For most of us, 2020 was a year of being stuck inside. We passed our time watching “Tiger King,” attempting sourdough starters and trying to get along with our families. Music helped us get through all of that. 2021 is upon us and we’re eagerly awaiting more music from some of our favorite artists. Here are six artists that we are hoping to hear from this year.
Wallows
The Los Angeles-based alternative rock band had an interesting year in 2020. They recorded their entire six-track EP “Remote” while each band member was quarantined due to COVID-19. They released a deluxe version of “Remote” on Feb. 19 which included five additional tracks. While promoting the deluxe EP on the Zane Lowe Show, vocalist and guitarist Dylan Minnette, who played Clay Jensen in the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” revealed the band is in the middle of recording their second album, hoping to have it finished in summer of this year and released in fall. However, they mentioned it will depend on the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Khalid
Known for his hit song “Location,” Khalid’s last album “Free Spirit” was released in 2019. In 2020, he released four singles, including “Be Like That” with Kane Brown and Swae Lee. Currently working on his third album, Khalid said backstage at the Billboard Music Awards in October that his first two albums won’t compare to what he has planned for his third album. In a tweet he posted on Feb. 16, Khalid thanked fans for their support and can’t wait for them to see/hear what he has been working on.
AJR
The New York-based indie group composed of the Met brothers, Adam, Jack and Ryan, have three studio albums, with the most recent, “Neotheater,” released in 2019. On Dec. 20 of last year, they announced the name of their next album, “OK Orchestra,” on social media. The album was a year-long project released on March 26. On Feb. 17, they released a single off the album called “Way Less Sad,’’ along with three other songs.
Lauren Jauregui
The 24-year-old former member of girl group Fifth Harmony started her solo career with the singles “Expectations” in October of 2018. In 2020, she released the Tainy-produced single “Lento” and “50ft.”
She even contributed to the DC Comics “Birds of Prey” movie soundtrack. She has been teasing the release of her debut album for a while, including a video snippet posted on Twitter late last year. Eager fans have been eating it up and have been using hashtags like #LJ1iscoming. However, Jauregui took to Twitter in January criticizing fans for their impatience.
Dodie
The British musical artist and YouTube vlogger, Dodie, started producing original music in 2016 with the release of her EP “Intertwined.” Since then, she has released two additional EPs and various singles. In October of last year, she posted a video on her YouTube channel announcing that her first album, “Build a Problem,” would be released on March 5. She released the single “Hate Myself” ahead of the first album in January. In early February, she gave an update via social media saying the release of the album would be pushed back by three weeks due to issues with vinyl distribution. While she kept fans waiting a bit more, she released a voice memo version of “Hate Myself” on Feb. 26. The album was released on March 26.
Still Woozy
In 2011, Still Woozy, an indie artist from Oakland, Calif., was part of the alternative rock band, Feed Me Jack, until their disbandment in 2016. His solo career started with the release of his single “Vacation.” Known for the intriguing cover art created by his fiancee, Amiya Kahn-Tietz, Woozy has strictly only released singles with the exception of his EP “Lately” in 2019. Fans have been begging for a full-length album by Woozy since 2019. While there has not been any indication that the artist will release an album soon, fans hope 2021 will be the year.
