The sophomore album is a very important element to any artist’s career. They captured the world’s attention with their first album and their follow-up album could either make or break their future in the limelight.
Check out our list below of the Top Ten Sophomore Albums!
10. ‘Breakout’ – Miley Cyrus
This was Miley’s first album apart from her Disney Channel show character Hannah Montana. While critics said that the album was not much different from Hannah Montana’s style, the album did well, topping charts and peaking at number one on the Billboard 200. Miley wrote 8 out of 12 tracks, including the lead single “7 Things.”
9. ‘No Strings Attached’ – NSYNC
‘No Strings Attached’ was NSYNC’s first album after parting ways with their former management and signing to Jive Records. They wanted to set themselves apart from their label mates and explored R&B sounds. This album included classic hits such as “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.”
8. ‘Here We Go Again’ – Demi Lovato
Unlike her first album that was co-written with the Jonas Brothers, Demi took a personal approach with this album, exploring more mature sounds and lyrics. This created more mellow sounding songs but included pop rock sounds with singles such as the title track and “Remember December.”
7. ‘Millenium’ – Backstreet Boys
‘Millennium’ showed a more mature Backstreet Boys and also provided some of their most popular hits, such as “I Want It That Way” and “Larger Than Life.”
6. ‘My World 2.0’ – Justin Bieber
‘My World 2.0’ was the second half of Justin’s first album, ‘My World’ which was technically an EP. This album brought Justin Bieber to the top, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, making him the youngest solo male to do so since 1963. Justin is credited as a writer on all 10 tracks on the album!
5. ‘Fearless’ – Taylor Swift
‘Fearless’ helped Taylor gain international commercial success. In the Philippines, the album was certified platinum nine times, which is the album’s highest certification. Taylor’s mix of country/pop/rock was spread through the album, especially on singles like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.”
4. ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’ – Britney Spears
According to critics, Britney’s second album was an improvement compared to her first. Her songs were much stronger and she got more comfortable with the “pop star” look. It is one of the highest selling albums of all time and has hit singles such as “Lucky” and “Stronger.”
3. ‘Take Me Home’ – One Direction
The boys of 1D put out a collection of catchy dance pop songs with their second album late last year. In return, their Directioners helped make the album hit the top of the charts in more than thirty countries.
2. ‘Teenage Dream’ – Katy Perry
Katy changed her sound a bit with ‘Teenage Dream,’ leaving behind her acoustic guitar and creating a full pop album. She has released five singles from this album alone and all five have hit the number one spot. This is only the second album to do so in history!
1. ‘Elevate’ – Big Time Rush
While Big Time Rush’s first album ‘B.T.R.’ was more of a soundtrack to their show, ‘Elevate’ really saw Kendall, Logan, James and Carlos as a group that can stand on their own. The album used a variety of sounds that could be enjoyed by anyone. They even wrote 8 out of 12 songs!
What’s your favourite second album? Did it make the list? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter!