This past year was full of many long-awaited albums and surprising album announcements that brought music fans an abundant amount of joy. After watching beloved artist Taylor Swift’s MTV Video Music Awards speech regarding her “Midnights” album and world tours from artists like Harry Styles and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Biolans look forward to what is to come in 2023. 

In January 2022, The Weeknd and the Lumineers both dropped notable albums with “Dawn FM” and “Brightside,” respectively. The Weeknd set a new record for the Billboard Global 200 as he charted 24 songs, marking the most ever by any solo male artist. Shortly after, Mitski released her highly anticipated album “Laurel Hell” on Feb. 4, pulling largely from 1980’s synthpop. 

The Red Hot Chili Peppers rekindled their flame this year when the band released their 12 studio album “Unlimited Love” in April due to the return of guitarist John Frusciante, who left the band in 2009 and later rejoined in 2019. Additionally, a smaller artist Role Model released an album in April titled “Rx,” drawing in more fan attention. 

Bad Bunny set records with the release of his album “Un Verano Sin Ti” and gained global recognition for many of his accomplishments. Live from the MTV Video Music Awards, Bad Bunny performed at New York’s Yankee Stadium and became the first non-English-language performer to win the award for Artist Of The Year. 

A LOOK AHEAD

The realm of pop music had many exciting releases, including Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” and Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” albums. Beyonce continued this trend with the release of her 7th studio album, “Renaissance,” sending fans into delirium across the nation. As Styles continues to bring “Love on Tour” to various parts of the world in 2023, Taylor Swift will also begin “The Eras Tour” in March. Fans of alternative music were also elated to see The 1975 release “Being Funny in a Foreign Language” and Arctic Monkeys “The Car” album. In comparison to Arctic Monkeys’ previously grunge sound, “The Car” highlights more sophisticated medleys with David Bowie-like vocals. 

Some of Biola’s very own musicians also released their own music in 2022 and Biolans are looking forward to new music from other fellow students coming in 2023. Sophomore worship music major Mary Beth Millar’s “Tell Me Something Beautiful” and senior music major Elias Shamoon’s single “Coma” were both released during the fall 2022 semester. 

In addition to what Biola students have in store for 2023, some anticipated albums include Paramore’s “This Is Why” album and Gorillaz “Cracker Island.” Miley Cyrus fans can also look forward to the release of “Endless Summer Vacation” on Mar. 10. Coachella also announced their 2023 lineup on Jan. 10 featuring Blackpink, the first ever kpop group to headline Coachella, alongside Bad Bunny and Frank Ocean. After a fruitful year of music in 2022, students are eager to see what is to come in the new year.