While 2015 was a huge year for music, there were many albums that we thought we'd see from top artists that still have not been released. Justin Bieber, One Direction, Taylor Swift and Adele finally released their highly-anticipated albums and dominated the charts over the past twelve months, but artists like Kanye West, Rihanna and Frank Ocean have yet to put a set release date on the albums they've been working on for months now.
Here are ten artists who have been working on albums that we thought would be released in 2015 and will hopefully be out at some point in 2016.
1. Kanye West
We do know that the album will definitely be called "SWISH," but West is still putting together the finishing touches on this album. This will be the follow-up to his 2013 album "Yeezus." Pusha T and Lamar Odom have both given what he does have completed an early listen, and both think it's "incredible," as HNGN previously reported. Pusha T also hinted that he thinks that West is going to drop the album without much warning, so there probably won't be a set release date.
Since West's wife Kim Kardashian just gave birth to their son Saint earlier this month, rumor has it that he is coming up with new ideas for the album and adding some new tracks about his newborn son, so this could also be pushing back the release. "I'm finishing my album and my next collection," West tweeted on Dec. 13., adding, "No offense to anyone..I'm asking everyone. DON'T ASK ME FOR ANYTHING TILL AFTER I'M FINISHED WITH MY ALBUM."
2. Rihanna
"Anti" will be her eighth studio album and the follow up to her 2012 album "Unapologetic." She's been working on it for sometime now, and the release is apparently right around the corner, but it is still in the process of coming together. "The other night she came over and listened to half of 25 songs I played her because she's still looking for songs for her new album," singer-songwriter Sia told BBC Radio earlier this month. "She was there to listen to songs and see if there was anything that she was into. It was a business meeting, for sure."
The Today Show tweeted on Dec. 23, ".@Rihanna has an extra special Christmas present for her fans, releasing her 8th studio album 'Anti' tomorrow. #Today9," but then quickly deleted it, according to Hot New Hip Hop. This has fans wondering if they said something they shouldn't have and if her album is actually going to be released sometime this week in time for the holidays.
3. Frank Ocean
"Boys Don't Cry" will be a follow up album to his 2012 Grammy-winning album "channel ORANGE," but nothing has happened since then and many of the details on this album remain a mystery besides the name, as HNGN previously reported. In April, he posted a vague Tumblr post promising new music and hinting that it would come out in July 2015, but he has not said much else about it since.
4. Gwen Stefani
Stefani announced in October 2014, during a Twitter Q&A that she would "hopefully" be releasing her third solo studio album sometime in December 2014, but we still have not seen this album nearly a year later. "I've been working on it," she told Ryan Seacrest in April, according to Idolator. "I feel excited now because when I first started working on it, I was like, 'I'm gonna put it out this year!' I was very kind of rushed about it. Now I feel settled in, I had the baby...I feel like now I'm going to go back in and do some more writing and be a little more relaxed about it."
Her last solo studio album was "The Sweet Escape" in 2006. So far, the only single we've got to hear from the upcoming album is "Used to Love you," which is reportedly about her recent breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.
5. Lil Wayne
The rapper kept pushing back the release of "Tha Carter V" but finally released the first part on Dec. 9, which was much later than expected. It was also never supposed to be a two-part album, and the release date of the second part is unknown. "I recorded so many songs. I got too many songs," Lil Wayne said during a PSA, according to Billboard. "I worked way too much to give y'all half of it. If I would've dropped the album today, it would have to be 12 or 13 songs. I refuse to cheat my fans. I refuse to cheat myself."
6. Radiohead
They have finished recording but have not yet released the new album, according to Spin. After months of speculation and half-confirmed reports, Jonny Greenwood has confirmed that they are complete and hope to tour next year to support the album, but nothing is confirmed yet. The album, which they have "a lot of material" for, will be the band's first album since their 2011 "The King of Limbs."
7. The xx
Their third studio album, which will be a follow-up to their 2012 album "Coexist," is still in works. In August, the album still had no title, but the band did say that they were "working hard" on it, according to Music Times. Producer Jamie xx has been busy with his own debut solo album "In Colour" and completing the world tour for that, so this could have a lot to do with the album's delay.
8. Britney Spears
The pop star is currently working on her highly anticipated ninth studio album, which will be the follow-up to her 2013 album "Britney Jean." She hinted in November that she was working on the new album while still keeping herself busy with her Las Vegas residency, according to Billboard. She's been dropping hints about the album, which might be called "B9," even though that has not yet been confirmed.
9. Macklemore And Ryan Lewis
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis pretty much promised that the new album would be here by the end of 2015, but with the year quickly coming to an end, it looks like this is highly unlikely. The album, which will feature the singles "Downtown" and "Growing Up (Sloane's Song)," is definitely in the works, though. "I'm feeling great about this album," Macklemore told Rolling Stone in September. "It has a diversity of sounds and textures and concepts. We've been able to take our time with it, and it's a great feeling to get to that point." The album, which will be their second studio album and a follow-up to the 2012 album "The Heist," does not yet have a title.
10. Lady Gaga
Gaga has been busy working her magic on "American Horror Story" and touring with Tony Bennett, so we'll forgive her for not putting an album out since 2013, but her upcoming fifth studio album was supposed to drop this year. It should, however, be released in 2016 and might even be called "LG5," according to Billboard. The pop sensation has begun working on the album, though there is no set release date.
