Following a year stacked with big albums such as SOS by SZA and Wasteland by Brent Faiyaz, the R&B genre has solidified itself as a top style of music. With the start of the new year, plenty of new albums have made their way into our playlists, along with upcoming projects that are all featured down below!

Daniel Caesar –

On April 7, the Grammy award-winner will release his third studio album following the 2019 album CASE STUDY 01. The artist has dropped the singles “Do you like me?” and “Let Me Go,” which will be featured on the upcoming album. This album is expected to feature soft yet upbeat rhythms that coincide with clever lyrics. 

Kali Uchis –

On March 3, Kali Uchis dropped her third studio album titled Red Moon in Venus. With features from Don Toliver, Omar Apollo, and Summer Walker to diversify the track list,  Uchis delivers 15 songs that have melodic tunes that contain a bit of pop and slower beats. Singles titled “I Wish You Roses” and “Moonlight,” which described the hope and acceptance she has with previous romantic relationships along with her current relationships respectively, were released a couple of weeks before the album dropped. 

Don Toliver –

Following his second studio album released in 2021 titled Life of a DON, the artist dropped a third album featuring R&B beats and an array of features including Kali Uchis, Justin Beiber, Future, Brent Faiyaz, Travis Scott, and more. Releasing this third album on February 24, he already had the single titled “Let Her Go (feat. James Blake)” out to preview the style and harmonic nature of the rest of the tracklist. The album contains a lot of trap-like music. The most notable single from the album is titled “Private Landing (feat. Justin Beiber & Future),” which gives us a style of singing from Justin Beiber that fans of his don’t often see.

Chlöe –

In January, the artist announced her solo debut album titled In Pieces, which will feature a single with artist Chris Brown. Set to be announced in March, the album will most likely feature a mix of R&B beats along with chart-topping pop songs similar to her hit single “Do It” with singer Halle.

6lack –

6 years after his first hit album titled Free 6lack, the artist shared on Twitter that his next studio album would be released soon. On March 3, the artist released a single titled “A Letter to My Fans,” where he spoke to his fans about his growth and how he’s spending his time healing and becoming a new person. Three weeks later, 6lack officially releases the project, titled Since I Have a Lover. The album features lots of soul and hip-hop found in his older music.

Kelela –

On February 10, 2023, the artist released her second studio album titled Raven. The last time she dropped a project of this size was six years ago with her debut album titled Take Me Apart. Returning from that departure, the artist describes Raven as a reaction to being alone as a black femme within the dance music industry. The artist released the singles titled “Washed Away,” “Happy Ending,” “Contact,” and “Enough for Love,” which use clever lyrics and songwriting accompanied by airy synths and sparse percussion.

Wesley Joseph – 

On February 17, 2023, the artist dropped his second studio album titled GLOW, following the recent 2021 release of his debut album titled ULTRAMARINE. Over the entire album, gritty neo-soul, vibrant textural exploration, and funk-inspired melodies can all be experienced. His music translates intense emotions into futuristic pop and R&B that sound both ominous and opulent.

Several of these artists will hit the big stage this upcoming year including Kali Uchis and Chlöe. Singers Beyonce and SZA, who both released albums in 2022, will both be starting or continuing their tours this year as well. With all of these albums and tours coming up this year, 2023 is sure to be another astounding year for R&B music.