Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

May 6, 2022 Bad Bunny releases Un Verano Sin Ti, which debuts at #1 in America and spends 10 (non-consecutive) weeks at the top of the US albums chart. It's only the second entirely Spanish-language album to top the chart, following his previous album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, in 2020.

April 15, 2022 Edgar Winter releases Brother Johnny, a tribute album saluting his late brother, blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. The album features contributions from Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and many other famous guest artists. It wins a Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category to earn Edgar his only Grammy Award.

November 12, 2021 Silk Sonic, the retro-R&B duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, release their only album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. The single "Leave The Door Open" goes to #1 and snarfs up four Grammy Awards. After a Vegas residency, .Paak and Mars put the project to bed, making Silk Sonic the most successful one-off side project in music history.

July 30, 2021 Billie Eilish releases her second album, Happier Than Ever, again produced by her brother, Finneas. Much of it finds her taking stock of her sudden rise to fame. Explaining the title, she says, "When you're happier than ever, that doesn't mean you're the happiest that anyone's ever been. It means you're happier than you were before."

June 11, 2021 Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son and Van Halen's bass player from 2007 until their disbandment in 2020, releases his first album, Mammoth WVH. He plays all the instruments and does all the singing on the album, which is well reviewed and launches him as a solo artist.

March 5, 2021 Silk Sonic, where Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak reimagine themselves as debonair R&B singers from the '70s (think Marvin Gaye), release their debut single, "Leave The Door Open," a song that embodies their vibe. It goes to #1 and takes home the Grammys for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

April 10, 2020 The Strokes return to action, releasing the album The New Abnormal, their first since 2013. "The 2010s... we took 'em off," lead singer Julian Casablancas says in explaining their absence.

March 27, 2020 Two weeks into the pandemic, Dua Lipa releases her disco-fied second album, Future Nostalgia, with the hits "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating." It earns her lots of new fans, including Elton John, who teams with her on "Cold Heart" the following year.

December 13, 2019 Harry Styles releases his highly anticipated second album, Fine Line, which includes the hits "Adore You" and "Watermelon Sugar." It's a global smash, putting Styles way ahead of his One Direction bandmates in solo success.

September 6, 2019 The Highwomen, a country supergroup comprising Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby, release their self-titled debut album. The group's name is a reference to The Highwaymen, which formed in 1985 with the lineup of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.

May 17, 2019 Tyler, The Creator releases his fifth album, Igor, also the name of his blond-haired alter-ego. It becomes his first #1 album and earns Tyler his first Grammy win when it takes the trophy for Best Rap Album.

October 5, 2018 Twenty One Pilots release Trench, their first album since Blurryface in 2015. It's a concept album that follows the character Clancy around a dystopian city called Dema. Standout tracks include the dark, cinematic "Jumpsuit" and the trip-hop slow burner "Chlorine."

August 3, 2018 Travis Scott releases his third album, Astroworld, a psychedelic concept record named after the theme park in Houston he went to as a kid (it was demolished in 2006).

May 11, 2018 Charlie Puth puts out his second album, Voicenotes, which includes the hit "Attention." The album title refers to the app on his phone that he uses to keep track of song ideas. Every song on the album started as a Voice Note.

April 6, 2018 Cardi B releases her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy. It goes to #1 and clears a path for female rappers like Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla.

June 16, 2017 Cardi B releases her debut single, "Bodak Yellow." The title is a nod to the rapper Kodak Black, whose flow she borrows on the track. The song elevates her from social media/reality TV star to renown rapper when the song climbs to #1.

June 2, 2017 Luke Combs, who majored in criminal justice at Appalachian State University, releases his debut album, This One's For You. Music suits him: He wins the CMA for New Artist Of The Year and becomes a top concert draw.

May 12, 2017 Harry Styles becomes the second One Direction member (following Zayn Malik) to release a solo album. The eponymous album is a departure from his boy band material in 1D, with meaty songs like "Sign of the Times" and "Sweet Creature." It goes to #1 in many countries (including the US and UK) and establishes Styles as a solo artist.

November 18, 2016 Bruno Mars releases his third album, 24K Magic, a party record that picks up where his Mark Ronson collaboration "Uptown Funk" left off. Packed with hits like "That's What I Like" and "Finesse," it wins the Grammy for Album Of The Year.

October 19, 2016 American Football, an emo band whose 1999 self-titled debut album found a following in the years after their 2000 breakup, finally release the follow-up. It's also self-titled, so the album becomes known as LP2.

July 3, 2016 Maren Morris releases her first major-label album, Hero. It goes to #1 on the Country chart and includes one of her most enduring songs, "My Church."

May 20, 2016 Tom Petty's reunited pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch release their second and final album, 2. It's the last album of original material Petty puts out before his death in 2017.

May 13, 2016 Chance the Rapper puts out his third mixtape, Coloring Book. It's released independently and not available for purchase, but still debuts at #8 on the Billboard 200, the first release to make the chart on streams alone. Chance goes on to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.

January 29, 2016 Charlie Puth issues his debut album, Nine Track Mind, which includes the hits "Marvin Gaye" and "We Don't Talk Anymore." He co-writes every song on the album and does most of the production as well.

September 4, 2015 Travis Scott, already known for his mixtapes, releases his debut album, Rodeo, a psychedelic trap record with a guest list that includes Kanye West, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Future and Swae Lee.

August 14, 2015 Grace Potter releases her solo album Midnight, signaling the end of her group Grace Potter And The Nocturnals. Her current and future husband both play on it: Matt Burr, whom she married in 2013, and Eric Valentine, who becomes her husband in 2017.

July 31, 2015 Drake releases "Hotline Bling," the first single from his album Views. He doesn't rap in the song, but it still wins Grammy Awards in two rap categories, which Drake doesn't show up to accept because he feels it's really a pop song.

May 29, 2015 Florence + the Machine release their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. With songs like "What Kind Of Man" and "Ship To Wreck," it leans more into rock than their first two albums. It becomes their first #1 album in America and third in their native UK.

May 5, 2015 After years working in Nashville as a songwriter and as a member of the bands The SteelDrivers and The Jompson Brothers, Chris Stapleton, 37, releases his debut album, Traveller, with a rootsy sound that harkens back to the days of Hank Williams. It wins the Grammy for Best Country Album and both the ACM and CMA awards for Album Of The Year.

February 10, 2015 Charlie Puth releases his debut single, "Marvin Gaye," which turns the soul legend's name into a verb (definition: To get it on). It's a duet with Meghan Trainor, who is coming off her hit "All About That Bass."