2023 was a huge year for music as several musical powerhouses released new albums. Many well known artists took the industry by storm this year, producing fresh stylization and innovative dynamics.
Twenty-year-old rising pop star Olivia Rodrigo who made her debut with her album Sour in 2021, released her second album on October 8, 2023. Guts received 60 million first-day streams, making it the tenth biggest female album debut. In addition, it has been nominated for multiple Grammys including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Pop icon Lana Del Ray did not disappoint with her newest album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. This album experimented with different styles of music, including pop elements inside slower ballads. It was Del Ray’s biggest album debut to date, with over 72 million streams within the first week alone.
Boygenius, an indie rock group consisting of three talented musicians, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers, released their debut album The Record in March of 2023. This album was an immediate success, topping charts and receiving perfect scores from critics like NME and Rolling Stone. For being the first album by the group, the astounding feedback and positive reviews it received were very impressive. The three musicians have set a high bar for their future in the industry.
Miley Cyrus made a comeback in March of 2023 with her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation. Cyrus created a variety of pop hits as well as slower songs, providing a disco-pop vibe for everyone to enjoy. Her hit single “Flowers” has over one billion streams alone, making it the most streamed song in the first quarter of the year and becoming Cyrus’s most streamed song. Her album continued success throughout the course of the year, and earned Cyrus an Album of the Year Grammy nomination.
In June of 2023, Janelle Monáe released her first studio album in five years, The Age of Pleasure. The album has a more chill and composed vibe in comparison to other modern day music. Monáe’s style of smooth R&B has given her lots of positive feedback throughout her years as an artist, and her past albums have received especially efficacious reviews, proving her success in the music industry. This album was nominated for two Grammy awards, Album of the Year as well as Best Progressive R&B Album.
Drake released his eighth studio album, For All the Dogs, in October 2023. This album was highly anticipated as it featured many well known artists such as SZA, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Bad Bunny, just to name a few. The album was the eighteenth best-selling album of the year, with 13,000 album sales, 53,000 song sales, and 1.4 billion audio streams.
One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen’s third studio album, became the most consumed album of the year. The country album was the number one album on the charts for 16 consecutive weeks, becoming the longest running number one album of 2023. Wallen has an ongoing tour continuing into 2024 to promote the new album.
There is still lots of new music to look forward to in the new year. Artists like Ariana Grande and The Weeknd have hinted at new music this year, causing anticipation regarding these releases. It’s already shaping up to be a great year for the music industry.
