Congratulations, reader! You made it through the awkward, dark and confusing year 2016. Last year was full of terror attacks, a long drawn-out political event, unfortunate memes and some godawful pop culture moments. Now, we are in in 2017, a year that could either be amazing in comparison to last year or just as bad, if not worse. If you skip the idea of having a chunky, lumpy garbage carrot running our country with his league of white bigots, this might actually be a great year for us. So, in no particular order, here is a list of things that you have to look forward to in the upcoming year.
Many of 2016’s Newest Stars are Releasing Their First Full-Length Albums
Last year, we were introduced to tons of new artists that invaded our airways and playlists. This year, many of those artist have finally decided to give us full-length albums to break out of their mixtape cultures and into mainstream music. Artists like the R&B songstress Kehlani is releasing her debut album SweetSexySavage, teen pop newcomer Zara Larsson is releasing her currently untitled album, indie rock band Hippo Campus is releasing their album, landmark, The smooth first lady of Top Dawg Entertainment SZA is releasing her first album CTRL, the soulful and ever sassy Dua Lipa is releasing her self-titled debut album, British powerhouse triple threat Sampha is releasing his long awaited debut album Process and the 20-year old EDM producer Mura Masa is releasing his debut album To Fall Out of Love To, all expected to drop before June.
2017 Should be a Huge Year for Movies
Many movies released in 2016 left moviegoers wanting more. There were loads of blockbuster films that came out to little fanfare and low ratings. This year, there are nearly 60 films being released this year that are both highly anticipated by critics and moviegoers worldwide. Movies like the psychological thrillers Split, A Cure for Wellness and The Belko Experiment, heist movie Baby Driver, action movies like Kong: Skull Island, comedies like Fist Fight, the next instalment of hit movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Pirates of the Caribbean, World War Z, Kingsman and Planet of the Apes and reboots of the classic movies Spider-Man, Beauty and the Beast, It and The Mummy are all expected to come out this year. Along with the big mainstream releases, a plethora of great indie movies are expected to be released worldwide sometime this year as well.
This Year We Get New Seasons of Some Great TV Shows
The past 3 years have been amazing years for television. With the increasing popularity of original content from streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix, nowadays everyone has a favorite TV show. In 2017, many critically acclaimed television shows are coming back with new seasons. Shows like Homeland, Archer, Scandal, Bones, Bob’s Burgers and Gray’s Anatomy are all returning for new seasons. On Netflix and Hulu, you’ll see new seasons of Orange is the New Black, Casual, Sense8 and The Get Down are also expected to release new seasons this year as well. Along with these returning shows, we are also treated with new series and reboots like A Series of Unfortunate Events and Santa Clara’s Diet on Netflix, Sneaky Pete on Amazon, Big Little Lies on HBO and Star and the long-anticipated Prison Break reboot on Fox are all being debuted this year.
Tons of Amazing Popstars are Coming Back in 2017
In 2016, we experienced an amazing boom in the music industry. Every genre had a renaissance of sorts, especially pop music. Even though last year was as great as it was for music, we are expecting a lot of current artists to release albums after more than 2 years. Artists like Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Tinashe, Beck, Charli XCX and Big Sean are all expected to release new music before summer.
2017 Will be a Huge Year for Gamers
Coming from someone that doesn’t play video games too often, I have to admit that this year will have some great video games being released from all platforms. In the action role-playing genre, Call of Duty is releasing their yearly installment named Call of Duty: People’s Army, Resident Evil is releasing their seventh installment of the series entitled Biohazard, Mass Effect is adding another game to the series’ trilogy named Mass Effect: Andromeda, The Last of Us series is releasing their sequel and long awaited Part II and my personal favorite series, Red Dead, is releasing their sequel Red Dead Redemption 2 within the next nine months. Along with those great releases, you will also have your yearly EA sports standby installments of FIFA World Cup 2018, NBA 2K18 and Madden 2018.
2017 will be Home to Virtual Reality
Aside from pop culture, the technology industry is moving further in creating and marketing virtual reality a possible household item. Virtual Reality, or VR technologies, are active simulation systems where once you put on a headset, similar to a 90s viewfinder, you are instantly transported to whatever environment or event you choose. Many YouTube content creators and concert festivals have invested in creating VR experiences for all with these devices. As where 10 years ago, having a desktop computer was amazing and 20 years ago, having a wireless home phone was a big thing, VR headsets and technology is expected to be in every household before 2025.
This Year will be a Concert Festival Paradise
Speaking of concert festivals, this spring and summer will house some of the best lineups for concert festivals ever. The festival receiving the most buzz this year is Coachella, with headliners Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Radiohead and supporting acts Lorde, Bastille, Mac Miller, ScHoolboy Q and many more. Along with Coachella, concert festivals like Boston Calling, Governor’s Ball, Cincinnati’s own Bunbury and Bonnaroo are also making people worldwide excited for the summer.