20 artists who had iconic debut albums

Lauryn Hill’s debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was so good that she never had to release another one. Although her fans want one and she has been teasing a follow-up for years, Hill’s legacy will remain the same whether she releases more music or not. 

For a while, it seemed like SZA was going to pull a Lauryn Hill and keep her debut album, Ctrl, as the only album in her discography. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, but Ctrl was good enough for SZA to have stopped with if she had wanted to. 

Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout, debuted at No. 2. Debuted. At No. 2. That’s how good it was. “All Falls Down,” “Jesus Walks,” “Slow Jamz,” and “Through the Wire” were all on that album. Insanity. 

Still Lorde’s best album to date, Pure Heroine was one hell of a debut. She was just a teenager, but she proved that her musicality was far better than most people twice her age. 

The world of pop music wasn’t ready for Lady Gaga when she dropped her debut album, The Fame, in 2008, but that didn’t matter, because she was ready. She changed the game with hits like “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” and that album is just as good now as it was then. 

What’s the 411? Mary J. Blige asked audiences with her debut album. Today, the 411 is that that record is still one of Blige’s best, and it’s one of the best debut albums of all time. Blige solidified herself as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul early in her career. 

N.W.A.’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton, is so iconic that it, along with the group’s incredible story, inspired a movie. That’s the stuff of legends right there. 

Before Drake was releasing music at speeds previously unknown to humans, he was carefully crafting albums and making rap more mainstream than it had ever been. It all began with his debut studio album, Thank Me Later.

Daft Punk made music history with Homework, the duo’s debut album. EDM wouldn’t be the same without the group’s influence, and the group wouldn’t be the same without Homework. 

Cardi B went years before recording a new album after dropping her debut, Invasion of Privacy. It was critically acclaimed and sold extremely well. What more did she have to prove?

Nevermind is Nirvana’s most well-known album, but Bleach, their debut studio album, is what put them on the map. Every listener — critic or otherwise — loved that album, and it set Nirvana on their unprecedented path of success. 

“Merry Go Round” and “Follow Your Arrow” were both on Kacey Musgraves’ debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. Some artists would be happy to have just one of those songs on any album, let alone both on their debut. 

Disclosure’s debut album, Settle, is iconic for many reasons, two of them being the inclusion of the song “Latch” and the cover art. It’s also a very, very good album otherwise. 

Not many artists can say they’ve won the Grammy for Album of the Year, and even fewer can say they won it for their debut album. But that’s how good Billie Eilish’s record When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was. And it’s still that good. 

Frank Ocean’s debut album, Channel Orange, was so iconic that over a decade after its initial release, it was still worth releasing on vinyl. That’s impact. 

Taylor Swift’s self-titled album is where it all began. The artist’s debut cemented her as a country music darling, or so the world thought. The eponymous record might not rank among the artist’s best anymore, but it’s still iconic. 

Alicia Keys knew exactly what she was doing when she made Songs in A Minor. She made most of the record on her own, and she released an instant classic. The album portended Keys’ wildly successful career that was to come. 

Olivia Rodrigo will always be famous thanks to her debut album, Sour. It’s too early in her career to see where it falls among her full discography, but there’s no denying the impact Sour had on culture at the time. 

“Mr. Brightside” was on The Killers’ debut album, Hot Fuss. That alone is enough for it to be considered iconic. 

Everything about Missy Elliott is iconic. Her entire vibe is incredible, and she knows how to put together all the right pieces. Her genius was immediately apparent. Her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, defined a generation of female rap music. She was the standard from the start.