyone who listens to Lorde knows that when she releases new music, it takes over the world. With incredible predecessors like 2013's "Pure Heroine," 2017's "Melodrama" and 2021's "Solar Power," the New Zealand singer-songwriter seems to plan on making her return this year after fans have been begging for years.
Last month, the singer posted a photo on Instagram listening to her new album. She captioned the post, "Listening to myself," but also took to other social media platforms to inform fans when the album would be coming. Lorde said, "We're not CLOSE close you guys … i'm just getting so hype n needed to let u know. Start ur excitement on a low flame and bring it up to a gentle simmer ... we building stamina for this chapter."
Fans predict that Lorde will return to her pop-alternative sound from her earlier years, but only time will tell until the singer announces a release date and title for her new project.
