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The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2018 in music in the United States.

Notable events

January

• 8 – Zac Brown Band performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Kendrick Lamar performed the halftime show at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta.
• 19 – Phillip Phillips released his first album in four years, Collateral.
• 12 – Camila Cabello's debut solo album Camila made her the youngest artist to top the Billboard 200 with a debut set since her later-to-be boyfriend Shawn Mendes' 2015 debut Handwritten.^[1]
• 26 – In a legal settlement, the music publisher for "We Shall Overcome" agreed that the song is public domain.^[2]
• 28 – The 60th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was the first time since 2003 that the show took place in New York City. Bruno Mars took home the most awards with six including Album of the Year with 24K Magic.

^[3]

February

• 2 – Justin Timberlake released his first album in five years, Man of the Woods.^[4]
• 4 – P!nk performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Justin Timberlake performed at halftime at Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.^[5][6]
• 9 – MGMT released their first album in five years, Little Dark Age.^[7]
  • Dashboard Confessional released Crooked Shadows, their first studio album in nearly nine years.

March

• 2 – Joan Baez released her first album in ten years, Whistle Down the Wind
  • The Breeders released All Nerve, their first studio album in ten years.
• 11 – The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards took place at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
• 16 – Scotty McCreery released his first album in five years, Seasons Change.^[8]
  • Stone Temple Pilots released their second self-titled album, their first studio album in eight years, their first with current vocalist Jeff Gutt and their first since the departures and deaths of former vocalists Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington.^[9]

April

• 6 – Thirty Seconds to Mars released their first album in five years, America.^[10]
• 11 – The Music Modernization Act, a bill that would reform how music rates are set & how songwriters and artists are paid, passes the United States House Committee on the Judiciary unanimously 32-0 ^[11]
• 13 – John Prine released his first album of original music in thirteen years.
• 15 – The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Reba McEntire returned to host for the first time in six years.
  • Cardi B's debut album Invasion of Privacy debuted atop the Billboard 200 setting multiple streaming records among female acts.^[12]
• 20 – A Perfect Circle released their first album in fourteen years, Eat the Elephant.^[13]
  • J. Cole released KOD, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, as well as breaking the first day streaming record on Spotify, which was later broke by Post Malone's Beerbongs & Bentleys^[14] and Drake's Scorpion.^[15]
• 25 – The Music Modernization Act passes in the United States House of Representatives unanimously 415–0.^[16]
• 27 – Godsmack released their first album in four years, When Legends Rise.
• 27 – Janelle Monáe released her first album in five years, Dirty Computer.

May

• 4 – Belly released Dove, their first studio album in 23 years.
• 9 - Taylor Swift began her record-breaking reputation stadium tour in Glendale Arizona.
• 20 – The Billboard Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas hosted by Kelly Clarkson. This was the first ceremony to air on NBC
• 21 – Maddie Poppe won the sixteenth season of American Idol. Caleb Lee Hutchinson is named runner up.
• 22 – Brynn Cartelli won the fourteenth season of The Voice. At age 15, Cartelli is the third youngest to ever win the show. Britton Buchanan was named runner up. Kyla Jade and Spensha Baker finished third and fourth place respectively.
• 25 – Korn frontman, Jonathan Davis released his debut solo album Black Labyrinth.

June

• 2 – BTS scored a #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', making it the highest ranking Asian album on the chart and the first foreign language #1 album since 2006.
• 8 – Dave Matthews Band released their first album in six years, Come Tomorrow. The album became their seventh consecutive to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200.
  • Sugarland released their first album in eight years, Bigger.^[17]
• 15 – Christina Aguilera released her first album in six years, Liberation.^[18]
• 18 - Rapper XXXTentacion is murdered in Florida.
• 29 – Guns N' Roses rereleased Appetite for Destruction with remastered songs.

July

• 2 – Cardi B became the first female rapper to attain multiple number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.^[19]
• 27 – Daughtry released their first album in five years, Cage to Rattle.^[20]

August

• 10 – Jason Mraz released his first album in four years, Know.
  • Nicki Minaj released her first album in four years, Queen.
• 16 – The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin died at her home in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 76. The official cause of death was pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.^[21]
• 20 – The MTV Video Music Awards took place from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
• 24 – Alice in Chains released their first album in five years, Rainier Fog.^[22]

September

• 7 – Lenny Kravitz released his first album in four years, Raise Vibration.
  • Rapper Mac Miller died in his home at the age of 26. The official cause of death was a drug overdose.
• 8 – BTS scored their second #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Love Yourself 結 'Answer', making them the only Asian Act to do so.
• 14 – Carrie Underwood released Cry Pretty, which broke multiple records.^[23] She became the first female country artist ever to top the Billboard Artist 100.^[24]
  • Tony Bennett released his first collaborative album in four years, Love is Here to Stay with Diana Krall
• 18 – A modified version of the Music Modernization Act passes the United States Senate unanimously,^[25] sending bill back to House.
• 19 - For their first and only collaboration, Columbia Records releases a single between both deceased rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, Falling Down. This marks XXXTentacion's first single since his untimely murder in June 2018.^[26]
• 21 – Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators released their first album in four years, Living the Dream.
• 24 – Cardi B extends her record for having the most number-ones for a female rapper (total of 3 so far) with the collaboration Girls Like You with Maroon 5.
• 25 – Music Modernization Act passes the House unanimously again. Bill sent to President Donald Trump to be signed.^[27]
• 28 – Mudhoney released their first album in five years, Digital Garbage.
  • After a four-year delay, Lil Wayne releases Tha Carter V, which is his first album since being released from Cash Money Records in June 2018.

October

• 5 – Steve Perry released his first solo album in twenty-four years, Traces.
  • Mario released his first album in nine years, Dancing Shadows.
• 9 – The American Music Awards took place at the Microsoft Theatre. The show shifted from Sunday to Tuesday, and moved up from November to October. Taylor Swift opened up the show performing "I Did Something Bad" and won four awards, making her the most awarded female artist in American Music Awards history surpassing Whitney Houston and the second most awarded overall artist, just behind Michael Jackson.
• 11 – President Trump signs the Music Modernization Act into law.^[28]
• 26 – The Black Eyed Peas released their first album in eight years, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1. This is their first album without Fergie since her departure from the band in early 2018, and their first album as a trio since their 2000 album Bridging the Gap.

November

• 2 – Pistol Annies released their first albums in five years, Interstate Gospel.^[29]
  • Tenacious D released their album in six years, Post Apocalypto.
• 9 – J Mascis released his first album in four years, Elastic Days.
  • - Imagine Dragons released their fourth album, Origins
  • Lil Peep released his posthumous album Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2.
• 14 – The 52nd CMA Awards took place live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood was hosting eleventh year in a row.
• 16 – Mariah Carey released her first album in four years, Caution.^[30]
  • The Smashing Pumpkins released Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., their first studio album to feature co-founder and guitarist James Iha since 2000's Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who had left the band in 2009, also makes his return on this album.

December

• 3 – After a ten-year hiatus Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on the Today Show to announce that the band is back together, and will come out with a new album and tour in 2019.^[31]
• 7 – John Mellencamp released his fourth consecutive album in the last four years, Other Peoples Stuff
  • – Ice Cube released his first album in eight years, Everythang's Corrupt.
• 14 – Bruce Springsteen released his first commercial live album in eleven years Springsteen On Broadway
• 18 – Chevel Shepherd won the fifteenth season of The Voice. Chris Kroeze was the runner-up. Kirk Jay and Kennedy Holmes finished third and fourth place respectively.
• 20 – The Recording Industry of America published the year's top certified songs and albums. Eleven albums were certified Platinum during the year, including three multi-Platinum.^[32]
• 21 – Reel Big Fish released their first album in six years, Life Suck's Let's Dance.

Bands reformed

• Bleeding Through
• Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway
• The Distillers
• Framing Hanley
• The Gaslight Anthem
• Hootie & the Blowfish
• Mötley Crüe
• The Raconteurs
• Static-X

Bands formed

• Gone West
• Kids See Ghosts
• Pattern-Seeking Animals
• Royal Coda

Bands on hiatus

• At the Drive-In
• Fifth Harmony^[33]
• Hoops
• Say Anything

Bands disbanded

• 7 Seconds
• Balance and Composure
• Brand New
• Darkness Divided
• Dirge Within
• Iron Man
• A Lot Like Birds^[34]
• Minus the Bear^[35]
• The Orwells
• The Pizza Underground
• Sleeping Giant
• Soundgarden
• The Strypes
• The Thermals
• Vattnet
• Young and in the Way

Albums released in 2018

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Top songs on record

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs

• "Girls Like You" – Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B (7 weeks)
• "God's Plan" – Drake (11 weeks)
• "Havana" – Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug (1 week)
• "I Like It" – Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin (1 week)
• "In My Feelings" – Drake (10 weeks)
• "Nice for What" – Drake (8 weeks)
• "Perfect" – Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé (2 weeks in 2017, 4 weeks in 2018)
• "Psycho" – Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla Sign (1 week)
• "Sad!" – XXXTentacion (1 week)
• "Sicko Mode" – Travis Scott (1 week)
• "Thank U, Next" – Ariana Grande (6 weeks)
• "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2 weeks)

Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 Hits

All songs that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the year, complete with peak chart placement.

Deaths