A new year in music is a lot harder to forecast than an impending year in movies or television. While other mediums have to move mountains if they want to shift release dates, that’s not the case with album releases — as Kanye West has recently shown us again and again and again. (Latest update: his “Vultures” album, which didn’t come out on New Year’s Eve, isn’t coming out Jan. 12, as last scheduled, either — he’s still tinkering, and his lawyers are likely still negotiating sample clearances.) Our long list of TBDs reflects the greater DIY ethos that is inherently a part of music: You’ll get it when you get it… not when tentpole season demands it.
But with that uncertainty established, what a year 2024 looks to be for fans, with new music on the way, at some point, from Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, SZA, Halsey, J Balvin, Elton John, Shakira, Kacey Musgraves and many other powerhouses. Much of it does fall into that TBD neverland, but we can promise actual release dates in the first quarter for Green Day, Jennifer Lopez, Kid Cudi, Usher, Tyla, Kali Uchis, Bleachers, Sheryl Crow, the Smile and other stars.
Naturally, some judgment calls are in order about whether to predict an actual 2024 release from some of the withholding artists who we already expected to put out product in 2023… or 2022… or earlier. Like, is it possible or improbable that Rihanna will finally drop her first album since “Anti” in 2016? We’re loosely forecasting it for this schedule, because we’re determined to manifest it — even if that didn’t work for us last year, or any of the last seven years. It would be crazy if it didn’t finally happen, right? (As we always say every January.) How about the first Frank Ocean album since 2016? The first Justin Timberlake album in six years? Those all seem like good bets, although there just aren’t enough signs of definite activity yet for us to even pencil in the first all-new U2 release since 2017.
And then there’s the Taylor Swift wild card factor. We do give a damn about her possibly very good “Reputation” remake, but Easter eggs can be a lot harder to read than tea leaves or Tarot cards. But this could also turn out to be the wacky kind of year where we don’t get new product from Swift but do finally get Sky Ferreira’s eternally awaited sophomore album. Whatever surprises lay in store beyond the certainties, we’ve got a feeling ’24 is gonna be a good one.