New year, new music. 2019 is the staging ground for comebacks, hype-proving and Kanye’s next statement piece. Whose songs will be part of this year’s sweeping OST? Whose songs will spawn Internet-consuming viral movements? Whose songs will enter the canon of immortally vital art? Here are 30 artists who can give you answers.

RIHANNA

In 2018, she gave the world Fenty Beauty and SAVAGE X FENTY but Rihanna didn’t come through with new songs. Vogue reports that she has been putting together a reggae album with several noteworthy Jamaican producers and it seems that she’s keeping its songs under a tight lid. Still, her Instagram proof bears proof of a forthcoming project that should be destined for our eardrums soon. I eagerly wait while 'Work' plays on repeat. – Indran P

FRANK OCEAN

Last year, Frank Ocean did two notable things: He guested on Travis Scott’s Astroworld, one of the year’s most omnipresent subjects in music and posted this message on social media, “Well I️ made the album before 30. I JUST AINT PUT THAT BITCH OUT!”. His place in pop culture as a Necessary Voice is incontestable. The self-correcting strain in his music is defining and seminal. That’s why a new album bearing his name will be such an event. – Indran P

SLIPKNOT

Slipknot will be making its highly anticipated return this year with its sixth album. Teased as a mix of its debut self-titled record and it’s soul-crushing follow up, Iowa, the sixth record will supposedly see the band at its heaviest in a long while. If last year’s spine-tingling surprise track ‘All Out Life’ isn’t enough to pique your interest, drummer Jay Weinberg recently shared a blood-stained snare drum, suggesting that the album may truly live up to its hype. – Surej Singh

LANA DEL REY

Two years after the release of Lust For Life, which was what seemed to be Lana Del Rey’s happiest album to date, she dives back into her unsparingly reflective and poignant songwriting mode heard in the three advance singles she has shared. Her no-holds-barred outlook on life is what weirdly excites me. – Michelle Arteche

FOALS

The new project from English rock band Foals will be released in two parts, the first in March while the release date for the second has yet to be confirmed. The band has teased a song titled ‘Exits’ on social media, which debuted on Annie Mac’s BBC 1 radio show today. – Michelle Arteche

LAMB OF GOD

Virginian groove metal stalwarts Lamb Of God has kept itself busy throughout 2018 with a break, solo projects and touring with Slayer. While the band will be touring with Slayer for a heavy portion of 2019, as well, the band is quickly approaching its fourth year removed from the studio. A Lamb of God record is always a good time and should the band fulfil its promise of a new record this year, the same will likely be said of its eighth studio album. – Surej Singh

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

Metalcore legends Killswitch Engage are approaching their 20th anniversary and the band will celebrate its legacy with a brand new record. Three years removed from its last album, the band has spent a long while in the studio, preparing itself for a record of epic proportions, with ex-vocalist Howard Jones reuniting for the band for a duet with current singer Jesse Leach. Chills. – Surej Singh

DUA LIPA
 

In an interview with GQ in October 2018, Dua Lipa revealed that she is working on a new album slated to be released this year. Other than the fact that it will be vastly different from her debut record, she has been tight-lipped on the details. The fact that she has garnered five 2019 BRIT Award nominations proves there’s no denying the talents of the British pop star. – Michelle Arteche

YELLOW CLAW

Less than a year after the release of its third album New Blood, Dutch trap duo Yellow Claw has begun teasing its follow-up for a 2019 release. While an album title or release date has yet to be announced, the duo has confirmed a 2019 album via social media multiple times. The group has also begun testing and teasing multiple tracks during shows, including the long awaited ‘Kaolo Pt. 4’. Let’s hope the track is finally released on album number four. – Surej Singh

DANNY BROWN

This video instructs us to expect a new Danny Brown album in “early 2019”. More than a rapper, he’s a one-of-one voice with an ear for zeitgeist-skirting beats that can both take the turn-up imperative to even more frenzied, ear-searing heights and to the blackest, densest depths of self-interrogating reflection. – Indran P

CARLY RAE JEPSEN

Carly Rae Jepsen made 2018 a tad better with ‘Party For One’ so it’s with utmost confidence that we say her long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s life-altering E•MO•TION will be equally great. ‘Party For One’ and the album it’ll feature on this year will undoubtedly be a full mood, and I'm here for it. – Surej Singh

CARDI B

Less than a year after her widely celebrated debut album Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B has announced that she will follow it up with a release sometime in 2019. The American rapper’s breakthrough single ‘Bodak Yellow’ was an introduction to the unapologetic personality that I have come to love. – Michelle Arteche

RAMMSTEIN

2019 will see German industrial heavy metal legends Rammstein releasing its first studio album in ten years and needless to say, the excitement and expectations are at an all-time high. Known for its ingenuity and eagerness to explore roads untraveled, Rammstein’s first offering in a decade will surely feature jaw-dropping musical choices. – Surej Singh

VINCE STAPLES

Prolificacy is one of Vince Staples’ strong suits. Last year, he released FM!, his violent-but-party-ready third album. Then, he announced that he’s got a four-album payload waiting to be dropped, with one album slated for a January release and another for June. The kind of rap he traffics in is a battleground where the literal and metaphoric body count is high. But very few of his challengers possess the firepower he has. – Indran P

AVRIL LAVIGNE

Pop punk princess Avril Lavigne announced her first album, Head Above Water, in five years, after going through personal struggles which included her life-threatening battle with Lyme disease. She has released two singles ‘Head Above Water’ and ‘Tell Me It’s Over’, the latter of which saw her take a step into soulful rock territory and delightfully surprised me. – Michelle Arteche

KAREN O AND DANGER MOUSE

Karen O, best known for being the lead vocalist for indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Danger Mouse on a nine-track record titled Lux Prima. The duo has already released two singles, the nine-minute title track and ‘Woman’, both of which exhibit the unique blend of their charms. – Michelle Arteche

MARK RONSON

Producer extraordinaire Mark Ronson's upcoming album will be his first since 2015’s Uptown Special. While the album is still in the works, a lead single, which featured Miley Cyrus, has been released and is a prime example of what Ronson meant when he said that the record will be thematically influenced by his recent divorce from ex-wife Joséphine de La Baume, saying that it will be packed with “sad bangers.” – Surej Singh

GOJIRA

French metal band Gojira is scheduled to release its follow-up to 2016’s critically-acclaimed Magma. The band shared images of its studio sessions in late 2018, with multiple interviews acknowledging that it had been working on the album for well over a year. With “over 100 songs written”, the album promises to feature the best version of Gojira yet. – Surej Singh

KANYE WEST

He promised Yandhi, the follow-up to June 2018’s Ye, would arrive in November that year but it didn’t. Not even his visit to Uganda, for the express purpose of recording the album, was enough for him to decide it was complete. There’s never been a moment when there hasn’t been a lot going on with him. And his best music has revealed how out of the teeming, tumultuous noise in his head, he distills pure, uncompromising power. Every new musical proposition from Kanye is something to look forward to. More so, Yandhi: Its cover art is emphatically reminiscent of Yeezus, his best album. – Indran P

FIDLAR

Almost Free, the band’s third album releases this Friday. It’s going to be noisy at my house. – Indran P

THE CRANBERRIES

After lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s death in January 2018, the band decided to disband. However, on the first anniversary of her passing, the band announced that it will release its final album and dedicate it to her. O’Riordan had already recorded all the vocals for the tracks and we received a glimpse of it with the latest single ‘All Over Now’. – Michelle Arteche

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

2013 was the year of Yeezus but it didn’t entirely blot out of the sun. A big reason for that was VW’s Modern Vampires of the City. Since then, the band lost one of its founding members and indie stopped being a thing. A new VW record will enter the most level of playing fields, where noise from all quarters is constant and deafening. But Ezra Koenig and co. have history on their side. – Indran P

DREAM THEATER

Prog metal legends Dream Theater will release its 14th studio album this February. With two singles spanning a total of 13 minutes released, the band promises that the LP will see the band return to its roots of prog rock and metal, much like its earlier releases. The two singles are promising teasers of what’s to come with the album’s full reveal. – Surej Singh

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

Marina Diamandis took a break to concentrate on her studies after her tour for her third studio album Froot concluded in 2016. But it wasn’t long after before we saw updates on her social media that she was back in the studio working on new music. Details are minimal but the likelihood of her going in a different musical direction while still complementing her previous three albums is high, so expect a slew of party-worthy pop bangers. – Michelle Arteche

SARA BAREILLES

Sara Bareilles has been busy with numerous side projects including having starred in several musicals Off-Broadway and the release her reimagined version of ‘Tightrope’, which is off The Greatest Showman Alive OST. But she also has a new album poised for release. Speaking with Variety, she stated that the forthcoming record explores her thoughts on the political landscape in America and, frankly, that got me very intrigued about what’s to come. – Michelle Arteche

SCHOOLBOY Q

After his friend Mac Miller passed on, Q said that his album was going to be delayed. But in that same reveal, he followed with this: “I’ma go back, and I’ma figure out when I’ma put this fucking album out, because y’all are going to get this album. I promise that”. That’s good news for anyone with an investment in high-stakes, street-born rap from one of the best doing it now. – Indran P

SOLANGE

In 2018, Solange spoke with New York Times’ T Magazine that the follow-up to culturally reverberating, triumphal 2016’s A Seat At The Table is completed and due for release very soon. Although no release date has been furnished, her upcoming performance at Coachella 2019 might give us a taste. – Michelle Arteche

GRIMES

‘We Appreciate Power’ will go down as one of the most underrated singles of 2019, but it gave us a glimpse at what Grimes’ 2019 record might offer. Consider us intrigued. While Grimes has mad a name for herself by being quirky, and downright weird at times, ‘We Appreciate Power’ saw a rejuvenated, rebranded, grittier version of Grimes. Should the rest of the album expand upon the blueprints she laid with the single, it’s going to make for one hell of a record. – Surej Singh

GESAFFELSTEIN

Mike Lévy now has a major label behind him. His long-gestating second album Hyperion is being made under the banner of Columbia Records. It’ll come with ‘Lost in the Fire’, a single featuring The Weeknd, which is currently modern R&B’s most next-gen and era-reflective manifestation. He’s always had a fascination with the interstitial spaces where darkness and shine cavort. Now, it feels like that intersection he’s always made his art on is about to get a lot more alluring and dangerous. – Indran P

TOOL

“A lot of work’s being done, a lot of work’s been done. I’ll go on record now saying you’re gonna see some new music next year”, Maynard James Keenan said, last year. It’s been 13 years since a new Tool transmission. Debauched, culturally interrogative, morbidly playful, eminently virtuosic and above all, conceptually epic metal with a juddering measure of groove awaits. It’s just a question of when. – Indran P