Spring is a time for rebirth; it’s the calm before the storm of eccentric summer releases. These female artists have impressed us with their writing abilities, voices, and star power before, and they all have one thing in common this season: brand new albums. Which one are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @UnitedByPop.
Julia Michaels, Not In Chronological Order (April 30)
After five EPs — most recently the bipartite Inner Monologue — Julia Michaels is releasing her long-awaited debut album, Not In Chronological Order.
Her illustrious career includes writing songs for artists like Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, collaborating with JP Saxe and Niall Horan, and earning three GRAMMY nominations. When the album’s lead single “Lie Like This” was released last fall, it set the tone for a bright pop album. Her most recent releases, “All Your Exes” and “Love Is Weird,” are like entries from her own diary. In the latter single, she sings: “Tattoos on my arm / Still scared of forever / Keep my ex’s letters / In the third door of my dresser.”
Julia is an artist who is heavily inspired by her own experiences and relationships, and it makes her music that much more meaningful. After being the backbone of so many pop hits, it’s time for Julia Michaels to take center stage.
Aly & AJ, a touch of the beat (May 7)
Aly & AJ have rightfully returned to the music scene over the past few years and are releasing their fourth studio album, a touch of the beat. While they have released EPs since ending their hiatus, this is the first album they’ve released in 14 years after the resurgence of “Potential Breakup Song” on TikTok.
The pop duo’s most recent singles are “Symptom of Your Touch,” a pop-rock song about the fear of what might happen should you return to your ex, and “Don’t Need Nothing,” which reveals the complete title of the album in the song’s chorus (a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun.)
To celebrate the release of the new album, Aly & AJ are live streaming a concert from The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on May 7. The album touches on themes of isolation, relationships, and freedom. According to the sisters, it’s the record they “were born to make.”
Olivia Rodrigo, Sour (May 21)
After January, when the release of her debut single “drivers license” broke the internet, people have been desperately waiting to hear what else Olivia Rodrigo has in store for us. To follow up the emotional ballad, she released “deja vu,” a retrospective of a past relationship where she realizes her ex does the same things with their new partner. The 18-year-old’s debut album Sour will include 11 songs from this formative time in her life.
In her cover story for ELLE’s May issue, Olivia talks about her appreciation for creating music: “I think songwriting has really helped me home in on what I like about myself and my art.” While you can hear Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams’ influences in her music, the work shines and stands tall on its own—and we expect no different when Sour is released.
Who knows, maybe we’ll even see Olivia Rodrigo at the GRAMMYs next year.
Marina, Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land (June 11)
No stranger to reinvention, Marina is set to release her fifth album later this spring. Her alternative pop sound is a breath of fresh air, and her vocals are always impressive. The singer started teasing a new album early last year, releasing the new era’s first single, “Man’s World,” in November.
Since then, she released the dance-pop song “About Love” for the movie To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Her most recent single, “Purge The Poison,” is a socially-aware stream of consciousness: “I just want a world where I can see the feminine / We only make up one quarter of the government.”
While her last album Love + Fear was an exploration of feelings, Marina seems to be focusing on the theme of society this time around. Much like how her second album Electra Heart was about female identity, Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land sounds like it will hit a similar note.