Gen Z Certified No-Skip Albums

The album by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny hit the scene in 2022. It was an immediate critical and commercial success: debuting atop the US Billboard 200 before ruling for 13 weeks straight. It was unquestionably one of the highlights of 2022 releases, made all the more impressive since it’s an all-Spanish album. It’s easy to see why this album exploded: danceable Latino tracks, smooth rap, and beachy Caribbean influence. From bangers like “Titi Me Pregunto” to the underrated “Neverita”, it’s just an endlessly replayable summer album.

The 2021 debut album of Filipino American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo was a “star is born” moment for the then 18-year-old. Previously known as a Disney Channel star, Rodrigo proved her musical prowess with emotionally-charged ballads like “Traitor”, “Drivers License”, and “Deja Vu”. Gen Z responded to her relatable lyrics (which range from angry anthem “Good 4 U”, to the melancholic “Happier”), while her catchy melody caught on with the masses. The result was a sensational success and prestigious Grammy Awards including for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist.

Released in 2021, this album was part of Taylor Swift’s ongoing effort to re-record her previous releases due to a dispute with her former label. And trust Swift to come up with a masterpiece that managed to top what was already a masterpiece album. Red was already full of bangers to begin with – “22”, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, “I Knew You Were Trouble” – but Taylor’s Version upped the ante with the 10-minute version of “All Too Well”, which showcased her brilliance as both musician and storyteller. The re-recorded version also confirmed that Swift’s voice aged like red wine (pun totally intended).

The 2018 album by American rapper Travis Scott is described as a hip hop meets psychedelic rap album. Inspired by a defunct theme park of the same name in his hometown of Houston, Texas, Scott wanted the experience of listening to the album to be “like taking an amusement park away from kids”. The result is a seminal album that debuted atop Billboard 200, reached triple platinum in sales, and named 2018’s best albums by numerous critics.

Incorporating trap, psychedelic rap, and old school hip hop, Astroworld has no shortage of bangers, from “Sicko Mode”, “Yosemite” to “Coffee Bean”.

After years of experimenting with sounds, Harry Styles finally and definitively escaped the shadow of One Direction with this album. The 2019 album Fine Line is a pop rock perfection that showed Styles’ maturity into his own eclectic, flamboyant style. Exploring themes like sex, breakups, and sadness, the album incorporated pop rock with elements of psychedelic, folk, soul, and indie pop to create catchy anthems like “Adore You”, “Watermelon Sugar”, “Falling”, and “Lights Up”.

The 2019 album from Ariana Grande saw the pop diva leaning more into her mix of sexy and sweet R&B-meets-pop sound. Coming during a turbulent moment in the singer’s life, the album is notable for its cohesiveness and Grande’s vulnerability. With the empowering/introspective anthem “Thank U, Next”, the peppily seductive “7 Rings”, the moody “Break Up with Your Girlfriends, I’m Bored”, and the “Needy”.

For nearly a decade, K-Pop sensation BTS has transfixed hundreds of millions of fans worldwide with catchy pop music infused with R&B, dance, and hip hop flavors. Map of the Soul: 7, their seventh album released in 2020 sealed the boyband’s status as bona fide global superstars. As BTS’ highest selling album to date, the album showed their maturity as artists with songs like the crowd-pleasing “Boy With Luv”, “On”, and “Black Swan”. It also showcased the boys’ individuality with each member getting their own solo. This is an album that fans and casual listeners alike would enjoy.

I daresay making a great sophomore album is even harder than making a debut album. Albanian English songstress Dua Lipa broke the curse of the second album with an excellent record that expanded her range with disco and electronic infused sounds.

Future Nostalgia can’t be more appropriately titled, a celebration of 70’s disco laced with the futurism of EDM and dance-pop. The music is infectious from beginning to end, with certified bops like “Don’t Start Now”, “Physical”, “Break My Heart” and “Levitating”.

Released in 2016, this is the oldest album in this lineup but by no means has it lost its magic. 24K Magic was Mars’ third studio album. As a follow up to two well-received albums, a lot was riding on 24K Magic. Mars proved that he not only still got his mojo, but it was more dazzling than ever. With bangers after bangers – titular track “24K Magic”, flirty “That’s What I Like”, seductive “Versace On The Floor”, and the 90’s hip hop-flavored “Finesse” – Mars’ album reigned over the charts and swept the top 3 categories at 2018 Grammy Awards (Song, Record, and Album of the Year).

Calling Billie Eilish a kid prodigy is no overstatement. At 17, Eillish alongside her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O’Connell created one of the most definitive sounds of the 2020s from the latter’s home studio. Not state-of-the-art recording studio, their own studio at home.

Eillish’s haunting vocal and lyrics exploring mental health, addiction, and suicide gave the 2020 album a bleak quality. But that proved to be a massive hit, becoming one of the year’s biggest selling albums and made the teenager the youngest artist to sweep Best New Artist as well as Record, Song, and Album of the Year altogether.