TOP 10: Anticipated Albums of 2025
Album releases are the least predictable area in pop culture. Release dates for announced projects are pushed back constantly — at least two albums listed below were supposed to release YEARS ago — and the back half of 2025 looks virtually barren at this point. Add to that the frustrating trend of major artists just dropping an album with absolutely no forewarning and, truly, it’s anyone’s guess what the biggest new music projects will be next year.
Still, we tried. Below find 10 (technically 11) albums that are either announced to be coming in 2025, or ones we expect to come in 2025 based on artist activity or chatter. These are strictly personal picks, as music is incredibly subjective.
What new music projects are you looking forward to in the coming year? Drop a comment below.
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10. Olly Alexander Polari (February 7)
The artist formerly known as Years & Years releases his first album under his own name, and apparently leaning even harder on his 80s/90s electro-dance inspirations. The title comes from the lost language of British gay men, and the tracks released thus far also seem to reference the building blocks of gay culture. If you like your music queer, driving, and sensual, check this out.
9. Tate McRae So Close to What (February 21)
Will 2025 be the year Tate McRae breaks through to the mainstream? Already a hit in the pop-girlie circles, Tate is poised to join the one-name ranks of Taylor, Sabrina, Chappell, and Olivia, and this new pop album could do it. Lead singles “2 Hands” and “It’s OK I’m OK” are well produced and catchy!
8. Teddy Swims I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Part 2 (January 24)
The surprisingly crowded field of soulful white male singers with facial tattoos will get another entry in January, as Teddy Swims releases a sequel to his 2023 breakthrough. Swims is a great singer, and his melange of blues, jazz, r’n’b, rock, and pop sounds both nostalgic and fresh.
7. The War and Treaty Plus One (February 14)
Married duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter broke big in 2023, and over the past year they’ve been splashed all over TV and other appearances. Merging gospel, country, and rock, this group puts out big songs filled with genuine emotion. A great Valentine’s Day gift to all lovers.
6. Saweetie Pretty Bitch Music (Release TBD)
We’re hoping this hip-hop album actually comes out this year. It’s supposed to, but it was initially scheduled for – *checks notes* – 2021. Oh. Still, Saweetie has been consistently dropping singles and even a few EPs, so there are already plenty of tracks that could be included in this long-gestating album, including “Tap In,” “Closer,” “Best Friend,” and others. When it does arrive, you can expect sexy, confident rhymes and catchy hooks.
5. Lana del Rey The Right Person Will Stay (May 21)
People just love that Lana del Rey. The gays! Taylor Swift! Those who enjoy bored-sounding mumbling! Good for them. Just over a year since Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (even the album titles put me to sleep), Del Rey will drop another new album. This one will deliberately lean into country and Americana music. Based on her cover of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” I actually don’t think it’s going to be too much of a departure from her established style.
4. Kesha Untitled Album (Release TBD)
Fully separated from her previous label and notorious producer, Kesha has launched her own record label and is fully in control of her musical future. According to the singer herself, that future may actually sound something like her past, as she said that her upcoming music will have more in common with her breakout album Animal than the more stripped-down, emotionally raw tracks she has released on her most recent projects. That’s born out by 2024’s aggressive “Joyride” and the newest single, the poppy but introspective “Delusional.” Love that for both Kesha, and us.
3. Lady Gaga Untitled Album (Release TBD)
2024 was the best of times and the worst of times for Lady Gaga. She gave us two hit singles in “Die With a Smile” and “Disease,” as well as the surprise release of Great American Songbook covers in the Harlequin album. Unfortunately she also co-starred in Joker: Folie a Deux, a spectacular box-office flop. She’ll seek to turn that frown upside down and reestablish her musical persona with this, her first major album since 2020’s triumphant Chromatica.
2. The Weeknd Hurry Up Tomorrow (January 24)
Speaking of music artists who will spend 2025 clearing the stench from bad acting projects, The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow needs to be so good that everyone forgets about his potentially career-ending turn in HBO’s The Idol series. The lead singles suggest he could pull it off. These are daring tracks that vary wildly in tone and style, with “Timeless” giving us hip-hop along with Playboi Carti; Sao Paolo giving us Brazilian party vibes along with Anitta; and “Dancing in the Flames” giving us a more traditional synth-pop Weeknd flavor. He can clearly still release a great track, let’s see if he can still release a great album.
TIE: 1. Chappell Roan Untitled Album (Release TBD)
Roan is without a doubt the breakout artist of 2024, which is funny, as she only released one single this year. We have no idea if her follow-up to 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess will release in 2025. However, there’s reason to believe it could happen. First, as of September she said she had five new songs ready to go, two of which – “The Subway” and “The Giver” – she has already been performing live. We know that she’s again collaborating with hitmaking producer Daniel Nigro. It’s important to remember that Rise and Fall was more than half a collection of songs that Roan had released over the preceding three years, so it’s totally plausible that she could drop a new album in 2025, especially if she wants to maintain the momentum from this year.
TIE: 1. Cardi B Untitled Album (Release TBD)
Cardi’s album was on my Top 10 list of anticipated albums for 2024, yet never materialized. So I’m must going to re-paste what I wrote then and update it:
We know precious little about Cardi’s new album, which is -- inconceivably, given her pop-culture omnipresence -- just her SECOND full album, after 2018’s Invasion of Privacy. Cardi has of course blessed us with many iconic singles since then, including “Bongos,” the Lizzo collab “Rumors,” and the full cultural reset that was “WAP.” Cardi has been clear that she intends to release this album on her terms, as she felt she was unable to take advantage of many of the opportunities that came with her first one given circumstances in her personal life. Speaking of, her social media has indicated that she's experiencing some pretty major changes in that area, which could further complicate this album release. But we hope not. We need Cardi in 2024 2025! Okcurrrr!
What new albums are YOU looking forward to in 2025? Leave a comment below!
