The year isn’t winding down. If anything, it’s just getting started. This second half is giving “album drops”. From Davido crowning himself to Ayra Starr becoming a full sci-fi heroine, here’s what’s landing on your streaming apps before the year runs out.
- Oriade — Davido (July 31)
Davido picked a name that means “destiny meets crown” and then built an entire royal aesthetic around it. This is his sixth studio album and it’s dropping exactly as he clocks 15 years in the industry, so expect a lot of “look how far we’ve come” energy.
Lead single “I Know Who I Be” already came through with a South African assist from JAZZWRLD and GL_Ceejay, so if you thought the amapiano wave was slowing down, Davido has other plans.
- Starr Girl — Ayra Starr (August 14)
Ayra Starr announced this one on Jennifer Hudson’s couch back in April, said July, then quietly pushed it to August because apparently even superstars need extra time.
The cover alone is doing numbers: purple gele, metallic gold dress, laser beams shooting from her hand like she’s auditioning for a Marvel spinoff. Third album, and she says she’s done making music about her age.
- Revival — Ladipoe (July 17)
Mavin’s resident wordsmith is finally back with his sophomore album, seven years after his debut TAP. Ladipoe’s been sitting on this one for almost two years by his own admission, and the theme is self-discovery, which tracks for a rapper whose whole brand is introspective bars.
No tracklist yet, but if “Feeling” and “Running” taught us anything, expect the melodic side of his pen game to show up just as much as the rap.
- Sexy — Wizkid (release date still under wraps)
Wizkid announced the title at a listening party in Paris and then said absolutely nothing else. No date, no tracklist, no features, just “Sexy” hanging in the air since June.
This will be his seventh studio album and the follow up to Morayo, which he made in honour of his late mother. Knowing Wizkid, the silence is probably strategic…or he genuinely just hasn’t decided yet. Either way, we wait.
- The Real Me — Future (July 10)
Future’s first solo album in four years, and he’s calling it “album of the century” on X, so humility clearly isn’t part of the rollout. Twenty two tracks, led by the single “Radio,” where he’s in his reflective bag talking about the cost of staying on top.
This drops right after his Metro Boomin run with the two “We Don’t Trust You” albums, so it’ll be interesting to hear what Future sounds like without a single dedicated producer steering the whole thing.
- A*POP — Tyla (July 24)
Fresh off two Grammys, Tyla’s sophomore album has 14 tracks in what she’s branded “popiano,” her word for blending pop, R&B, and amapiano. Lead single “Chanel” and the Zara Larsson collab “She Did It Again” already gave a preview of the direction. She announced the title at the Grammys back in February, so this rollout has been a slow burn months in the making.
- Petal — Ariana Grande (July 31)
Yes, Ariana Grande is dropping an album the same day as Davido, and no, that’s not us reaching, it’s just how the calendar landed. Her eighth studio album, produced with longtime collaborator Ilya, comes right in the middle of her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
She’s described it as “growing through the cracks of something cold and hard,” which is a very ‘Ariana’ way of saying it’s a breakup album, just not necessarily about one person.
Which release are you counting down to? Let’s hear you in the comments.
