In the wonderful world of music, some artists come, some artists go, new artists emerge and favorite musicians take a hiatus, much to our disappointment. And as we ring in the New Year, it’s time to consider the musical artists we miss, and we can’t wait to hear from again. So why do some artists take a step back from the spotlight? Well, writers block, for one thing. And sometimes life gets in the way. Even the queen of comebacks (and basically the queen of everything, if you ask us), Adele, took an unanticipated break after her hit album 21, four years ago. As Entertainment Weekly reports, in an open letter posted on her Twitter account she explained that “25 is about getting to know who I’ve become without realizing. And I’m sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened.” And let’s just say it was well worth the wait, since her new album has blasted past all sorts of records since it’s release just a handful of weeks ago.
So what other artists are we excited to see return to our regular music rotation? Some artists are still very much enjoying frequent airplay on the radio, but we can’t get enough of them, and some have been MIA for years, and we’re desperate to get them back. Either way, we cannot wait to hear from these 9 musicians again, and here’s hoping their return to our playlists happens soon.
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1. Sam Smith
In October 2015 Sam Smith, the musical genius with the magical voice behind Stay with Me and I’m Not the Only One, announced that he will be taking a break from the spotlight, following a pretty successful breakout year. The past year and his debut album won him 4 Grammy awards, including Best New Artist, and after all his hard work Smith explained: “I’ve been going now for three years nonstop and it feels right for me to just go home and just live my life and be a 23-year-old…My love life, the downs and ups, it never stops, so I’m always inspired by stuff like that, but it’d be good to spend some time dating.” We’re sad to say goodbye, but here’s hoping it’s brief and we are blessed with his sophomore album really soon.
2. Taylor Swift
It’s basically impossible to think about 2015 and not think about Taylor Swift, because she not only ruled the radio world and album sales, but she also ruled social media and ruled at life, giving us major #squadgoals and #relationshipgoals. She cranked out hit after hit, from Shake It Off to Bad Blood and the hits keep coming. But Swift recently announced a much-needed break from music as her tour wrapped up. In her words, she thinks her fans will need a break from her (blasphemy!), but we can’t say that we blame her for wanting to take some time off. That said, we’re not sure what Swifties everywhere are going to do without her, and we’re anxiously awaiting her next musical move.
3. Ed Sheeran
As 2015 wound down, Sheeran announced a break from social media, explaining that he needed to “travel the world and see everything [he’s] missed.” Cue cries of social media fans everywhere. His last album, 2014’s X, was a huge hit and we’re still enjoying hits including Thinking Out Loud, Photograph and his vocals on Rudimental’s song Lay It All On Me. But will we get any new music at the end of his break from technology? Apparently yes! As Billboard reports, in an Instagram post Sheeran said “To my family and friends, if you love me you will understand me buggering off for a bit, to my fans, the 3rd album is on its way and is the best thing I have made thus far…See you all next autumn, and thank you for being amazing.” We can’t wait!
4. Hozier
Take Me to Church has to be one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs of the year, and we’ve loved every song from this Irish singer’s debut album, appropriately named Hozier. We’re not sure what the future holds for this artist, but we can’t wait to find out and hear what he comes up with next. After all, a voice like that doesn’t come around very often, so here’s hoping this Indie Rock artist gets back in the studio ASAP.
5. One Direction
A world without constant hits, TV appearances and concerts from 1D? Sounds terrible. But that’s what’s about to happen as the group takes a hiatus (up to 2 years!) after the release of their recent album Made in the A.M. Die-hard fans are crying all over the globe, but it seems like it might be time for this crew to take a breather, since they’ve basically been going nonstop for 4 years. Let’s hope they don’t fade away, and rather use their time to prepare for new material, because even if you hate boy bands, 1D knows how to make some seriously catchy tunes.
6. BØRNS
This 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Michigan recently released his album Dopamine, and we can’t stop listening to his hit single Electric Love. Seriously, listen to it once and you’ll understand why. Now, we know this song just came out and he’s been busy touring and promoting his current album, but all we know is that we pumped to see what this artist has up his sleeve for his follow-up work.
7. Gotye
Remember the song Somebody That I Used to Know from the summer of 2011? Yeah, us too; it’s basically all we listened to for that entire year, and it’s still awesome even after all this time. But what happened to Gotye, the artist behind the hit? We’re hoping and wishing that he’s been working on a new album that will also blow our minds, and according to his most recent news update on his website, that’s exactly what’s happening. He explains that “I’ve been doing a bunch of stuff, and it’s been super great fun times, and you’ll hear something on the Gotye front at some stage…then. When I’ve completed this thing. And other things.” Slightly cryptic, but until then, he’s performing with his group The Basics, so check them out while you wait.
8. Disclosure
Our first introduction to Disclosure was with the widely popular Latch, with vocals by Sam Smith, back in October 2012. And it’s been a love affair since then. Everything from Magnets to You & Me has been nothing short of awesome, and we can’t wait to see what this electronic music duo comes up with (and who they collaborate with) next.
9. Mark Ronson
Uptown Funk was arguably the song of the year, or at the very least tied for the top spot, and while most people know Bruno Mars (who was on vocals), Mark Ronson (aka the musical genius behind that song’s old-school, retro beat) is a little less known. We first fell in love with his vibe on his 2007 hit Valerie, and we cannot wait to see what this DJ comes up with next.
