This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
2026 is gearing up to be a big year for album releases. In the next few months, some of the biggest names in the music industry are putting out new work, some for the first time in several years.
Lana Del Rey
An album fans are craving from Lana Del Rey has been teased for nearly two years now with constant delays and title changes. Lana Del Rey said that this will be a country album. It was originally titled Lasso in 2024, then The Right Person Will Stay in 2025, and now is said to be called Stove and could be released at any time. Here’s to hoping that 2026 begins the new Lana era.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj’s album release is planned for March 27. However, due to social media drama, Minaj angrily posted on X, “Ok I’m not going to put out the album anymore,” and even signed it off “Bye, Barbz.” However, the post has since been deleted and the still untitled album seems to be on track for release!
Harry styles
Pop-rock icon and former One Direction member Harry Styles recently announced his fourth studio album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. It is his first release since 2022, and is set to be released on March 6. Styles’ has been very quiet in the past few years, so there is much curiosity about this new era, and the album’s unique cover and name.
Bruno mars
Pop star Bruno Mars is releasing his first album in 10 years on February 27. It is called The Romantic, and will be followed up by a world tour “The Romantic Tour,” starting in April. Mars is known for his many hits in the 2010s, and hopefully there are more to come!
hillary duff
Ex-Disney star and pop-singer Hillary Duff is releasing her first album since 2015. The album, luck… or something, is scheduled to be released on February 20. Fans are excited to see this new, matured version of such an iconic childhood star.
charlie xcx
Following one of the largest years of her career, Charlie XCX is releasing an album in the form of a soundtrack to the new film of the same title, Wuthering Heights. It is said to be in contrast to the hyper-pop sound of her hit album brat with a more dreamy, theatrical sound for the film.
charlie puth
This year we will see if Charlie Puth will be a bigger artist as Taylor Swift declared in her 2024 song “The Tortured Poets Department.” Puth is releasing an album called Whatever’s Clever! On March 6, and his first release since 2022.
bts
The iconic K-pop group BTS has a new album called Arirang. It is scheduled for March 20, their first release in nearly four years. This has the band’s dedicated following in a frenzy, and prepared to buy tickets to their upcoming world tour that begins in April.
luke combs
Country star Luke Combs has an album coming out on March 20. It is titled The Way I Am and his world tour, “My Kinda Saturday Night Tour,” will begin the next day on March 21.
meghan trainor
Meghan Trainor is releasing a new album on April 24 titled Toy With Me. It will be followed by “The Get In Girl Tour.” Trainor hasn’t been at the top of the charts since around 2020, so this new era will see if she can bring back her pop-icon status.
gorillaz
The cartoon rock group Gorillaz is releasing a new album called The Mountain on February 27. They begin touring in the United Kingdom in March.
More album announcements for this year are to be expected, but these are what we know right now till around March and April. There are also a lot of tours planned for this year, so pre-order your favorite albums and buy those tickets for a great start to a year of music in 2026.