As we embrace the new year, let’s look back at some of 2022’s most impactful albums that will be remembered throughout the decade. The majority of these best-selling albums have gotten songs onto the Billboard Hot 100, received rewards, and record-breaking sales. Here are some of the Best selling albums of 2022:
un verano sin ti
Un Verano Sin Ti, which translates to “A Summer Without You” is the fourth studio album and fifth overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer, Bad Bunny. Released on May 6, 2022, the album spent several weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and received two nominations from the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Urban Music Album. Although a primarily reggaetón and indie pop record, the composition of the album consists of various sounds from the Caribbean region such as bachata, cumbia, and bomba. As for critical reception from the Latinx community and music critics, the album not only was a testament to Bad Bunny’s songwriting but his versatility. Unlike other Latin Artists such as Jennifer Lopez or Shakira, Benito proves that Latinos can genuinely conquer the music industry without crossing over to the American market. With the amount of reception and praise from this album, Un Verano Sin Ti has been nominated for Album of the Year for the Grammy’s and is the only Spanish-language album to be nominated in the event’s 65-year history.
MOTOMAMI
Motomami is the third studio album from Spanish singer, Rosalía. Released on March 18, 2022, Motomami consists of Rosalía’s flamenco-influenced pop and experimentation with avant-garde music styles. The album also consists of mainstream reggaeton and some experimental pop sounds that make this album so unique. It’s also a no-brainer that her single, “Bizochito” managed to become viral on Tiktok. The album’s release was also preceded by three singles along with “Hentai” as a promotional single and her hit single, “Despechá”. With her song “La Fama,” Rosalia collaborates with The Weeknd, tracing the complicated aspects of her artistry, specifically how a white, European woman was left to dive into Latin and Black Caribbean genres, creating such passionate artistry. Rolling Stone claims that “La Fama” is ironically about the complexities and downsides of fame, drew particular frustration for its incorporation of bachata, a Dominican genre that’s been marginalized and often ignored when it’s performed by its Black originators. Many felt that if Rosalía was going to experiment with the sound, she could have worked with a Dominican bachata artist — or not touched the genre at all. There’s a school of thinking that will shut that conversation down immediately, insisting that if the music is good, why create barriers?” Doing this genre of music justice is not the only thing that Rosalía wanted to achieve, as she also wanted to bring awareness to the erasure of Afro-Latin artists from the entertainment industry. Overall, Motomami holds endless allure and creativity that is always engraved in Rosalía’s work.
HARRY’S HOUSE
It would be criminal to not mention the work of art that is Harry Style’s Harry’s House. Harry’s House is the third studio album by the English singer and songwriter. Released on May 20, 2022, Harry’s House has been one of the most successful albums of this year. The album is not just good; it is amazing. Harry’s vocals are not only beautiful and fit his repertoire, but he experiments with more pop-rock and synth-pop sounds. The Guardian writes: “[it] ticks a lot of the right boxes and has abundant charm, which makes it a perfect reflection of the pop star who made.” With great critical reception, the hit single from this album, “As it was”, was literally all over social media this year. From Tiktoks to every girl reposting Harry’s Love On Tour photos, Harry has outdone himself once again.
dawn FM
Dawn FM is the Weeknd’s fifth studio album which was released in January of this year. After the success of After Hours, The Weeknd created another 80’s inspired synth-pop and dance-pop album. Even though this album showcased similar genres to After Hours, The Weeknd was able to tell a different story through Dawn FM. One notable mention is the single “Out of Time”, where we find The Weeknd lamenting over a girl walking out of his life. Although he loved her, he had other focuses within the past few months, depicting that relationships don’t always work out. The Weeknd is notorious for not having the best track record in his relationships and it might be conveyed that his current lover is fed up with his ways as well. The song closes with an outro from Canadian actor, Jim Carrey assuming the role of the radio host for Dawn FM. The album also features appearances from Tyler the Creator, Lil Wayne, and spoken word artist Quincy Jones.
midnights
It is with no doubt that the singer-songwriter’s tenth studio album really shook up the music industry this year. Released on October 14th, 2022, Taylor Swift returns to the pop sound that she left back in 2019 and explores more themes about self-reflection and criticism from the media. One of the hit singles from the album “Anti-Hero” reached No.1 on the Billboard Top 100 back in October and has surpassed Drake’s title of the most weeks on the Billboard Top 100 since “Certified Lover Boy” back in September 2021. Meanwhile, Swift swept the Hot 100’s Top 10 with songs like “Lavender Haze”, “Maroon”, “Snow on the Beach”, and “Midnight Rain” taking up these spots.
These are just some of the popular albums from 2022! Let’s see where 2023 takes us.