2016 in American music

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List of popular music genres

The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2016 in music in the United States.

Events

January

• 8 — David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar, just two days before his death. It was his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
• 11 — Ciara performed the National Anthem at the second College Football Playoff Championship.
• 15 — Panic! at the Disco released their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor. It is their first album to be entirely written and recorded by Brendon Urie, the last remaining member of the band. It is also their first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
• 28 — Rihanna released her eighth studio album Anti; two days following its release the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after receiving 1 million free downloads in 15 hours due to a deal with Samsung, becoming the fastest certified platinum album in history.^[1][2]

February

• 7 — During Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California, Lady Gaga performed The Star-Spangled Banner and British band Coldplay performed at halftime with artists Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson.
• 14 — Kanye West released his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, as a Tidal exclusive. After a couple of months being exclusive to the streaming service it was made available for purchase in an updated format.
• 15 — The 58th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kendrick Lamar won the most awards of the night with five. Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for the second time with 1989, becoming the first woman to do so.

March

• 5 – Rihanna's single "Work" became the first dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul's "Temperature" in 2006.
• 11 – 3 Doors Down released their first album in five years titled Us and the Night.
• 18 – Gwen Stefani released her first solo album in ten years titled, This Is What the Truth Feels Like. The album became her first number one on the Billboard 200.
• 19 – I, the Breather played their last concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
  • At the Drive-In's guitarist and co-founder, Jim Ward, leaves the band shortly before their 2016 reunion tour.^[3]
• 30 — R&B singer/songwriter Brandy filed a law suit against her label, Chameleon Entertainment Group, for allegedly blocking her from recording and releasing new music.

April

• 1 — Cheap Trick released their first album in seven years titled Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello.
  • Guns N' Roses perform a concert at the Troubadour, marking the first time Axl Rose performed with classic era band members Slash and Duff McKagan in twenty-three years.
• 3 — The 51st Annual ACM Awards took place in Las Vegas. Chris Stapleton was the big winner of the night and Jason Aldean won the biggest award of the night, Entertainer of the Year.
  • The 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards took place in Inglewood, California. Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night.
• 7 — American Idol ends after fifteen seasons, Trent Harmon is named the final winner of the show while La'Porsha Renae is runner-up. All fourteen previous winners, and several Idol alumni took part of the two hour series finale.
• 21 — Seven time Grammy Award winner Prince died at his recording studio in Minnesota at the age of 57.^[4]
• 23 — Beyoncé premiered her sixth studio album Lemonade on HBO with an hour-long film. The album was released on Tidal, where it remained exclusively available to stream for 24 hours, until it was uploaded to all formats, including iTunes. Upon the album debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé became the first act in Billboard history to have their first six albums debut at number one.

May

• 20 — Saosin releases Along the Shadow, their first album since 2009 and also their first full-length album with original lead vocalist Anthony Green (who originally left the band before they released their 2006 debut). It is also their first album without lead guitarist Justin Shekoski.
• 22 — The 2016 Billboard Music Awards took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Britney Spears won the Millennium Award, and Rihanna won Chart Achievement Award.
• 24 – Alisan Porter won the tenth season of the The Voice. Adam Wakefield was named runner-up.
• 27 — Thrice released their first album in five years after returning from hiatus.

June

• 1 — The Dixie Chicks played their first headlining U.S. tour in ten years on the DCX MMXVI World Tour.
• 10 — Former The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie is fatally shot in Orlando, Florida following a concert; she died from her injuries at the age of 22.

July

• 1 — Blink-182 released California, their first album to feature Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba as a full-time member, and also their first album without founding member Tom DeLonge. It was also their first studio album in five years.
• 12 — Rachel Platten sang the National Anthem at the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego.
• 29 — The Descendents released Hypercaffium Spazzinate, their first studio album in 12 years.

August

• 6 — Sia became the first female artist over 40 years old to have a number one song, with "Cheap Thrills", since Madonna in 2005.
• 28 — The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Beyoncé won eight awards, becoming the most-awarded act in the show's history, surpassing Madonna. Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award.
• 29 — With "Ride" charting at number-five and "Heathens" at four in the same week, the musical duo Twenty One Pilots became the third rock act with simultaneous top five Hot 100 singles in the chart's 58-year history, following only the Beatles and Elvis Presley, as well as the first act in 47 years.^[5][6]

September

• 30 — Bon Iver released their first album in five years.^[7]

October

• 14 — JoJo released her first album in ten years titled Mad Love.
• 21 — Lady Gaga released her 4th studio album, Joanne, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first woman of the 2010s to have 4 number one albums ^[8]

November

• 2 — The 50th Annual CMA Awards took place live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood returned to host for the ninth straight year. Beyoncé and The Dixie Chicks' rendition of "Daddy Lessons" was the most talked about performance of the night.
• 11 — A Tribe Called Quest released We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, their first studio album since 1998 and also their final studio album.
• 20 — The American Music Awards took place live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

December

• 6 — Nominations for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards were announced. Beyoncé lead the nominations with nine for Lemonade.
• 13 — Sundance Head won the eleventh season of the The Voice. Billy Gillman was named runner-up.
• 18 — Fifth Harmony announced that Camila Cabello had left the group.^[9]

Bands formed

• Cruel Youth
• The Magpie Salute
• Prophets of Rage
• Vimic

Bands reformed

Bands on hiatus

• Coal Chamber
• Man Overboard
• Middle Class Rut
• On An On
• We Are the In Crowd
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Young Banders Gang

Bands disbanded

Albums released in 2016

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Top songs on record

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs

• "Hello" – Adele (7 weeks in 2015, 3 weeks in 2016)
• "Sorry" – Justin Bieber (3 weeks)
• "Love Yourself" – Justin Bieber (2 weeks)
• "Pillowtalk" – Zayn (1 week)
• "Work" – Rihanna feat. Drake (9 weeks)
• "Panda" – Desiigner (2 weeks)
• "One Dance" – Drake feat. Wizkid and Kyla (10 weeks)
• "Can't Stop the Feeling!" – Justin Timberlake (1 week)
• "Cheap Thrills" – Sia feat. Sean Paul (4 weeks)
• "Closer" – The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey (12 weeks)
• "Black Beatles" – Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane (6 weeks)

Billboard Hot 100 songs that have ranked within Top 20

Deaths

See also

• 2010s in music
• 2016 in music

References