There is a lot of music coming our way this year, and I mean a lot. Though there are plenty of lists around detailing the most anticipated albums of 2013, here are the ones we think college students should get most excited about:
Justin Timberlake
We’ve all been waiting for this. Justin dropped off the music radar around 2008 with far too few exceptions (my personal favorite: Timbaland’s “Carry Out”) to pursue acting, much to the dismay of his fans. However, this year he’s bringing sexy back, again, with his new album, The 20/20 Experience.The first single, “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z has already been released and has taken its seat comfortably among the iTunes top ten singles. Even though “Suit & Tie” isn’t exactly the mindblowing comeback song the world had in mind, Timberlake’s talent is enough to keep me amped up about The 20/20 Experience, which is set to drop sometime in March.
Check out “Suit & Tie”
OneRepublic
The four singles released from OneRepublic’s Waking Up are enough on their own to get us excited about a new set of tunes. “All The Right Moves,” “Secrets,” “Marchin’ On,” and “Good Life” are catchy with smart lyrics and uplifting music that makes for a great listen and serious longevity. The next album, called Native, will be released on March 26th, and, judging by the singles “If I Lose Myself” and “Feel Again,” we won’t be disappointed.
Check out “Feel Again”
Miley Cyrus
Real talk: Miley’s most recent album was a tremendous disappointment and a big honkin’ flop, but for the single “Can’t Be Tamed.” However, we true fans believe this underrated but talented artist still has some “Party in the USA” left in her. Cyrus has left Hannah Montana behind, and we are expecting a very different sound from her this year. There have been no releases yet, although the title Danger Zone has been teased. We can expect a single sometime soon and look for the album around September.
Check out her cover of "Lilac Wine"
Lady Gaga
Gaga’s next album, ARTPOP, has little monsters worldwide drooling with anticipation. The singer-sensation Lady Gaga has been hard at work, writing every song on the album on her own. She refers to the record as “risky,” an unsurprising adjective from the woman who turned meat into an outfit. Quirky as she may be, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be a wildly influential, not to mention talented, artist, and we are sure that ARTPOP will be no exception. The album is set to release in two volumes in the spring, shortly after the lead single, for which we are not so patiently waiting.
Check out this live debut of “Princess Die” (which may or may not be featured on ARTPOP)
Solange Knowles
Her sister Beyonce’s next album (also slated to release in 2013) is getting big time buzz (as it should. All hail Queen B), but we thought it was time to shine some light on the younger of the Knowles ladies. Knowles has written songs for Destiny’s Child and for her sister’s records, most notably “Get Me Bodied” (a personal favorite of mine) and has proven herself a talented artist in her own right. Since the release of her seven-song EP True in 2012, she has been working on her untitled third studio album, set to release sometime this year.
Check out “Losing You”
Kid Cudi
This young Ohio rapper won listeners with his deeply poetic and personal words when he stepped onto the scene in 2009. The 2010 second volume of Scott Mescudi’s debut album was well received, featuring tracks such as “Erase Me” featuring Kanye West and “Mr. Rager.” The first single off of his 3rd studio album is called “Just What I Am,” and definitely bears a resemblance to some of Cudi’s more famous singles, such as “Day ‘n’ Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness.” The rapper took to twitter to inform his fans, tweeting: "My new album is entitled indicud, it will be my version of The Chronic 2001, some songs i'll produce, others i'll feat &/or play songwriter." Indicud is set to release in March.
Check out “Just What I Am”
Matt Nathanson
This “Come On Get Higher” singer/songwriter has us excited to hear more of his deliciously sweet voice and inspired lyrics on what he has been referring to as “#record8.” His most recent record Modern Love was a perfect summer listen and I wore it out in my car in 2011. If you haven’t heard it, check it out start to finish. It’s worth it. Expectations are high for Nathanson’s 8th studio record, which he is currently in the studio creating. We don’t have a title or a single yet, but we do have a teaser of how the album will feel. On his first day of recording, Nathanson wrote this on his website: “The songs feel San Francisco to me, so it makes sense that we’re recording here. They feel overcast, pacific ocean, twisted.” We like the sound of that!
Check out “Run”
