Sophomore Albums That Surpassed Their Predecessors

[Jacolicious]

The sophomore curse is a real thing in the music industry, but I came up with a list of albums I think beat the curse over the past three decades. What are yours?

1. Halcyon (2012), Ellie Goulding
2. Born This Way (2011), Lady Gaga (or The Fame Monster, depending on which camp you're in)
3. Teenage Dream (2010), Katy Perry (not counting Katy Hudson - don't know her)
4. Storyteller (1994), Crystal Waters
5. 21 (2011), Adele 
6. Crazy***yCool (1994), TLC
7. My Everything (2014), Ariana Grande
8. 7/27 (2016), Fifth Harmony
9. Always In Between (2018), Jess Glynne
10. Bloom (2018), Troye Sivan
11. The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), Alicia Keys
12. Melodrama (2017), Lorde
13. Rooty (2001), Basement Jaxx
14. SremmLife 2 (2016), Rae Sremmurd
15. One in a Million (1996), Aaliyah

 

Some surprises:

• Like A Virgin (1984), Madonna - I go back and forth with the classic and timeless Madonna. But LAV typically wins.
• Future Nostalgia (2020), Dua Lipa - Would have been on the list if it weren't for the god forsaken "Boys Will Be Boys", arguably the worst song she's ever made. Did NOT stick the landing of the album for me. I have fond memories of the Self-Titled era and watching her grow in confidence as an artist and performer. I think Dua Lipa is one of the better debuts, but we'll see if it ages like fine wine or spoiled milk.
• Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), Britney Spears - BOMT is one of the greatest debuts of all time. Period.
• E•MO•TION (Expanded Edition) (2015), Carly Rae Jepsen - There are just a couple more bops on Kiss to edge this one out.
• My Agenda (2020), Dorian Electra - also go back and forth with Flamboyant, but the songs on this album feel unfinished, like Rihanna's "Birthday Cake" - amazing, but too short. Really underrated artist in the hyperpop world.

Edited December 29, 2022 by Jacolicious

[rik]

14 minutes ago, Jacolicious said:

Future Nostalgia (2020), Dua Lipa - Would have been on the list if it weren't for the god forsaken "Boys Will Be Boys", arguably the worst song she's ever made. Did NOT stick the landing of the album for me. I have fond memories of the Self-Titled era and watching her grow in confidence as an artist and performer. I think Dua Lipa is one of the better debuts, but we'll see if it ages like fine wine or spoiled milk.

Ew girl. Not u liking her indie electronic pop  crap more than boys will be boys 

security @CrazyButItFeelsAllright

[super.nova]

i think lady gaga peaked with the fame / the fame monster - the two of these are to be considered a single album as the fame monster is an EP - meaning extended play.

there is no way born this way is better. literally all of the fame / the fame monster is good and it holds lady gaga's career.

with that said, the obvious one you're not naming is oops i did it again.

i also want to add Rihanna - a girl like me is a huge jump from her first album - music from the sun, and then her third album was even better.

[jonloch1]

19 minutes ago, leviathan said:

with that said, the obvious one you're not naming is oops i did it again.

Yeh i agree oops was a massive improvement from Baby              

[super.nova]

Just now, jonloch1 said:

Yeh i agree oops was a massive improvement from Baby              

and her best selling album to date, and doesn't it hold the WW record for like best first week of a female?

[jonloch1]

Just now, leviathan said:

and her best selling album to date, and doesn't it hold the WW record for like best first week of a female?

 yeh i think so. for me now in almost 2023 Baby sounds really dated whereas i think oops still sounds cool

[super.nova]

Just now, jonloch1 said:

 yeh i think so. for me now in almost 2023 Baby sounds really dated whereas i think oops still sounds cool

they both sound dated tbh, but liek you cant deny its power.

[jonloch1]

Just now, leviathan said:

they both sound dated tbh, but liek you cant deny its power.

yeh i get what you mean but i dont know how to describe it but even though oops has dated the songs still sounds cool whereas Baby sounds cheesey now 

[allthat88]

Kelly - BreakawaY

pink- mizunderstood 

 

 

both if their second albums launched them way further than their debuts did. 

[Jacolicious]

31 minutes ago, leviathan said:

i think lady gaga peaked with the fame / the fame monster - the two of these are to be considered a single album as the fame monster is an EP - meaning extended play.

It's definitely an EP, but won Best Pop Album at the Grammy's, so...

[blackingouthenegativity]

Oops album way better than BOMT as an album. 

[Isla]

You listed most of the ones I would have picked, but not you putting Emotion for Carly Rae Jepsen when Tightrope is her debut album

Lemme throw in:

Gils Aloud - What Will the Neighbours Say (Sound of the Underground was a decent debut album for a reality show group, but What Will the Neighbours say was even better and defined Girls Aloud's quirky sense of pop produced by Xenomania)

Paramore - Riot (a massive step up from All We Know Is Falling and the best of their 'emo' albums imo)

 

[Stefani]

Like A Virgin was infinitely better than self-titled imo.

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Stefani

[hallucinate]

This disrespect to Oops 

[RadicalOptimism]

4 hours ago, Rik vs Exhale said:

Ew girl. Not u liking her indie electronic pop  crap more than boys will be boys 

security @CrazyButItFeelsAllright

My rage depends on what “indie electronic pop crap” you’re talking about 

[Nate b]

Fearless - Taylor Swift 

[RadicalOptimism]

5 hours ago, leviathan said:

i think lady gaga peaked with the fame / the fame monster - the two of these are to be considered a single album as the fame monster is an EP - meaning extended play.

there is no way born this way is better. literally all of the fame / the fame monster is good and it holds lady gaga's career.

with that said, the obvious one you're not naming is oops i did it again.

i also want to add Rihanna - a girl like me is a huge jump from her first album - music from the sun, and then her third album was even better.

The Fame Monster is an album. I don’t care what anyone says

[RadicalOptimism]

Oops is better than BOMT 

Future Nostalgia is better than self-titled 

period.

 

Also Stripped by Legend X should be on this list 

[blackingouthenegativity]

9 minutes ago, CrazyButItFeelsAllright said:

The Fame Monster is an album. I don’t care what anyone says

Agreed. I know it's an EP, but every track slap, which you can't say for most 12-14 track albums. 

[The Queen]

What about Stripped? This album was Xtina's peak and one of the pop bibles.