Our 15 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2020

We’re entering a new year – and a new decade! – so you know what that means: new music to look forward to! As we launch into the new century’s roaring 20s, let’s look at all the great albums we’re most excited to hear. Here are 15 albums that we expect (or at least hope) to drop in 2020.

Which albums are you excited to hear in 2020? Let us know what you think of our list and anyone else we missed in the comments below!

Last September, Green Day dropped their new song, “Father Of All…”, the lead single from their upcoming album of the same name. It was a polarizing song, but one that we find intriguing. Fans have also heard “Fire, Ready, Aim” and can look forward to tracks like “Meet Me On The Roof” and “Junkies On A High.” Father Of All…, due out on February 7th, will be Green Day’s shortest album ever, coming in at just 26 minutes. It will also be their last with Reprise Records and Warner, their label since 1994’s Dookie. They’ve coyly suggested releasing a second album in 2020, so they might get two entries for this year. In addition to the new music, fans can also get ready to see Green Day alongside Fall Out Boy and Weezer on their upcoming Hella Mega Tour, running through most of 2020.

Due out: February 7, 2020

Following her last album, 2016’s Here, Alicia Keys has only grown more unstoppable. Her next album, ALICIA, will arrive early in 2020, preceded by her 2019 singles, “Show Me Love” (featuring Miguel) and “Time Machine.” “Raise A Man,” released earlier in 2019, could also appear on the forthcoming record. In addition to new music, 2020 will also bring Alicia’s memoir, More Me: A Journey, out in the spring, plus her second time hosting the Grammys award ceremony. Alicia’s latest singles suggest a return to her more R&B/soul sound, and we can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

Due out: early 2020

It’s been more than four years since Ellie Goulding released her last album, the underrated Delirium. She took a bit of a break and got married, but she’s still gifted our ears with plenty of songs. In October 2018, she released what we thought was her new album’s lead single, “Close To Me.” In 2019, we also heard singles “Flux,” “Sixteen,” and “Hate Me,” not to mention soundtrack songs “Do You Remember,” “In This Together,” and “Hollow Crown,” plus her lovely collaboration with Andrea Bocelli, “Return To Love.” Most recently, Ellie’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River” went #1 during this holiday season. While many of those songs may not appear on the new record, “Flux” should. So where is that new album, you ask? Ellie promises more news in January, with the “powerful” new album to follow shortly thereafter. In a matter of days, we should finally have our answer!

Note: In addition to this long-awaited pop album, Ellie has also been working on a classical album. Will we get that in 2020, too? We sure hope so!

Due out: early 2020

This is a last-minute entry, but we’re super excited! Apparently Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams is going solo! She quietly announced an upcoming side project, with big news coming in January 2020. We know next to nothing about it yet, but we are totally intrigued. How will it sound? Punk rock? Modern pop? Alternative folk? Hayley could go in any number of directions, but we’ll have to wait just a bit to find out what it’ll be. And to anyone out there worrying about the band, don’t. Paramore has not broken up! Following 2017’s After Laughter and Hayley’s upcoming side project, we’re sure they’ll be up and running again with new music in no time.

Due out: early 2020

It’s been a bit since The Weeknd’s last album, Starboy, came out in November 2016. Apart from a few collaborations in the last few years – see “Pray For Me,” “Lost In The Fire,” and “Power Is Power” – the only solo material we’ve gotten is his 2018 EP, My Dear Melancholy. Luckily, it looks like his next full-length album will be here in early 2020. The Weeknd just released two new singles: “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights.” He hasn’t confirmed any concrete info yet, but we’re thinking that in the next couple of months we’ll learn a lot more.

Due out: early 2020

It was a pleasant surprise when Andy Burrows teamed up with Editors frontman Tom Smith a decade ago to form Smith & Burrows. The duo released their first album, Funny Looking Angels, in late 2011. But while that one was a holiday record, their long-awaited second album won’t be. In summer 2019, the duo finally recorded their sophomore record, flying to Nashville to work with producer Jacquire King (he produced Editors’ excellent fourth album, The Weight Of Your Love). We expect the new Smith & Burrows album in the first half of the year, so we should know more soon. For now, enjoy their live recording of “All The Best Moves,” and see if you can decipher these new song lyrics.

Due out: early 2020

Vanessa Carlton has been teasing her next album, Love Is An Art, for nearly three years now. We first heard its title track in early 2017 when she performed it live; that same year, she also said the album would take the same name. After a series of 6 covers throughout 2018 to hold fans over, Vanessa finally recorded her new album in early 2019. But a fall 2019 release was not to be. Instead, Vanessa spent the summer on Broadway portraying Carole King in Beautiful. Luckily, she just dropped her lead single, “Future Pain,” in November, and she promises the album will be here this spring. Until then, enjoy the aforementioned songs, and be sure to revisit her 2012 teaser “Patience,” because that’ll be on Love Is An Art, too.

Due out: spring 2020

Simple Plan is almost done recording their upcoming 6th album! It’ll be their first since leaving Atlantic Records, and they may be self-producing the new music. After writing for much of 2018 and into 2019, they started recording last summer. Guitarist Jeff Stinco recently divulged that they only have four songs left to record in January, then it’ll be done. Drummer Chuck Comeau expects the album to drop sometime in spring 2020. While we count down the weeks, enjoy Simple Plan’s latest song, “Where I Belong,” performed with State Champs and We The Kings.

Due out: spring 2020

It’s been nearly eight years since K’naan released his last album, Country, God, Or The Girl. After a quiet period, we finally got new music from K’naan with “Immigrants (We Get The Job Done),” appearing on the 2016 album The Hamilton Mixtape. Then, in 2017, K’naan finally began recording his next album. In a series of “making the album” videos, K’naan previewed several songs, two known to be titled “Come To America” and “Hide And Seek,” and others we tentatively refer to as “Ha Ha,” “Those Were The Days,” and “Bad At Love.” Despite evidently finishing an album by early 2018, though, we’ve yet to hear the new music. Last summer, K’naan performed a few new songs live, including “Don’t Call Me Up” and “Disgraceland.” The latter was said to be the title track of a new album due that fall. We’ve had no announcements yet, but K’naan does keep promising new music soon. With any luck, 2020 will be the year K’naan finally releases his new album. Please come back, K’naan – we need you!

Due out: mid-2020

Gavin DeGraw has carved out a great place for himself in the pop-rock, adult-contemporary fields. But while we still love songs like “I Don’t Want To Be” and “Not Over You,” it looks like Gavin is ready for a change of pace. He’s going country! Before you get too worried, know that Gavin clarified the sound will be more like old-school country rock (think Tom Petty and John Mellencamp) rather than modern RAM trucks ads country. That’s a sound Gavin could pull off well, actually. The lyrical content may be sad, as Gavin lost his mother to cancer in 2017, and at first he was leaning towards a more gospel sound. However, it’s impossible to say how much that may have changed in the last couple of years. Gavin’s new album should be out in the first half of 2020.

Due out: mid-2020

Kelly Clarkson has been so busy throughout 2019, with not only her music career and successful Meaning Of Life tour, but also a recurring role on The Voice, her new gig at The Kelly Clarkson Show, a few movie roles here and there, repeated hosting roles at the Billboard Music Awards, an upcoming Las Vegas residency, a possible cruise in the works… not to mention a family with four kids. Beyond all of that, though, she’s also been recording her next album – her second with Atlantic Records – and says it will be a mix of her albums Breakaway, Stronger, and Meaning Of Life. Kelly is about to announce a new single in January 2020, titled “Dare You To Love.” Kelly says it’s her favorite song of her career, so of course we can’t wait to hear it! Her album isn’t done yet, but we’re thinking it should be ready and out around summertime.

Due out: mid-2020

Garbage’s last album, Strange Little Birds, came out in June 2016. It was a shock when, in summer 2017, they were already releasing new material in the form of “No Horses.” Since then, the band has spent a few years writing and recording new music (not to mention celebrating the 20th anniversary of Version 2.0). Our latest taste, “Destroying Angels,” came out a year ago, but we also have a few new song titles to amp up our excitement. Garbage is aiming to get their “personal” and “cinematic” new album out sometime in 2020.

Due out: mid-2020

Lana Del Rey just released her most critically acclaimed album of her career, the Grammy-nominated Norman Fucking Rockwell. But, never one to take long breaks between releases, that August day Lana announced she already has another album in the works: White Hot Forever. At the time, Lana said that was the next album’s name, though she has since said it might just be a song on the record and the project could have a new name. We’ll see. It seems we’ll get that album sometime later in 2020. Before that, though, Lana is going to release a spoken word album – yes, seriously – as well as a poetry book she’d first mentioned in 2018. In short, Lana may release two albums this year, though only one would be full of actual songs. Versatile queen.

Due out: late 2020

It’s been nearly nine years since Evanescence’s last studio album. Following that 2011 self-titled record, the band went quiet as frontwoman Amy Lee had a son and tried out both film scoring and children’s music. The band also saw the departure of Terry Balsamo and induction of guitarist Jen Majura in 2015. In 2017, Evanescence finally made a comeback when they released Synthesis, an album of new interpretations of their most beloved songs. They released Synthesis Live in 2018, then began working on a new studio album of original material in spring 2019. They spent much of the year writing and demoing, and plan to begin officially recording early in 2020. Amy even says it’ll have The Open Door vibes! We’re still a little ways out, but Evanescence are aiming to have new music out by the end of the year.

Due out: late 2020

Bruno Mars released his last album, 24K Magic, back in November 2016. Over three years later, we’re ready to hear what’s next for him. Luckily, it seems that Bruno is working on new music! Last October, he shared that he was in the studio, so naturally we’re hoping he’ll have a new album ready sometime this year. It’s still too early to say how it will sound or when we’ll actually get it, but we’re thinking we’ll have some new music before 2020 ends.

Due out: late 2020