Musically, 2023 is already guaranteed to be a good one (Picture: Getty Images)
There’s lots to look forward to in 2023.
From new TV series and films (looking squarely at you, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie), music festivals, holidays and everything in between, the new year is chockful of exciting things.
This includes, of course, new music – and there is going to be so much new music, from some of the biggest names on the planet.
Of course, this year we were gifted with a brand-new album from Beyoncé, her first since 2016’s Lemonade, and while we haven’t got any music videos yet that could be about to change.
We were also blessed with two new Rihanna songs after years of radio silence (pun absolutely intended), in honour of the Black Panther sequel.
But when it comes to new albums of 2023, who are we really looking forward to?
Zayn Malik
Zayn is working on his fourth studio album (Picture: Instagram)
Former One Direction star Zayn Malik looks set to give Harry Styles a battle in the charts as he works on his new album.
The 29-year-old sent fans into a frenzy when he released a new song in November, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Angel, and there’s plenty more to come.
A message on Zayn’s Spotify account confirmed he is currently working on his fourth album, after 2016’s Mind of Mine, 2018’s Icarus Falls and 2021’s Nobody Is Listening.
Not much is known about the new record yet, with Zayn announcing the news only with a sentence tucked away in his artist bio revealing he is ‘currently working on his highly anticipated fourth studio album.’
Jennifer Lopez
JLo is bringing out a sequel to her 20-year-old album This Is Me… Then (Picture: instagram/ @jlo)
Nobody can disagree that 2022 was J-Lo’s year – and it looks like 2023 will be just the same.
Having married former flame Ben Affleck in the summer, 20 years after they were engaged, Jen recently announced a new album – which seems to be a sequel to an album she brought out two decades ago.
This Is Me … Now is a clear nod to her 2002 album This Is Me… Then, and even includes a track called Dear Ben Part 2, about… well, you guessed it.
Jennifer confirmed the new album will explore her and Ben rekindling their relationships and falling back in love, and we cannot wait to hear it.
‘The whole message of the album then is, if you have, like me at times, lost hope, almost given up, don’t,’ she said on a podcast with Zane Lowe.
‘Because true love does exist and some things do last forever and that’s real.’
Sam Smith
Sam’s fourth album, Gloria, is arriving at the start of 2023 (Picture: Reuters)
Sam Smith enjoyed a massive surge in popularity in 2022 thanks to their viral hit Unholy alongside Kim Petras.
Of course, Sam has a giant back catalogue of hit tracks, with the likes of I’m Not The Only One and Stay With Me, but the musician got a whole horde of new fans thanks to the completely different sound of Unholy.
The singer’s fourth album, Gloria, is set for release at the very beginning of 2023, on January 27, and we can’t wait to hear it.
Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Sam spoke about the success of Unholy and its different sound, meaning we might hear similar on the rest of the tracks.
‘I sent Unholy to my team, and everyone was like, “What is this?” They were confused,’ they said.
‘They were like, “What is the brand? What are you trying to do here? This is not Stay With Me!”‘
Sam confirmed Gloria will feature collabs with Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez, Koffee and, of course, Kim.
Raye
Raye is bringing out her debut album as an independent artist (Picture: Redferns)
Raye is the definition of an up-and-coming big name, having collaborated on several major hits and due to release her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, in February.
The journey to the debut album has been a long and emotional one, with Raye having cut ties with her major record label in 2020 after clashing over creative differences, and Blues is being released independently – and it’s going well so far.
Lead single Escapism, has already reached the top of the charts in the UK, and in Ireland beat out the likes of Ed Sheeran and Mariah Carey to become the Christmas number one (though when it came to the UK she couldn’t quite crack the Ladbaby stranglehold.)
My 21st Century Blues truly draws from all genres of music, with trip-hop tracks, big ballads and even some gospel influences.
‘This album is extremely personal, lifting the lid on all my blues, things I’ve been through,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
‘Some songs are difficult to listen to, some are exceptionally honest. But that’s what true artistry is about, being that candid and vulnerable.’
Lewis Capaldi
Lewis is using his special set of marketing skills to spread the news about his second album coming in May (Picture: Global/Shutterstock)
Lewis Capaldi absolutely burst onto the scene in 2017 with his mournful track Bruises, followed by Someone You Loved which was number one in the UK for a whopping seven weeks.
The musician – known for his witty humour and banter as much as his songs – is now preparing to release his second album, Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.
Lewis has already released two singles from the record: Forget Me and Pointless, both of which have the same gut-punching emotion as the songs that made him famous.
And while we have a while to wait before the album drops in May, Lewis is making sure fans have plenty to keep them going, including by giving out his phone number and posing nude on billboards.
Never change, Lewis.
Rihanna
We are hoping and praying that 2023 is the year we get a new album from Rihanna (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Okay, disclaimer for this one – it has not been confirmed that Rihanna is bringing out a new album this year, but all the signs point to it.
It is being heavily rumoured that the Diamond star is planning to bring out her first album since 2016’s Anti in 2023, having released songs for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and a massive Superbowl performance planned.
Now a new mother after welcoming her son with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May, Rih’s career is still rocketing upwards, having also just clinched her first Golden Globe nomination and even an Oscar nomination for her Marvel track.
More: Trending
Fans are absolutely convinced 2023 is the year we finally get a new Rihanna album, a whole seven years since her last.
Watch this space…
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez land spots on Oscars original song shortlist
Musically, 2023 is already guaranteed to be a good one (Picture: Getty Images)
There’s lots to look forward to in 2023.
From new TV series and films (looking squarely at you, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie), music festivals, holidays and everything in between, the new year is chockful of exciting things.
This includes, of course, new music – and there is going to be so much new music, from some of the biggest names on the planet.
Of course, this year we were gifted with a brand-new album from Beyoncé, her first since 2016’s Lemonade, and while we haven’t got any music videos yet that could be about to change.
We were also blessed with two new Rihanna songs after years of radio silence (pun absolutely intended), in honour of the Black Panther sequel.
But when it comes to new albums of 2023, who are we really looking forward to?
Zayn Malik
Zayn is working on his fourth studio album (Picture: Instagram)
Former One Direction star Zayn Malik looks set to give Harry Styles a battle in the charts as he works on his new album.
The 29-year-old sent fans into a frenzy when he released a new song in November, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Angel, and there’s plenty more to come.
A message on Zayn’s Spotify account confirmed he is currently working on his fourth album, after 2016’s Mind of Mine, 2018’s Icarus Falls and 2021’s Nobody Is Listening.
Not much is known about the new record yet, with Zayn announcing the news only with a sentence tucked away in his artist bio revealing he is ‘currently working on his highly anticipated fourth studio album.’
Jennifer Lopez
JLo is bringing out a sequel to her 20-year-old album This Is Me… Then (Picture: instagram/ @jlo)
Nobody can disagree that 2022 was J-Lo’s year – and it looks like 2023 will be just the same.
Having married former flame Ben Affleck in the summer, 20 years after they were engaged, Jen recently announced a new album – which seems to be a sequel to an album she brought out two decades ago.
This Is Me … Now is a clear nod to her 2002 album This Is Me… Then, and even includes a track called Dear Ben Part 2, about… well, you guessed it.
Jennifer confirmed the new album will explore her and Ben rekindling their relationships and falling back in love, and we cannot wait to hear it.
‘The whole message of the album then is, if you have, like me at times, lost hope, almost given up, don’t,’ she said on a podcast with Zane Lowe.
‘Because true love does exist and some things do last forever and that’s real.’
Sam Smith
Sam’s fourth album, Gloria, is arriving at the start of 2023 (Picture: Reuters)
Sam Smith enjoyed a massive surge in popularity in 2022 thanks to their viral hit Unholy alongside Kim Petras.
Of course, Sam has a giant back catalogue of hit tracks, with the likes of I’m Not The Only One and Stay With Me, but the musician got a whole horde of new fans thanks to the completely different sound of Unholy.
The singer’s fourth album, Gloria, is set for release at the very beginning of 2023, on January 27, and we can’t wait to hear it.
Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Sam spoke about the success of Unholy and its different sound, meaning we might hear similar on the rest of the tracks.
‘I sent Unholy to my team, and everyone was like, “What is this?” They were confused,’ they said.
‘They were like, “What is the brand? What are you trying to do here? This is not Stay With Me!”‘
Sam confirmed Gloria will feature collabs with Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez, Koffee and, of course, Kim.
Raye
Raye is bringing out her debut album as an independent artist (Picture: Redferns)
Raye is the definition of an up-and-coming big name, having collaborated on several major hits and due to release her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, in February.
The journey to the debut album has been a long and emotional one, with Raye having cut ties with her major record label in 2020 after clashing over creative differences, and Blues is being released independently – and it’s going well so far.
Lead single Escapism, has already reached the top of the charts in the UK, and in Ireland beat out the likes of Ed Sheeran and Mariah Carey to become the Christmas number one (though when it came to the UK she couldn’t quite crack the Ladbaby stranglehold.)
My 21st Century Blues truly draws from all genres of music, with trip-hop tracks, big ballads and even some gospel influences.
‘This album is extremely personal, lifting the lid on all my blues, things I’ve been through,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
‘Some songs are difficult to listen to, some are exceptionally honest. But that’s what true artistry is about, being that candid and vulnerable.’
Lewis Capaldi
Lewis is using his special set of marketing skills to spread the news about his second album coming in May (Picture: Global/Shutterstock)
Lewis Capaldi absolutely burst onto the scene in 2017 with his mournful track Bruises, followed by Someone You Loved which was number one in the UK for a whopping seven weeks.
The musician – known for his witty humour and banter as much as his songs – is now preparing to release his second album, Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.
Lewis has already released two singles from the record: Forget Me and Pointless, both of which have the same gut-punching emotion as the songs that made him famous.
And while we have a while to wait before the album drops in May, Lewis is making sure fans have plenty to keep them going, including by giving out his phone number and posing nude on billboards.
Never change, Lewis.
Rihanna
We are hoping and praying that 2023 is the year we get a new album from Rihanna (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Okay, disclaimer for this one – it has not been confirmed that Rihanna is bringing out a new album this year, but all the signs point to it.
It is being heavily rumoured that the Diamond star is planning to bring out her first album since 2016’s Anti in 2023, having released songs for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and a massive Superbowl performance planned.
Now a new mother after welcoming her son with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May, Rih’s career is still rocketing upwards, having also just clinched her first Golden Globe nomination and even an Oscar nomination for her Marvel track.
More: TrendingSimply Red announces ‘sad news’ Dave Clayton is leaving the band over touringWham! secure final number 1 single of 2022 as Last Christmas returns to top spotWho is rumoured for the Glastonbury 2023 lineup?
Fans are absolutely convinced 2023 is the year we finally get a new Rihanna album, a whole seven years since her last.
Watch this space…
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez land spots on Oscars original song shortlist
MORE : Jennifer Lopez reveals new album will explore rekindled romance with husband Ben Affleck and we are not ready
