Every year the big radio stations play a handful of popular songs on repeat all summer long and praise them as the “songs of the summer.” If you’re someone who looks for more than just a catchy single to jam out to all season, then here’s a list of summer albums coming out you can look forward to.
Shawn Mendes, “Shawn Mendes”
Mendes’ third studio album will be released on May 25 containing the already hit songs “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan.” Both singles were released earlier this year and were met with tremendous support. “In My Blood” charted in many countries including landing a spot at number nine on the Canadian charts, Mendes’ home country.
Earlier this month a third song, “Youth” featuring American singer Khalid was also released, using a different sound than Mendes’ usual sometimes predictable pop. His self-titled album is definitely one to add to your beach playlists.
Christina Aguilera, “Liberation”
On June 15, Aguilera’s first album in six years is set to release. The album features a handful of amazing song-writing collaborations such as Kanye West, Anderson Paak and Mike Dean, not to mention the incredible artists featured on a handful of songs like 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla Sign, Shenseea and Demi Lovato.
So far three singles have been released including the lead single “Accelerate” featuring Ty Dolla Sign and 2 Chains. Aguilera also made fellow singer Demi Lovato’s childhood dream come true when the two collaborated for the female-empowerment single “Fall In Line,” which the duo performed on the Billboard Music Awards earlier this month.
Nicki Minaj, “Queen”
Also being released on June 15 this year is Nicki Minaj’s fourth studio album, “Queen.” The album release date and the title was given during an interview at the 2018 Met Gala and got fans all over the world hyped.
So far two singles have been released: “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li.” The former was streamed over 18 million times in the first week after it’s initial release, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Top 100. “Cun-Li,” on the other hand, has peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top 100.
5 Seconds of Summer, “Youngblood”
The Australian rock band will be releasing their third studio album on June 22. They released the first single “Want You Back” in February and fans raved about the new fun pop sound the band is heading to.
The former sound 5SOS had was more alternative rock that had been likened to Green Day and Blink 182, but the new album is set to head in a pop direction with heavy drums, guitars and soulful vocals. The second single “Youngblood” came out with an announcement of a summer tour to accompany the summer album’s release. Catch 5SOS on the U.S. “Meet You There Tour” late this summer.
Panic! At The Disco, “Pray For The Wicked”
Another June 22 release will be Panic! At The Disco’s sixth studio album. Earlier this year the band surprised fans in a few cities around the country with pop shows at small venues, even though fans are used to seeing Brendon Urie, Panic’s lead for the last 14 years, sing to arenas.
The band then announced in a Twitter post the two new singles “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” and “(F*ck A) Silver Lining” along with an album release date and a bunch of North American tour dates. “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” peaked at number five on Billboard’s hot rock songs and has over 13 million views on its music video.
Ariana Grande, “Sweetener”
The singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album is set to be released in early August and has collaborations with producers such as Max Martin and Savan Kotecha. Grande released the lead single “No Tears Left To Cry” on April 20, which has been met with much praise from critics and are happy to hear a more mature sound from the extremely talented vocalist.
The single debuted at number three on the Billboard Top 100 and the summer album is set to follow with a high streaming and selling rate. “No Tears Left To Cry” has also been claimed as many listener’s song of the summer for 2018.
Troye Sivan, “Bloom”
The Australian singer is releasing his second studio album late in the summer on August 31. So far Sivan has released three singles from the upcoming album, “My My My,” “The Good Side” and “Bloom.” The lead single “My My My” has charted in Australia along with the U.S. and many other countries around the world.
After teasing his fans for a week about the upcoming single, which came out nearly two years after his last solo single, fans were overexcited to finally listen to new music from the Australian online star. Though not much is yet known about the singer’s newest album fans are ready to stream it as much as necessary to get Sivan back on the charts after a couple of years off.
Summer albums, tours and festivals are some of the best parts of the season, so make sure to keep an eye on your favorite artist’s social media to see if they’ve got any events coming up. It’s also a season of unexpected releases, so you never know if your favorites have new singles dropping.
Make sure to check out some of, if not all, of the artists mentioned here if you’ve never heard of them before. Some of these new songs are no doubt going to end up on some of your friends’ summer playlists and you don’t want to be left out having to pretend to sing along.
