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Music

From Puff Daddy to Lorde, artists are making 2017 their comeback year

It’s only been a couple weeks into 2017, but artists in the music industry are already bouncing back. Ed Sheeran released two singles from his long-awaited album “Divide” and his millions of fans rejoiced. #WelcomeBackEd was trending worldwide on Twitter within hours of the release. Alternative band The xx dropped its third album, “I See You.” Fans and critics have described it as some of the band’s best work yet.

Fans of every genre can look forward to the return of some of their favorite musicians. Big names like Taylor Swift and The Killers are rumored to release new music this year. Comebacks seem to be a trend in 2017 — so who’s next?

Let’s start with some of the biggest throwback artists.

Sean Combs

Er, is it Diddy now? Actually, it’s back to Puff Daddy for his newest LP, “No Way Out 2.” It’s a sequel to his iconic 1997 album, “No Way Out,” which brought rap classics like “I’ll Be Missing You” and “Victory” with The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. There’s some hype surrounding Sean Combs/Diddy/Puff Daddy’s comeback, but, in all honesty, he should probably just stick to running Bad Boy Records and promoting Cîroc.



TLC

If you’re like me and still blast “No Scrubs” on the daily, you should be pumped to hear that TLC is planning on releasing a new LP soon. It will be the first new music the world will hear since former member Lisa Lopes’ tragic death in 2002. Although I want to believe their reunion will be epic, their comeback opportunities have been long gone. It’s like that one time the Backstreet Boys tried to make a new album in 2013, and now they have a Vegas residency show. Yikes.

Michelle Branch

The most unexpected comeback announcement was definitely Michelle Branch. All I can think about is how her song “Everywhere” was in every romantic comedy in the early 2000s. Maybe a single from “Hopeless Romantic” will be the next big pop song — who knows? We’ll just have to wait until April 7 for the album’s release.

The most anticipated albums this year, however, are from more recent artists.

Drake

He should be releasing “More Life” any day now. With the success of “Fake Love” and “Sneakin’,” fans and critics are expecting a lot with this album. Drake always brings something fresh to the music scene, so I’m excited to see what’s next for him. The only thing I’m dreading is seeing everyone’s Instagram caption with the same lyrics or hashtags. I’m looking at you, person who posted a picture of their pizza and wrote, “#views.”

John Mayer

He is always up to something new. He shared at the end of 2016 his plan to release four songs every month until his album “The Search for Everything” debuts. “Love on the Weekend” was released last November, but three more singles just dropped on Saturday. After listening to the first wave of singles, I am already begging for more of his chill, yet sexy rock music.

Madeon

EDM fans can look forward to Madeon’s second album following his popular first album “Adventure.” His first album was the go-to choice for when I needed an instant pick-me-up or if I felt like dancing. The upbeat rhythms, perfectly-timed drops, and catchy lyrics from “Adventure” quickly put Madeon into the center of the EDM scene. Let’s hope his second album can compare.

Brad Paisley

“Love and War” will come out on March 3. This album features some surprising guests including Demi Lovato and Timbaland, so it will be interesting to see how he’ll incorporate them into his cool country sound. I’m not a fan of mixing country music with other genres because it has such a distinct sound. But on the other hand, people liked when Nelly and Florida Georgia Line collaborated. But if I hear “Cruise” one more time, I will scream.

Lorde

She is scheduled to headline several music festivals like Coachella and The Governors Ball which has made flower crown-wearing “hip” teenage girls swoon. But before anyone will see Lorde making her notoriously strange movements — or dance moves? — she’s planning on dropping some new music. On Twitter, she posted teasers and photos to promote her upcoming music, including a photo of the headphones she uses to listen to this long-awaited album. Lorde may be young, but “Pure Heroine” was one of the most mature and comprehensive albums within this past decade. If she made this incredible album at 17, imagine what she can do at 20.

Gorillaz

What’s really gotten a lot of attention is new music from Gorillaz. It’s been seven years since we’ve seen this epic, animated band, but “Feel Good Inc.” still hasn’t gotten old. I’m also wondering if their animated characters will remain the same or if there will be more CGI used to keep up with the technological advances made — because seven years is a really long time. I’m wondering if their new music will be worth the wait.

2017 might not be your best year ever, but at least you’ll have some good music to get you through those tough times.

Christine Chung is a senior communication and rhetorical studies major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can reach her at chchun02@syr.edu.





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