Top 5 surprise albums of 2020: Drake to Taylor Swift, a look at music projects that became overnight hits
Almost every musician on this planet announces his/her upcoming song or an album almost two to three months prior to the release date with the intention to grab the attention of fans and also to push record sales as much as possible. However, there are a few who risk it all and believe in the element of surprise. 2020 saw a few albums by some top global artistes taking the same route.
Here;s a look at some global musicians who dropped their projects in 2020 much to everyone’s surprise.
Drake: 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes'
As the world was in the middle of a lockdown due to the unfortunate Covid-19 pandemic, Drake decided to surprise his fans with a mixtape he titled 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes'. The Grammy award-winning rapper dropped the surprise mixtape at midnight on May 1, 2020, just hours after he first announced it. The trick worked and the song 'Toosie Slide' from the project became one of the biggest hits from the mixtape.
The viral dance number also scored the number one position at the Hot 100 Billboard chart. 'Pain 1993', featuring rapper Playboi Carti, also performed exceptionally well and gave Carti his very first song in the Top 10 of the same chart. Other guest features on the surprise album include his frequent collaborator Future, Young Thug, Chris Brown, Giveon, Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek.
Stream 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes' here.
Taylor Swift: 'Folklore'
When fans thought Taylor Swift was enjoying the success of her 2019 hit album 'Lover' after releasing it in August 2019, the multiple award-winning singer actually hit the studio leaving no clue for anyone that she had already started working on her next project. Cut to July 2020, the 30-year-old American crooner surprised her global fans with her eighth studio album titled 'Folklore'.
However, she did not opt for her usual pop music, rather she went back to her old love — country music. The 16-track album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart which gave Swift her seventh consecutive number-one album in the United States. Interestingly, all 16 tracks from the album entered the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, with three songs in the top 10.
Stream Taylor Swift's 'Folklore' here.
Future: 'High Off Life'
American rapper Future was another artiste who took the risk of dropping a surprise album for his fans and the risk paid off. Released in May 2020, Future dropped 'High Off Life', which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
This was the 36-year-old rapper’s seventh consecutive album to top the chart. Songs like '100 Shooters', 'Last Name', 'Life Is Good' featuring Drake, 'Tycoon' and 'Trillionaire' were some of the best and most-appreciated songs from the album. Travis Scott, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, DaBaby and Lil Baby were some of the other artistes featured on this project.
Stream Future's 'High Off Life' here.
Bad Bunny: 'Las Que No Iban a Salir'
One of the biggest Puerto Rican artistes, Bad Bunny had first dropped his second solo studio album titled 'YHLQMDLG' in the month of February 2020. Fans least expected any other project from the rapper in the same year but much to their surprise, he released ‘Las Que No Iban a Salir’ Spanish for ‘The Ones That Were Not Coming Out’ in May 2020.
Released by Rimas Entertainment, this project was Bad Bunny's very first compilation album and it featured artistes like Zion & Lennox, Yandel, Don Omar, Nicky Jam, Jhay Cortez, and Bad Bunny's current girlfriend Gabriela. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and interestingly Bad Bunny dethroned his own album ‘YHLQMDLG’ after ‘Las Que No Iban a Salir’ debuted at number-one on Top Latin Albums chart.
Stream ‘Las Que No Iban a Salir’ here.
Childish Gambino: '3.15.20'
Childish Gambino, whose real name is Donald Glover, played one of the biggest moves in terms of dropping a surprise album. The rapper took everyone by surprise when he released his project titled '3.15.20' in March 2020 on the website donaldgloverpresents.com. However, the twist in the tale is that the album was available for only 24 hours, which of course, nobody knew.
The project was then pulled-off from the site, leaving his fans asking for more. '3.15.20' is now referred to as Donald Glover Presents. The album later resurfaced on Spotify. His 2018 hit single ‘Feels Like Summer’ appeared on the record with the name '42:26' and also included his other previous songs like 2019's 'Algorhythm' and his unheard collaborations with fellow Coachella 2019 headliner Ariana Grande titled 'Time' and one track with rapper 21 Savage titled '12.38'.
Stream Childish Gambino's '3.15.20' here.