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10 Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2021
2021 is poised to be a big year for new music, especially when it comes to new country albums. The…
Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Kane Brown, Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery
2021 is poised to be a big year for new music, especially when it comes to new country albums.
The events of 2020 put the brakes on live music, so when many artists found themselves with no tour dates on the books, they turned to the studio to keep busy. Lucky for fans, a lot of the music recorded last year will likely be released in 2021. While the album release calendar has yet to be finalized, we’re placing our bets on these artists releasing new albums this year.
Here’s a look at the 10 most anticipated new country albums of 2021.
Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen is blessing fans with a new album just eight days into the new year. Wallen’s long-awaited sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album, will certainly be well worth the nearly three-year wait as it features a whopping 30 tracks.
Carrie Underwood
After releasing her first-ever Christmas album last fall, Carrie Underwood surprised fans with the announcement of her very first Gospel album, My Savior. Set to release before Easter, the project will include some of the superstar’s favorite hymns.
Eric Church
It’s been nearly a year since Eric Church revealed that he wrote and recorded 28 songs in 28 days while on a writing retreat in North Carolina. Since then, the newly crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year has gone on to release several new tracks, including “Doing Life With Me,” “Bad Mother Trucker,” “Crazyland,” Through My Ray-Bans” and his latest single, “Hell Of A View.” While specific album details have yet to be released, some fans are speculating that he’s preparing to release a double (or even triple!) album due to the red, blue and purple covers of his latest singles.
Maren Morris
After canceling her 2021 tour due to the ongoing pandemic, Maren Morris revealed that she’s currently working on her third studio album. The yet-to-be-announced project will serve as the follow up to 2019’s GIRL, which took the Texas native’s career to new heights with the success of the title track and follow up singles “The Bones” and “To Hell & Back.”
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton has been quite open about the fact that he no longer believes in making full albums, but many fans are still holding out hope that the superstar will release a new album in 2021. Shelton’s latest project, 2019’s Fully Loaded: God’s Country, only included a handful of new tracks in addition to several previously released songs. Now that “Happy Anywhere” and his upcoming single, “Minimum Wage,” don’t have an album to call home, perhaps he’ll change his stance and release a full-length project sometime this year.
Kane Brown
If you follow Kane Brown on Instagram, you know that he’s almost always working on new music. The superstar has even shared several clips of new songs in recent months, leading fans to believe a new album is on the way. He also teased a duet with his wife that has yet to be released, so here’s to hoping it lands on his next studio album.
Carly Pearce
Carly Pearce released her sophomore project less than one year ago, but life changes in 2020 prompted the songstress to get back into the writing room and studio to pour her heart into new music. Since then, she’s released “Next Girl” and “Show Me Around” and has teased several new tracks via social media. If these songs are any indication of what’s to come on her new album, get ready because it’s poised to take her already blossoming career to the next level.
Dan + Shay
Dan + Shay are long overdue to release a new album. The duo’s latest full-length project dropped in the Summer of 2018 and it’s safe to assume that fans are more than ready to get their hands on Dan + Shay’s next record. Although the duo has yet to release any details about their next album, the project is expected to include “10,000 Hours,” their collaboration with Justin Bieber, as well as their latest single, “I Should Probably Go To Bed.”
Scotty McCreery
American Idol alum Scotty McCreery recently gave fans a taste of what’s to come on his highly anticipated new album with the release of “You Time.” The singer/songwriter has been hard on work in the studio and says a lot of the album is already complete. His next project will serve as the follow up to 2018’s Seasons Change.
Thomas Rhett
With his 2020 headlining tour put on hold, Thomas Rhett spent the first part of last year writing songs for his next album. The superstar often shared acoustic clips on Instagram to gauge fans’ interest in his new music. After the overwhelming response to “What’s Your Country Song,” he went on to release it as the lead single from his forthcoming album. Rhett has yet to share any album specific news, but fans are definitely ready for it.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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