SCHOOLBOY Q
“Oxymoron,” Feb. 25
Label Interscope/Top Dawg Entertainment
Management Terrence Henderson, Dave Free and Moosa, Top Dawg Entertainment
Booking Caroline Yim and Zach Iser, ICM Partners
Following Kendrick Lamar is no easy task, but ScHoolboy Q, his labelmate, is out to do just that with his major-label debut, “Oxymoron.” The album, and its title, were inspired by the California rapper’s life, in which he has gone from drug dealer to successful artist and father. “It’s doing bad for good,” the 27-year-old says. “But I’m not in the streets now — I have to provide for my family. I can’t talk to my daughter on the phone from jail.”
Q’s last album, 2012’s “Habits & Contradictions” — released just before Top Dawg’s 2012 deal with Aftermath/Interscope — garnered critical acclaim but only sold 46,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But now Q and Top Dawg have major-label muscle behind them, which helped fuel the success of Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city.” The executive producer of that album, Aftermath head Dr. Dre, didn’t contribute to “Oxymoron,” although Q says Lamar, who appears on melodic lead single “Collard Greens,” was “unofficial A&R.”
Q guests on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ hit “White Walls,” which sold 1,247,000 downloads. His own new singles — “Collard Greens,” “Man of the Year,” “Break the Bank” — haven’t gained near that level of traction. “Kendrick didn’t have a big-ass single before his album dropped, which gives me hope,” he says. “I’m going to shoot for my core fans. They made it possible for me to succeed, not the radio. Good music is good music — it speaks for itself.”
BECK
“Morning Phase,” Feb. 25
Related
L Capitol
M Bill Silva, Silva Artist Management
B Creative Artists Agency
For his first proper album since 2008’s “Modern Guilt,” Beck has signed with Capitol and returned to the sound and team of musicians (guitarist Smokey Hormel, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen and drummer Joey Waronker among them) that shaped 2002’s somber, acoustic “Sea Change.” Even further indebted to Laurel Canyon ’70s rock than its counterpart, Morning Phase is Beck stripped down to layered falsetto harmonies (“Turn Away,” “Morning”), crisp guitar work (first single “Blue Moon,” “Heart Is a Drum”) and lyrics that find him mournful but in a hopeful state (“Blackbird Chain,” “Wave”). Miss the kitchen-sink-beats Beck? Another, more rhythmic collection, including 2013 one-off singles like “Gimme” and “I Won’t Be Long,” is expected later this year.
THE FRAY
“Helios,” Feb. 25
L Epic
M Ken Levitan and Kevin Spellman, Vector Management
B Jonathan Adelman, Paradigm Agency
The Fray is both more aggressive and more optimistic than ever before on its fourth album, which frontman Isaac Slade says is the result of the four members “being in a great place” in their lives and working with new collaborators like producer Stuart Price. “Each of us got pushed sonically and lyrically into new territory,” Slade says. In addition to Price, such songwriting collaborators as Matt Hales (aka Aqualung), Relient K’s Matt Thiessen, Busbee and Brett James were recruited, along with a first-ever teaming with fellow Denverite Ryan Tedder on the single “Love Don’t Die,” currently at No. 10 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart.
DIERKS BENTLEY
“Riser,” Feb. 25
L Capitol Nashville
M Mary Hilliard Harrington, the Greenroom, and Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management
B Jay William, William Morris Endeavor
Seven albums into his career — including four No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart — Dierks Bentley goes deeper than ever for his latest, “Riser.” Fueled by personal triumph and tragedy, Bentley says “lyrics of substance and weight, relief and escape informed the songs. Sometimes you need life to kick you in the ass. My dad passing away at the start of the project and my son being born at the end did just that.” Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton and Charlie Worsham are among the guests features on the 12-track set. Bentley worked with producers Arturo Buenahora Jr. and Ross Copperman for the first time, and says they helped him explore new ground and sounds. “We kind of threw out the rule book and went exploring.”
DUCK SAUCE
“Quack,” March
L Fool’s Gold
M TMWRK Management (A-Trak), X-Mix Productions (Armand van Helden)
B Sam Hunt, Windish Agency
The long-awaited debut album from Duck Sauce, “Quack,” will finally be released this year, and despite the duo’s 2010 surprise hit “Barbra Streisand” (nearly 70 million YouTube views and counting), it’s packed with dancefloor-fillers, not novelty tracks.
Star DJ/producers A-Trak (born Alain Macklovitch) and Armand van Helden were inspired by the early work of De La Soul, sample-heavy affairs with narrative themes and invented characters — like, you know, alien ducks. “Those albums were so visual-you could imagine yourself flicking through crates of records,” A-Trak says.
The pair refers to “Quack” as partly a comedy album, and the skits are hilarious — particularly one that re-imagines Wu-Tang Clan’s “Torture” as an emo-hipster’s OkCupid profile. But it’s a club juggernaut too, manipulating obscure disco samples into irresistible modern-day party-starters. The rights clearances of all those snippets delayed the album’s release for more than a year. “Every track has a sample,” A-Trak says. “[Our managers] had to track down license holders for old, bygone records.”
Not concerning themselves with those details contributed to their freedom in the studio, where, Van Helden says, the duo’s camaraderie and shared musical history make almost anything possible. “All our studio sessions are based on ‘flukiness,'” he says. “The whole magic behind Duck Sauce is the fluke potential.”
“We just created the album we wanted to make,” A-Trak says. “Now the duck flies off, and we’ll see how it goes.”
ELI YOUNG BAND
“10,000 Towns,” March 4
L Republic Nashville
M George Couri, Triple 8 Management
B Brian Hill, Paradigm
The 2011 album “Life at Best” yielded Eli Young Band’s first two No. 1 singles, the ballad “Crazy Girl” and midtempo anthem “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” The goal with “10,000 Towns” was to keep the commercial attention while better representing the group’s onstage energy. “We make records to go play them out live,” guitarist James Young says. “For the sake of the set, we needed some more rockin’ tunes.” The first two singles, “Drunk Last Night” (No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart) and just-released “Dust,” underscore that commitment and the project’s gritty tone.
Lea Michele
“Louder,” March 4
L Columbia Records
M Alissa Vradenburg, Untitled Entertainment
B William Morris Endeavor
Five years after “Glee” debuted, star Lea Michele is finally ready to release a solo album. “Be loud, be bold, be yourself, whether or not people understand,” Michele says. “That’s what I think of when I think of the album.” That ethos is evident on the set’s debut single, “Cannonball,” which packs the punch of a Demi Lovato ballad and reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 late last year. It was co-written by Sia, who joins Christina Perri and the Messengers as collaborators on the album.
RICK ROSS
“Mastermind,” March 4
L Def Jam
M Gucci Pucci
B Tawanda Roberts
Rick Ross’ sixth solo album has seen its share of delays. But there’s been as much, if not more, anticipation, thanks to street singles “No Games” (featuring Future) and the brassy “The Devil Is a Lie” (featuring Jay Z), and the announcement of an unlikely collaboration with former rival Young Jeezy titled “No Wars.” Mastermind arrives on the heels of 2012’s “God Forgives, I Don’t,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and a controversy over lyrics that led Reebok to drop the rapper as a spokesman. Sean “Diddy” Combs mixed the set, which includes production from Scott Storch and Mike Will Made It.
ALOE BLACC
“Lift Your Spirit,” March 11
L XIX Recordings/Interscope
B Brian Edelman, William Morris Endeavor
The uncredited voice on Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!” is poised for a solo breakthrough of his own with “The Man,” thanks to prominent placement in a series of TV commercials for Beats by Dr. Dre. “It’s great to taste what it feels like to have a top 10 single, but to now have my name attached to it? Even better,” Blacc says. “It just goes to show the active ingredients in my songs — my lyrics and my voice.” And that’s just the beginning. “Lift Your Spirit” has plenty of modern-soul anthems in the vein of Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye, with production from DJ Khalil (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar) and Pharrell. Advertisers have already noticed: The strutting “Can You Do This” was featured in a Beats Music ad during the Super Bowl, and “Ticking Bomb” provided a tense backdrop for EA’s “Battlefield 4” trailer.
JUANES
“Loco de Amor,” March 11
L Universal Music Latino
M Rebecca Leon
B Michel Vega, William Morris Endeavor
Following his 2013 “MTV Unplugged” set, Juanes returns to the studio for an earthier sound, simpler melodic lines and joyous lyrics befitting the album title, which translates to “crazy for love.” The LP is a departure in many ways: It marks producer Steve Lillywhite’s first Spanish-language album and Juanes’ first co-writes, with pals Miguel Bosé and Emmanuel del Real of Cafe Tacvba. Recorded entirely with acoustic guitars, the album centers on love. “I believe love is the most powerful energy we have in this life,” Juanes says. “I wanted to put a ray of love through a prism. It’s all the different approaches love has in relationships.”
YG
“My Krazy Life,” March 18
L Def Jam/CTE
M Russell Redeaux, Stampede Management
B Mitch Blackman, ICM
Years after his 2009 breakout hit “Toot It and Boot It,” YG finally returned to the charts last year with bouncy single “My Hitta,” the first off his forthcoming debut, “My Krazy Life.” The LP is a concept album that follows a day in the life of the 23-year-old navigating the streets of Compton, Calif. “A lot of people know my music but don’t really know me,” YG says. “They don’t understand the lifestyle where the music comes from. I want to give [listeners] a piece of my life.” The album’s artwork is a recreation of YG’s mugshot from a 2009 robbery conviction. Longtime collaborator DJ Mustard is executive-producing the project along with Young Jeezy, and Drake makes a standout appearance on the second single, “Do You Love.”
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
“Supermodel,” March 18
L RCA
M Brett Williams and Brent Kredel, Monotone
B Kirk Sommer and Dave Tamaroff, William Morris Endeavor
Following up 2011’s “Torches,” which featured breakout hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster the People partnered with producer Paul Epworth for a more raw and organic sound. Epworth and frontman Mark Foster kicked off the writing process in late 2012 in Morocco — an influence that resonates throughout the disc’s 11 tracks. The band unveiled surging single “Coming of Age” last month and will release several more tracks leading up to the album’s release. “The single served as a good bridge from our first record into a more guitar-driven album,” Foster says. “There’s some songs that still have the celebratory familiar sound of Foster the People, but there are others that are going to surprise people. It’s a darker record.”
KYLIE MINOGUE
“Kiss Me Once,” March 18
L Warner Bros./Parlophone
M Roc Nation
B Creative Artists Agency
With new management and a new U.S. label (Warner Bros., following Warner Music Group’s acquisition of Parlophone), it appears a little change has done Kylie Minogue good. “I truly had an epiphany that I needed an epiphany and then, kablam! Lots and lots of new things,” she says of the new moves and the new sound on her follow-up to 2010’s “Aphrodite.” Armed with a fresh batch of songs from extra-now collaborators like Ariel Rechtshaid (soaring electro-ballad “If Only”), Pharrell (funked-out “I Was Gonna Cancel”) and Greg Kurstin (the sumptuous title track) — not to mention co-executive producer Sia — the 45-year-old artist is as primed for a stateside resurgence as ever. Euphoric lead single “Into the Blue” is already reminding fans why Minogue is in a class of her own.
JOHNNY CASH
“Out Among the Stars,” March 25
L Columbia/Legacy
The Man in Black lives on in 2014. Sony has restored a dozen recently discovered Johnny Cash tracks-including duets with June Carter Cash and Waylon Jennings- recorded in Nashville in 1981 and 1984 and produced by Billy Sherrill, then-head of A&R at CBS Records Nashville. Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, along with co-producer/archivist Steve Berkowitz, enlisted Marty Stuart — who plays guitar and mandolin on the album — Buddy Miller and Carlene Carter to collaborate in restoring the recordings. The album is a global priority for Sony Music, and John Carter Cash will be the spokesman for it. “It’s a previously unheard treasure from a period of dad’s life when he was in a true prime,” he says. “His voice is perfect and the songs are unforgettable.”
SHAKIRA
“Shakira,” March 25
L RCA/Sony Latin Iberia
M Roc Nation
B Live Nation
Shakira’s new self-titled set, her first album in three years, aims to “reveal my current sentimental state,” the Latin superstar said in a recent YouTube video. And what a fine state it is: The 37-year-old is in a thriving relationship with soccer star Gerard Pique, father to her year-old child Milan, and living the good life in Barcelona. First single “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (featuring Rihanna) is No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has garnered more than 71 million views on YouTube. The song, and the album overall, evokes Shakira’s beginnings as a self-proclaimed “rock chick,” she said. “I wanted to go back to my roots.” Sia and Ne-Yo also guest on the album, and John Hill and Greg Kurstin are among the producers. Shakira’s return to the judges’ panel on the upcoming season of NBC’s “The Voice” will give the album a huge boost.
MARTINA MCCBRIDE
“Everlasting,” April 8
L Vinyl Records
M Morris Artists Management
B Rod Essig, Creative Artists Agency
Martina McBride has seemingly done it all during her two-decade-plus career. She’s racked up hit after hit, and is one of only three women to win four female vocalist of the year awards from the Country Music Assn.
But after McBride’s stints on RCA and Republic Nashville, the April 8 release of Everlasting marks a career first for the singer-a release on her own label, Vinyl Records, through Kobalt Music Services.
“It’s a big responsibility, but I get to do things my own way,” she says. “I’ve always been very involved in my career, and I never felt like I was compromised in any way, but it’s just a different way of doing things. It’s very much a new adventure.”
Everlasting is a stylistic departure for McBride as well: It features the country star taking on classic soul and R&B songs, including Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” and Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.” Don Was, the studio veteran-turned-Blue Note president, produced the album, working out of McBride’s Blackbird Studios in Nashville. “I knew that he was the right person to make this record-it was an instinct thing,” McBride says. “His records are very organic, real and honest.”
The album also includes an uptempo collaboration with Kelly Clarkson on Etta James’ “In the Basement” and Gavin DeGraw adds his signature touch on the Sam Cooke classic “Bring It On Home to Me.”
“I always wanted to make this record,” McBride says. “These songs are all very important to me.” -Chuck Dauphin
MARTINA MCBRIDE
“Everlasting,” April 8
L Vinyl Records
M Morris Artists Management
B Rod Essig, Creative Artists Agency
Martina McBride has seemingly done it all during her two-decade-plus career. She’s racked up hit after hit, and is one of only three women to win four female vocalist of the year awards from the Country Music Assn.
But after McBride’s stints on RCA and Republic Nashville, the April 8 release of Everlasting marks a career first for the singer-a release on her own label, Vinyl Records, through Kobalt Music Services.
“It’s a big responsibility, but I get to do things my own way,” she says. “I’ve always been very involved in my career, and I never felt like I was compromised in any way, but it’s just a different way of doing things. It’s very much a new adventure.”
Everlasting is a stylistic departure for McBride as well: It features the country star taking on classic soul and R&B songs, including Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” and Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.” Don Was, the studio veteran-turned-Blue Note president, produced the album, working out of McBride’s Blackbird Studios in Nashville. “I knew that he was the right person to make this record-it was an instinct thing,” McBride says. “His records are very organic, real and honest.”
The album also includes an uptempo collaboration with Kelly Clarkson on Etta James’ “In the Basement” and Gavin DeGraw adds his signature touch on the Sam Cooke classic “Bring It On Home to Me.”
“I always wanted to make this record,” McBride says. “These songs are all very important to me.” -Chuck Dauphin
AUGUST ALSINA
“Testimony,” April 15
L NNTME/Def Jam
M Donald Albright and Henry “Noonie” Lee, NNTME
B Cindy Agi, William Morris Endeavor
“My music is a gift from God that saved my life,” August Alsina says. And he’s not kidding. Born into a family where drug and alcohol addiction were a constant, the 21-year-old soldiered through the 2010 murder of his older brother Melvin — who inspired the New Orleans-born talent to pursue his musical ambitions. Alsina’s candid portrayal of that upbringing inspired his edgy, ear-arresting debut EP, “Downtown: Life Under the Gun,” and pumped out the single “I Luv This Sh*t,” featuring labelmate Trinidad James, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Debut LP “Testimony” includes production by Eric Hudson, Drumma Boy and the Featherstones, the lattermost crafting new single “Make It Home” (featuring Young Jeezy). Now on the road with 2 Chainz and Pusha T on the 2 Good to Be T.R.U. tour, Alsina says of his album, “People can expect more honest music. I just tell the truth.”
KELIS
“Food,” April 21
L Ninja Tune
M Red Light Management
B Marty Diamond, Paradigm
The always adventurous Kelis follows up 2010’s dance-heavy “Flesh Tone” (Interscope) with another unexpected turn. Her sixth studio album will be released on experimental U.K. indie Ninja Tune, and TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek took the reins on production, providing rock-funk-infused backdrops for her hopeful, honest lyrics and velvety vocal takes. The singer stays true to her feelings, good or bad, whether fighting herself for an old love — ex-husband Nas, maybe? — on “Rumble,” or doing the opposite and letting herself fall for the innocence of a phone call on “Bless the Telephone.”
NEON TREES
“Pop Psychology,” April 22
L Island Def Jam
M Indegoot
B David Klein, Creative Artists Agency
Utah’s Neon Trees follow up the top 10 success of their 2011 single “Everybody Talks” with a new album named in reference to frontman Tyler Glenn’s recent stint with a psychologist. “I was at such a low point and I blamed the band and the lifestyle,” he says. “Talking to someone, and really sorting out the weight that I was carrying in my head, spurred on a lot of truth in these songs.” Glenn again teamed with producer and Sugarcult frontman Tim Pagnotta and, in the end, produced a slick batch of chorus-driven new wave nuggets. “It’s as much a pop record with treated sounds and designed synths and catchy songs as it is a rock record recorded as a band playing the instruments and bringing it to life,” Glenn says.
CHROMEO
“White Women,” April
L Parlophone/Atlantic
M Kevin Kocher, TAO
B Sam Hunt, Windish Agency
Chromeo has been partying like it’s 1977 for a decade now, and with Pharrell and Daft Punk pushing disco back atop the Billboard Hot 100 and the Grammy Awards, the funky Canadian duo has a chance to transcend its cult status. “The album has a postmodern, schmucky, Larry David sensibility,” frontman Dave Macklovitch says. Joining the fun are guest vocals from past collaborators Solange and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, as well as an eye-opening vocal performance from Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick, who sheds his indie inhibitions and goes full-on pop-funk on single “Come Alive.” And yes, there is a saxophone solo.
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
TBA, April
L Republic/Universal Music Latino
M Fernando Giaccardi, Red Light Management
B Creative Artists Agency
Enrique Iglesias’ last album, 2010’s Euphoria, spawned radio smashes “I Like It” and “Tonight (I’m F*cking You).” He’ll attempt to resurrect that hit-making prowess with the follow-up, which he told Billboard is “definitely more eclectic” than Euphoria. The 38-year-old is leaning on a wide range of collaborators, including Kylie Minogue (who also duets on “Beautiful”) and producers the Cataracs (Robin Thicke, Selena Gomez). “I try to write with songwriters that come from completely different musical backgrounds,” he said. “That helps me a lot.” That strategy has already yielded Inglesias’ record 24th No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart with “Loco,” featuring Romeo Santos. Next up will likely be “El Perdedor,” featuring Mexico’s king of croon, Marco Antonio Solís, which has become the opening theme of Univision soap opera “Lo Que la Vida Me Robo.” On the English side, “Turn the Night Up” became Iglesias’ 13th No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart, and new single “I’m a Freak” (featuring Pitbull) arrived in mid-January.
LUCY HALE
“Road Between,” May 20
L Hollywood Records
M Elissa Leeds, Reel Talent Management
B Aaron Tannenbaum and Marc Dennis, Creative Artists Agency
In 2003, Tennessee-bred Lucy Hale got her big break in showbiz by winning teenager-themed “American Idol” spinoff “American Juniors.” “I was convinced I was the second coming of Kelly Clarkson,” she joked to Billboard last year. Now older and wiser, the 24-year-old is readying her country debut with co-writer Kristian Bush (of Sugarland) and producers Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood) and Mike Daly (Lana Del Rey). Lead single “You Sound Good to Me” is the first sampling of an album full of lovestruck lyrics and sweeping choruses that Hale hopes will vault her into Nashville’s top tier. “Once you get in the circle of country music, they stay with you for life,” Hale said. “But they don’t just let anyone in.”
CARLOS SANTANA
“Corazon,” May
L RCA/Sony Latin Iberia
M Michael Vrionis, Universal Tone
B Creative Artists Agency
Carlos Santana has long collaborated with fellow Latin artists, but “Corazon” is his first Spanish-language album. The set will feature collaborations with Gloria Estefan, Romeo Santos, Ziggy Marley and Juanes — with whom Santana recorded first single “La Flaca.” “This [album] will change the energy of the world from Mexico to Brazil,” Santana said at a press conference for the 2013 Latin Grammy Awards. The release also includes a live concert filmed in Mexico that will air on HBO Latin and HBO Latin America.
LITTLE DRAGON
“Nabuma Rubberband,” May
L Loma Vista Recordings
M Andy Valdez and Heathcliff Berru, Life or Death
B Amy Davidman, Windish Agency
The success of Little Dragon’s third album, 2011’s “Ritual Union” (its first to chart in the United States, at No. 78 on the Billboard 200), allowed the Swedish electro-pop quartet to slow down and dig deep for its follow-up. “We didn’t have to rush it or stress it,” says singer Yakimi Nagano, also known for collaborations with OutKast’s Big Boi and Raphael Saadiq. “Before we couldn’t afford to not tour, so we were writing on the road.” First single “Klapp Klapp,” which will be released Feb. 14 and performed on “Late Show With David Letterman” five days later, showcases the jazzier, darker “new flavor,” Nagano says. “We didn’t want to repeat ourselves.”
AFROJACK
TBA, May
L Island Def Jam
M Thomas Deelder, Montana ECI
B Ace Agency
Nick van de Wall, the artist better-known as Afrojack, is no stranger to hits — from his single “Take Over Control,” to his production on Pitbull’s No. 1 “Give Me Everything,” to co-producing his mentor David Guetta’s smash “Titanium.” So it was no surprise when Island Def Jam inked an album deal with the Dutch DJ/producer in 2013. But that doesn’t mean his album will follow a crossover-pop prescription. When Island A&R reps suggested he rearrange a track, Afrojack recalls, he was clear: “I said, ‘I love you guys, you’re really smart, and you have so much experience. But this is not the way I want to present the product. And if you don’t like it, take back your money.'”
JHENÉ AIKO
“Souled Out,” late spring
L ARTium/Def Jam
M Ketrina “Taz” Askew, Art Club International
B Caroline Yim, ICM
After an apprenticeship gracing songs by B2K, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and others, Jhené Aiko came into her own in late 2013. The first artist signed to producer No I.D.’s ARTium label, the singer drew national attention with EP “Sail Out” (No. 8 on the Billboard 200). Along with a cameo on Drake’s “From Time,” a slot on his recent tour and key TV spots (“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” “Saturday Night Live”), the stage is set for Aiko’s Souled Out. No I.D., the album’s main producer, calls her “a modern Sade.” Aiko adds: “My music is alternative — new-generation R&B like Frank Ocean, Miguel and even Drake. It’s not in a box.”
LILY ALLEN
TBA, late spring
L Parlophone/Warner Bros. Records
M Todd Interland, Rocket Music Entertainment Group
B Marty Diamond, Paradigm
In the five years since Lily Allen’s 2009 “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” the U.K. pop singer got married, had two babies and popped up on songs by T-Pain and P!nk. In late 2012, she finally rejoined longtime producer Greg Kurstin in the studio to work on her comeback on her new label home, Parlophone/Warner Bros. Last November, Allen released first single “Hard Out Here,” which skewers the music industry’s outlandish expectations of the female body, and a controversial video that has garnered almost 20 million YouTube views. “[Allen] wanted to make people think about the role of women and feminism in music,” manager Todd Interland says. Playful second single “Air Balloon,” produced by Shellback, is due March 2, and album cut “L8 CMMR” will be featured on the second soundtrack album to HBO’s “Girls” (Feb. 11).
PHARRELL
TBA, late spring
L Columbia
M Ron Laffitte, Laffitte Management
B William Morris Endeavor
Pharrell’s second solo album will arrive with considerably higher expectations than 2006’s critically adored but commercially slept-on “In My Mind,” with the triple-threat singer/songwriter/producer capping a blazing-hot 2013 with a sweep at the Grammy Awards with Daft Punk and a forthcoming performance at the Academy Awards of his original song nominee “Happy,” which is No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. For his new album, expect more of that track’s blissed-out ’70s vibe, with a touch of the newfound confidence he struts on current features for Major Lazer (“Aerosol Can”) and Azealia Banks (“ATM Jam”).
EMPRESS OF
TBA, late spring
L Terrible Records/XL Recordings
M Brian Justie, No Recordings
B Avery McTaggart, Windish Agency
The rise of Empress Of, aka singer/songwriter/producer Lorely Rodriguez, started with a SoundCloud post of hazy ballad “Don’t Tell Me” in 2012. “I recorded it in my bedroom — all I need is a pair of headphones and my computer,” says the 24-year-old Brooklynite, also known for her work with psychedelic band Celestial Shores. “It was one upload, and it spiraled from there.”
The buzz resulted in a deal with Brooklyn indie Terrible Records and comparisons to Grimes, and eventually caught the attention of XL Recordings (Adele, Vampire Weekend), which will team with Terrible to release her debut. Rodriguez is currently writing, producing and recording the LP herself in Mexico City.
“When the label asked who I wanted to work with, I said, ‘I want to do it myself,'” Rodriguez says. “That’s the only way I know how to work right now. This is my debut album-I want to have my own voice.”
Reporting by Leila Cobo, Chuck Dauphin, Alex Gale, Phil Gallo, Gary Graff, Andrew Hampp, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Jason Lipshutz, Kerri Mason, Gail Mitchell, Chris Payne, Erika Ramirez, Tom Roland and Emily Zemler.