25 albums turning 25 in 2026

Singer-songwriter John Mayer got his first taste of commercial success with the release of his debut album Room for Squares. With hit songs like “No Such Thing” and “Your Body is a Wonderland,” Mayer earned his first Grammy Award, Room for Squares became a top-10 hit on the Billboard 200, and remains his best-selling album to date. 

After a four-year hiatus following her album The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson returned in 2001 with her seventh album All For You. In pure Jackson fashion, she adds dance tracks like the eponymous single and “Someone to Call My Lover," as well as more sensual songs like “Would You Mind” and “When We Oooo.” The album debuted at No. 1 and went gold within its first week of release. 

In 2001, Jay Z worked with acclaimed producers like Kanye West, Just Blaze, Timbaland, Trackmasters, and more on his sixth album The Blueprint. It’s often regarded as Jay’s magnum opus, with hit songs including “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Song Cry,” and “Renegade.” 

By the time Britney Spears released her third album Britney, she was ready to somewhat let go of her teen image and move into young womanhood. She worked with producers including Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Max Martin, and The Neptunes, among others. Some of her hit singles included “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” “Boys,” and her lead single “I’m a Slave 4 U.” 

Back in the early 2000s, Ludacris became a favorite rapper among hip-hop fans thanks to his lyricism, beat selection, and visual creativity. He’s never been afraid to go against the grain, and that’s one of the things that caused him to stand out among his peers. His third album Word of Mouf featured hit singles such as “Move,” “Rollout (My Business),” and the Nate Dogg-assisted track “Area Codes.” 

Alicia Keys instantly stopped listeners in their tracks when she released her debut album Songs in A Minor, which featured hit songs like “Fallin,’” “A Woman’s Worth,” and “How Come You Don’t Call Me.” There were no other artists like Keys out at the time; she was a classically-trained pianist who added an element of musicianship to her music, so much so that she walked away with several Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. 

Kylie Minogue brought pop and disco-inspired elements to her eighth studio album Fever. The lead single “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” became a worldwide No. 1 hit across 40 countries and “Come Into My World” won Minogue her first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.  

Just two years after releasing her sophomore album Da Real World, multi-hyphenate artist Missy Elliott released her third album Miss E… So Addictive. She teamed up with friend and frequent collaborator Timbaland to co-produce the entire album, and people knew that their musical genius would be something epic to witness. With singles like “Get Ur Freak On” and “One Minute Man,” and also with collaborations featuring Ludacris, Eve, and Jay Z, it’s one of Missy’s signature albums.

On Usher’s third album 8701, he worked with several producers to help hone in on his sound, including Babyface, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan Michael Cox, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In pure Usher fashion, he made sure the album touched on themes like love, heartbreak, and commitment, featured heavily on songs like “U Remind Me,” “U Got It Bad,” and “U Don’t Have to Call.” The single “U Remind Me” helped Usher win his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance Male. 

A year after Pink released her R&B-infused debut album Can’t Take Me Home, she changed up her sound on her sophomore album Missundaztood. Dissatisfied with being marketed as a white R&B singer, Pink aimed to take more control of her direction and implemented more rock elements into her music, which is heard on songs like “Get This Party Started” and “Just Like a Pill.” Once she created this album, it was a turning point for her career. 

The early 2000s were an interesting time for Destiny’s Child as they experienced some lineup changes within their group, causing fans and critics to question if they would continue to see the same level of success amid the controversy. Well, the group proved the naysayers wrong with the release of their third album Survivor, which featured the eponymous single as well as other tracks like “Emotion” and “Bootylicious.” Survivor debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and became a gold-selling success within its first week of release. 

By the time rapper Ja Rule released his third album Pain Is Love, he had mastered the art of hip-hop and R&B collaborations. On this album, he teamed up with R&B crooner Case on the lead single “Livin’ It Up” and worked with labelmate Ashanti on the hit song “Always on Time.” This was a peak time for his record label Murder Inc., in which it seemed like Ja and all of his labelmates were all across radio and TV. 

No Doubt has always been the type of band that would implement different sounds of rock, pop, ska, new wave, and dancehall into their music as they evolved. This became evident on their fifth album Rock Steadym which featured hit songs like “Hey Baby,” “Underneath It All,” and “Hella Good.” Rock Steady peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and some of the singles earned the group consecutive Grammys in Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. 

It took five years for Aaliyah to release her self-titled album after the success of her previous release One in a Million. She released the lead single “We Need a Resolution” in April 2021, and the official album release came in July. Tragically, Aaliyah didn’t get a chance to see how successful the album would be, as she lost her life a month after the album dropped. Following her passing, the album sales skyrocketed, which was also credited to her follow-up singles “Rock the Boat” and “More Than a Woman.” To this day, it’s an album that has inspired the newer generation of R&B singers.

Throughout Mary J. Blige’s career, fans have often expressed that her best music came when she would sing about topics of despair and heartache. On her fifth album No More Drama, not only did she touch on similar themes, but she also wanted to ensure listeners that they can let go of things of the past and move towards peace and positivity. In addition to the eponymous single, the album included hit songs like “Family Affair” and the Ja Rule-assisted track “Rainy Dayz.” 

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, there was no escaping the onslaught of pop-punk bands that were taking over the airwaves, and Sum 41 was one of the few bands that saw major success. Although they released their debut EP Half Hour of Power in 2000, they followed up with their major-label debut album All Killer No Filler a year later. With hit songs like “Fat Lip” and “In Too Deep,” the album became a top 30-selling album across Canada, where the band hails from.

It was back in 2001 when Michael Jackson released his tenth album Invincible, which featured production from Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Babyface, and more. The album peaked at No. 1 across charts worldwide thanks to songs like “Heaven Can Wait,” “Butterflies,” and “You Rock My World.” In pure MJ form, he turned the music video for “You Rock My World” into a short film featuring appearances from Marlon Brando, Michael Madsen, and Chris Tucker. 

As a follow-up to her 1999 debut album On the 6, Jennifer Lopez released her sophomore album J.Lo, a title that instantly stuck as her nickname. Across the album, Lopez explores themes of love, freedom, empowerment, and relationships, which are heard on tracks like “Play,” “I’m Real,” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” To also help album sales, she released a remix version of “I’m Real” that featured Ja Rule, causing Lopez to expand her fan base among hip-hop and R&B fans. 

After a five-year hiatus, rock band Weezer released their second self-titled album, commonly known as The Green Album. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 thanks to hit singles like “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun.” 

Fabolous got his start by performing on DJ Clue’s Hot 97 radio show, which helped him sign to Clue’s record label Desert Storm Records. In 2001, Fabolous released his debut album Ghetto Fabolous, which featured production from the likes of Clue, Just Blaze, Timbaland, Rick Rock, The Neptunes, and more. With singles like “Can’t Deny It” and Young’n (Holla Back),” the album became a top-five hit on Billboard 200. 

On September 11, 2001, rock band Nickelback released their third album Silver Side Up, which featured the hit singles “Too Bad” and their signature song, “How You Remind Me,” which remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. By the end of 2001, Silver Side Up had already reached double-platinum in sales. 

Although Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were well-known as one of the hottest production duos in music as The Neptunes, they also had their own band N.E.R.D, which also included member Shae Haley. While The Neptunes' sound was typically tailored more for hip-hop fans, N.E.R.D.’s sound featured a rock-funk sound introduced on their debut album In Search Of… The band’s love for rock music was heard on tracks like “Lapdance” and, of course, “Rock Star.” 

After releasing four Spanish-language albums throughout the '90s, Shakira used the turn of the new millennium to release her first English-language LP, Laundry Service. Dropping an album like this allowed Shakira to crossover with fans who probably weren’t familiar with her sound. The album sparked several singles including “Objection (Tango),” “Underneath Your Clothes,” and “Whenever, Wherever.” 

After the release of her debut Broken Bracelet, Michelle Branch signed with Madonna’s Maverick record label and released her sophomore album The Spirit Room in 2001. The lead single “Everywhere” was an instant fan favorite, which pushed it to the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and follow-up single “All You Wanted” surpassed its predecessor commercially by peaking at No. 6 on the chart. 

Just three years after releasing her sophomore album Keep The Faith, R&B singer Faith Evans released her third album Faithfully. Across the album, Evans expresses her feelings on love and commitment, which is heard on songs like the dance track “You Gets No Love” and the sensual ballad “I Love You.”