2016 was a huge year for music. Many major artists put out highly anticipated and critically acclaimed albums. Below are a few of the releases that were in the spotlight throughout the year;

One of the most popular albums in 2016 was from rap artist Drake. His latest album, “Views,” was released on April 29 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and didn’t leave the top ten until six months later. The album features top songs such as “One Dance” and “Grammys,” featuring artists Future, Wizkid and Kyla. The album was played a record 245 million times during its first tracking period. The album also set a record by selling 1.4 million copies in the first week.

Another popular album of 2016 is the soundtrack of the Disney hit movie
“Moana”. The soundtrack from the movie currently sits at number five on the Billboard 200 after selling 348,000 copies sold in just two weeks. The soundtrack is mainly sung by Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho, featuring songs like “You’re Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go.” The soundtrack released with the movie on Nov. 23 and continues to climb the US charts.

The top holiday album this year comes from a rising acappella group, the Pentatonix. Their album, “A Pentatonix Christmas,” is one of their many albums. The album was released on Oct. 23 and since then has sold over 130,000 copies. As the holiday season is  here the album sits at number three on the Billboard 200.

Beyonce’s latest album, “Lemonade,” was released on April 23 and received nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Film. The album’s single, “Formation,” received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music Video. The album sold a total of 653,000 copies in its first week, second to Drake’s “Views”.

Another recent music hit comes from J Cole, the hip hop producing artist who came onto the scene almost 10 year ago in 2007. His most recent album, “4 Your Eyez Only,” debuted on Dec. 9 at number one on the Billboard 200. The album has sold over 492,000 copies in its first week.

Finally, Australian artist Keith Urban dropped his ninth album, “Ripcord,” on May 6. With top song Wasted Time, the album debuted at number one on the Country Album charts and was nominated for Best Country Album at both the Grammy Awards and the Country Music Awards.

The six albums above are only a small number of the big music hits this year and the music artists will continue to surprise us all in 2017.