The world was greeted this year by some of the most popular artists in music releasing new albums that quickly climbed the charts. This list of top five albums for 2015 feature some artists with more than one song in the top ten charts of popular music apps such as iTunes and Spotify.
What are the top five albums of the year? We can’t be for sure since the year isn’t over, but here’s our best guess out of all of this year’s popular albums.
1) Justin Bieber: Purpose
After Justin Bieber’s massive turnaround in public image this year, Bieber came back by slowly releasing hits from his new album “Purpose” and re-enticing his massive fan base. This album, although only released within the last month, at one point had three songs in the top ten on iTunes and multiple radio hits. With Bieber’s radio hit “Sorry” still getting over four million plays per day, this album is not coming down from its throne anytime soon.
Student and avid Justin Bieber enthusiast Steven Dougherty described the album as “straight fire,” claiming that Bieber hasn’t even reached his prime yet.
2) Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album came and smashed charts. With his intimate lyrics and the range from bumping party music to underground rap styles that Lamar is known for, this album quickly sprung to the top of the charts. From his classic track, “King Kunta,” with the G-funk style that many love, to his radio hit “i,” featuring samples from the Isley Brothers’s famous song “That Lady,” this album offers something for everybody.
3) Jack Ü: Diplo and Skrillex Present Jack Ü
The dance music world quickly bowed down and fell in love with the combination of powerhouse duo Skrillex and Diplo. The duo’s first single “Take Ü There” premiered in September 2014 and quickly gained a presence in the dance community. Since that time Jack Ü has been only more successful, even headlining major festivals such as Hard Summer 2015 in Los Angeles that brought in over 130,000 fans. Their album was number one on the U.S. dance music charts and reached number 26 on the over charts. The album contained their other hit track featuring Justin Bieber in “Where are Ü Now.”
Coulsen Phillips, local D.J. and student said “I think it’s one of the best albums of the year because the collaborations gave no regard to social status or clicks in the music industry,” said Coulsen Phillips, local D.J. and student. Phillips also said when he plays these songs, most of the songs on the album “get people moving.”
4) Luke Bryan: Kill the Lights
With one album already out in 2015, Luke Bryan followed up with “Kill the Lights” which premiered at number one on the Billboard 200. Released on Aug. 7, the album came with three top songs including “Kick the Dust Up,” which was released in May and became a hit for the summer before the release of the full album. Bryan has sold over 750,000 copies worldwide as of November.
5) The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness
After his album “Kiss Land” in 2013, The Weeknd returned to the spotlight with his brand new album in August 2015. Selling 300,000 copies in the first week, tracks such as “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills,” both massive radio hits right now, have stayed in the top of the charts and are still both in the top 20 on iTunes. This R&B masterpiece is something most music enthusiasts will need to check out if they haven’t already.
“Can’t Feel My Face” is one of the better songs of the year, according to Brooke Engilman, a BYU student studying graphic design. “It’s so catchy,” Engilman said. “I can’t ever seem to get it out of my head.”
The search for new music is a problem that often plagues millennials and this list will hopefully help to inform some who are in search for something new as they start into next semester. Whether listeners are in search of something R&B or country, this year brought something for every type of listener.
