PAUSE Rewind: Revisiting 2016’s Biggest Moments in Music

2026. It’s been a long two months of news, releases and controversy, however if you had told us that at the start of this year that everyone would be diving back into 2016, I don’t think anybody would have believed you.

In true internet fashion, the most unforeseen becomes seen, and we follow suit accordingly…

Now when we look at 2016, there’s a multitude of monumental and quite catastrophic events that occurred. To kick us off on a positive note, we saw Rae Sremmurd bring the Mannequin Challenge – a viral social media phenomenon where people staged elaborate frozen scenes, while the duo’s hit “Black Beatles” played in the background, and we also saw the introduction of AirPods – a game changing introduction to wireless audio. And then there was the hit launch of the film ‘Black Panther’, a Box Office smash that sparked momentum in representation discussions. But 2016 was not all fun, we saw the UK vote for Brexit, and we also saw the arrival of the laughable monster Donald Trump in the White House, after beating Hilary Clinton in the presidential election. And in music, David Bowie, Prince and George Michael transitioned – RIP.

2016 was a whirlwind with many peaks and troughs but what it was good for, was the music, and those who released throughout the year marked a moment for decades to come because this year was integral to the evolution and standards we see today.  And now it’s time for us to proceed, and give you what you need, and that is PAUSE’s top releases in 2016.

‘Lemonade’ landed as a fully formed statement – a visual, genre-spanning work that turned Beyoncé’s personal betrayal into a fruitful album centred around black womanhood, Southern identity, and resilience. It debuted at No. 1, earned nine Grammy nominations and won two, while its Album of the Year loss fuelled ongoing debate.

Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’. Where do we start? A masterpiece? If there’s anything that gives us the conventions of perfection, it’s this album. Released independently, the album brought him a No.1 and drew widespread critical acclaim, and has become a collector’s MUST-HAVE record, going on to define releases of the decade for the way it made vulnerability feel radical in the mainstream.

When Solange releases music, I can speak for music fans and say that we all take note. Her ‘A Seat at the Table’ was built on elegance, erected with subtlety and intimate vocal performances, and the album created a sanctuary for reflection and introspection. It became Solange’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was met with immediate critical reverence, widely embraced as a defining statement in modern R&B.

Anderson .Paak’s ‘Malibu’ brought the good times and this project served as a vibrant introduction to a singular voice, fusing together funk, soul, hip-hop, and breezy West Coast warmth into a record that felt both nostalgic and unmistakably modern. Woven together by live instrumentation and .Paak’s mix of singing, rapping, and drumming, the album garnered widespread acclaim upon release, this year became a breakout moment for him.

‘Anti’ by Rihanna landed with intent in 2016 and the project steered hard, with a decisive left turn to evolve her sound. The album leaned into negative space and attitude, letting Rihanna sound more unguarded than ever before. Though its rollout was chaotic, ANTI gave the star yet another No. 1 and to this day Rihanna has stated that it’s one of the only album of hers she can listen to.

It goes without saying that this year was, in part, made by Drake’s ‘Views’ – a moment in time that captured the peak of his commercial gravity with a body of work that blurred rap, R&B, dancehall, and pop into a sound engineered for ubiquity. Framed by a chilly, insular vision of Toronto, the album launched hits like ‘One Dance’, ‘Hotline Bling’ and ‘Controlla’ the body of work spent months dominating the charts, becoming one of the streaming era’s defining blockbusters.

2016 became the year that The Weeknd moved from sultry R&B into the pop mainstream with ‘Starboy’ – a high-gloss transmission from his shadowy R&B instincts into something sleeker, brighter, and built for arenas. Executive produced in part by Daft Punk, the album threaded disco sheen, synth-pop, and brooding confessionals into a run of precision-engineered hits, including the title track and ‘I Feel It Coming’.

This was the year that Childish Gambino dropped THAT record, and it comes as no surprise that ‘Awaken, My Love!’ is on the list. Abandoning rap almost entirely to evolve his sound into psychedelic funk, cosmic soul, and rubbery grooves, Donald Glover really went to town on this release and has become a seminal album for music lovers far and wide. We pay thanks to Gambino for this release, and one of the main factors we say that is, is that it produced the slow-burn smash “Redbone” which then went on to earn Grammy recognition.

Now Avicii’s ‘Stories’ wouldn’t be an obvious choice, and particularly as EDM is not really something I delve into, but what I can appreciate is the impact this had on the landscape of an era where the genre was booming. Drawing on a wide cast of vocalists and writers, the album pulled from folk, rock, and pop as much as dance music, reflecting Tim Bergling’s restless ambition.

James Blake’s ‘The Colour in Anything’ was pivotal in his worldwide recognition as a master of his craft. Whilst it may have not been as impactful then, when we look back at an artist’s career, this was the turning point in someone’s repertoire and to this day, an act that features on near-enough everyone’s playlists.

Travis Scott’s ‘Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight’ captured a star in the process of scaling up, refining the murky psychedelia of his earlier work into a more streamlined but still atmospheric blockbuster. As a big fan of Travis, this was the album that soundtracked an era and it’s no surprise that upon release it went No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Peeling back the maximalism that had defined her early career, Lady Gaga’s ‘Joanne’ brought a high-concept spectacle for a more grounded approach. Named after her late aunt, the album carried an undercurrent of family history and personal reckoning, spotlighting Gaga’s voice and songwriting over theatrical flourish. This may have gone under the radar for many, but the Little Monsters did its thing and drove it firmly into 2016 and beyond.

Ziggy Marley’s self-titled ‘Ziggy Marley’ leaned into warmth and uplift, pairing breezy, roots-driven production with themes of family, spirituality, and everyday resilience. The album was met with positive reviews and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, reinforcing his enduring place in modern reggae’s lineage.

Sharpening both her image and her sound, Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman found her leaning into sleek R&B with and confident adult pop tones. This saw the star draw strong reviews and played a key role in her evolution from teen-pop graduate to full-fledged pop powerhouse.

Kaytranada’s ‘99.9%’ felt like the moment a producer stepped fully into the spotlight, translating years of internet buzz into a cohesive, star-studded statement. Built on rubbery basslines, crisp house rhythms, and an instinct for head-nodding swing, it drew widespread acclaim, won the Polaris Music Prize, and became a reference point for the increasingly porous borders between electronic music, hip-hop, and R&B.

In 2026, Jermaine Cole has delivered quite frankly, in my opinion, one of the albums of the year already, and this seemingly was also the case in 2016, when he dropped ‘For Your Eyez Only’. This was long-form storytelling done to the very best standard – the album traced generational trauma and people were just in the mindset to listen, in 2016 which was a time of uncertainty in the United States, and this quickly drove a platinum selling record for one of the very best to do it.