2020 Vision: Albums We Should Be Looking Out For This Year

A new year brings with it lots of excitement when it comes to new releases from established and up and coming artists. We’re only at the end of January, and already we’ve got plenty of reasons to be excited about music this year.

Straight off the bat we have albums from exciting artists such as Kesha and Louis Tomlinson, both releasing new albums on January 31. ‘High Road’, Kesha’s much anticipated follow up to her 2017 smash, ‘Rainbow’, has 16 high octane tracks which are bound to excite both ardent fan and casual listener alike. X Factor Alumnus and member of One Direction, Louis Tomlinson is set to drop his debut solo album, ‘Walls’ on the same day. Speaking of the album, Tomlinson said,

“I feel like this is the start of my career, with so much to look forward to and all the plans in place,” says Louis. “Honestly, I’ve been through every emotion possible in the past few years and come out the other side stronger and more confident than I’ve ever been. I know I’ve made an album that my fans will like, one that sounds like me and has its own identity. There were times I wasn’t sure if this was what I should be doing. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Justin Bieber is also releasing new music, his 5th studio album, ‘Changes’, the first in five years, is set to come out on February 14. While lead track, ‘Yummy’ was met with critical acclaim, it’s certain to be a departure from what we’ve come to expect from Bieber.

Fresh on from their fourth album, ‘Voice Of A Rebel’, released in June last year after a 7 year long-player hiatus (they still released non-album singles during that time), Jedward have been busy in the studio, working on their next release. The Irish duo wrote and produced all 22 tracks of ‘Voice Of A Rebel’, which saw them explore a wide range of musical styles, from rap to pop and funk, EDM, and even Americana and post-punk. The record had a more mature style than what casual listeners expected, but it was certainly appreciated and loved by ardent fans. The Dublin twins are currently offering signed ‘Voice Of A Rebel’ CD and Polaroid photo packages, with the album also available on digital download and via streaming media.

According to SportsBettingDime, Kid Cudi has the best odds for releasing a new album in 2020 and there is already a possible name for it. The album is rumoured to be called ‘Entergalactic’ and will be combined with an animated Netflix series of the same name. It’s an exciting tie-in and is sure to see many sales for Kid Cudi.

Richard Marx, who recently signed a new deal with BMG, is also releasing new music, in conjunction with a UK tour. ‘Limitless’, out on February 7, is Marx’s first album of original songs in the past 6 years, and will see him performing in London and Edinburgh to commemorate the release.

Staying with legacy artists, brothers Brian and Roger Eno have created the album, ‘Mixing Colours’, set for release on March 20. Although the pair are well known for their solo work and that with other artists, the exciting 18 track release is their first as a duo, and also their debut on the Deutsche Gramophon label.

Also set to come out on March 20, Alicia Keys will release her much awaited return album, entitled simply, ‘Alicia’. Her 7th album was preceded by the anthemic single, ‘Underdog’, and is now available to pre-order. Alicia will also tour the album, commencing in Dublin, Ireland, on June 5.

With plenty more of the year to go, and announcements being made every day about more music to come, it certainly looks like 2020 is going to be a great year, filled with plenty of surprises!

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com

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