1998 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.

Specific locations

 * 1998 in British music
 * 1998 in Norwegian music
 * 1998 in South Korean music

Specific genres

 * 1998 in classical music
 * 1998 in country music
 * 1998 in heavy metal music
 * 1998 in hip hop music
 * 1998 in Latin music
 * 1998 in jazz

January

 * January 28
 * Interscope Records pays a radio station in Portland, Oregon, USA, $5000 to play the Limp Bizkit single "Counterfeit" fifty times. The business move is widely criticized in the media as "payola", but the controversy serves to further increase publicity for the band.
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia. At the same time, he grows out his hair and shaves off his moustache, radically changing his signature look.

February

 * February 5
 * Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi becomes the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
 * Former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford publicly reveals his homosexuality for the first time in an interview with MTV.
 * February 15 – Sir Edward Elgar's unfinished Third Symphony, completed by Anthony Payne, is performed for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK.
 * February 19 – The Stray Cats reunite for a benefit show for the Carl Perkins Foundation at House of Blues in Los Angeles, USA.
 * February 21 – Misia makes her official CD debut with the single "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni...".
 * February 23 – "Frozen", the first single from Madonna's eighth studio album, Ray of Light, is released. The single is a worldwide hit, peaking at #2 on US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming her first single to enter the charts at #1 in the UK.
 * February 24 – Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace, London, UK. He was mistakenly introduced as "Sir John Elton", but was renamed "Sir Elton John".
 * February 25 – The 40th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in New York, hosted by Kelsey Grammer. Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss and R. Kelly all win three awards each, with Dylan winning Album of the Year for Time Out of Mind. Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Paula Cole wins Best New Artist.
 * February 28 – Haitian group RAM survive an attempted murder while performing at a carnival, after a disagreement with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince.

March

 * March 3 – Madonna releases her seventh studio album Ray of Light. The album eventually sells over 16 million copies worldwide. The album received near universal acclaim upon release. Her collaborations with producer William Orbit, as well as her conversion to Kabbalah resulted in a completely new and unique lyric and musical approach for Madonna, which gains her four Grammy Awards out of a total of six nominations, as well as many other prestigious awards.
 * March 10 – The South Korean-made MPMan, the first mass-produced digital audio player, is launched at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany.
 * March 13 – The Smashing Pumpkins file a US$1 million lawsuit against UK-based Sound And Media Ltd, alleging that the company has released a book and CD about the band without permission.

April

 * April 3 – Dave Navarro is fired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
 * April 6 – Organizers announce that Lollapalooza will not be staged in 1998 due to the inability to sign a major headlining act. The festival would return in 2003.
 * April 7 – George Michael is arrested in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, California, USA for lewd conduct. He is subsequently sentenced to community service, and later describes it as a "subconsciously deliberate act".
 * April 8 – Ayumi Hamasaki makes her debut under Avex Trax with the single "Poker Face".
 * April 14 – The first VH1 Divas Live concert is broadcast on VH1, starring Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey.
 * April 17–19 – The second Terrastock festival takes place in San Francisco, USA.
 * April 29 – Steven Tyler breaks his knee at a concert in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, delaying Aerosmith's Nine Lives Tour and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".

May

 * May 5 – South Korean boy band, Shinhwa debut under SM Entertainment.
 * May 8
 * The third European Festival of Youth Choirs is held in Basel, Switzerland.
 * A British court rules in favor of the Beatles and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, stopping the release of another Live at the Star Club recording. All copies of the recording and the original tape are awarded to the Beatles, as well as damages and legal costs.
 * May 9 – The 43rd Eurovision Song Contest, held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is won by Israel's transgender performer Dana International with the song "Diva" See: 1998 – Diggiloo Thrush
 * May 26 – Anggun releases her debut album, Snow on the Sahara in North America, which would go on to sell 1 million copies across Europe and America and becoming the best-selling album by Asian artist outside Asia.
 * May 27 – Ringo Sheena releases her debut single "Kōfukuron".
 * May 31 – Geri Halliwell goes into hiding as her public relations representative, Julian Torton, confirms that she has left the Spice Girls permanently.

June

 * June 1 – Scott Weiland's public problems with drugs continue when he is arrested in New York after buying heroin.

July

 * July 3 – Westlife is formally created and signed to the record label BMG.
 * July 5 – Teen singer Billie Piper starts her career by becoming the youngest British solo artist to debut at #1 on the UK singles charts with "Because We Want To".
 * July 17 – Aiko makes her major label debut with the song "Ashita".

August

 * August 1 – VH1 Smooth is launched. The first music video played is a cover of "Makin' Whoopee" by Branford Marsalis.
 * August 18 – Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader, enters Billboard 200 at number 1, with 268,000 copies sold in its first week. It goes on to be certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 14 million copies worldwide, thus launching nu metal into the mainstream.
 * August 20 – Cirith Ungol founding guitarist Jerry Fogle dies from liver failure.
 * August 24 – Pearl Jam's "Do the Evolution" video premieres on MTV's 120 Minutes; it is the group's first music video in six years.
 * August 25 – Lauryn Hill releases her breakthrough debut album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. The album goes on to be certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 19 million copies worldwide.
 * August 29 – The Bee Gees open their One Night Only tour in Dublin, Ireland

September

 * September 14 – Total Request Live is broadcast for the first time on MTV.
 * September 16 – Lou Reed performs for President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel at the White House.
 * September 28 – Britney Spears' debut single, "...Baby One More Time", is released. It would become the top-selling single of 1999, selling over ten million units worldwide. It was also the biggest hit single of 1999. The "...Baby One More Time" music video was ranked as number three on Billboard's 2010 list of "Best Music Videos of All Time".

October

 * October 5 – MuchMoreMusic is launched in Canada.
 * October 6 – Kurupt's debut studio album, Kuruption!, is released by Antra Records. It peaks at #8 on the Billboard 200 on October 24, 1998.
 * October 8 – The Recording Industry Association of America files in court against Diamond Multimedia in an attempt to block the release of the new Rio PMP300, arguing that the MP3 digital audio player is a music piracy device. The RIAA's application is denied on October 26, clearing the way for the PMP300 to become the first commercially successful MP3 player.
 * October 19 – "Believe", the first single of Cher's twenty-second studio album of the same name is released, becoming a smash hit. After seven consecutive weeks atop the UK official singles chart, it becomes the UK’s bestselling single of the year, and also the bestselling single by a female artist in UK history. On March 13, 1999, Believe becomes Cher's 5th number-one single in the US, spending four consecutive weeks at #1 and becoming the bestselling single of that year.
 * October 22 – Cher releases her twenty-second studio album Believe, which becomes the most successful of her career: It peaks at number one in seven countries, #4 in the US, and #7 in the UK. The album goes on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide and is certified platinum in at least sixteen countries, becoming one of the bestselling albums of all time.
 * October 27 – The Copyright Term Extension Act is signed into law, giving the entertainment industry 20 more years of exclusive rights to all works created since 1923.

November

 * November 17 – The Offspring release Americana to massive mainstream success.  It goes on to be certified 5× platinum by the RIAA and sells over 11 million copies worldwide. The hit single "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" becomes one of the best charting worldwide punk songs of all time, topping charts in 9 countries.

December

 * December 5
 * Young violinists Nicola Benedetti and Alina Ibragimova play Bach's double violin concerto under the baton of Yehudi Menuhin at the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at UNESCO in Paris.
 * Billboard changes its policy for its Hot 100 chart to allow airplay-only singles or album cuts to be accounted in the chart.
 * December 9 – Hikaru Utada makes their debut with the double A-side single "Automatic (Hikaru Utadasong)" / "Time Will Tell".
 * December 29 – India issues a set of postage stamps on the subject of Indian musical instruments.

Also in 1998

 * The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra launches its own recording label, RLPO Live.
 * Singers Brandy and Monica dominate the Billboard charts with the duet, "The Boy Is Mine", holding the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 spot for 13 weeks.
 * Composer John Harbison was awarded a Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities.
 * The Goo Goo Dolls single, "Iris", set a new Billboard Hot 100 Airplay record in the U.S. by achieving 18 weeks at number one.
 * Six Feet Under hire Steve Swanson.
 * SWV disbands.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1998

Bands reformed

 * Modern Talking
 * Culture Club

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1998

Release date unknown

 * The Bullies Have All Gone to Rest - John Hartford & Jim Wood
 * The First 40 Years, The Very Best of – Hank Marvin and The Shadows (2 CDs)
 * Hometown – Hush
 * Live at the Beeb – Nazareth
 * Deviate – Kill II This
 * Six Organs of Admittance – Six Organs of Admittance
 * The Star and the Wiseman: The Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Ladysmith Black Mambazo
 * Sum of the Parts – Ed Summerlin
 * Through the Trees – The Handsome Family
 * Youth Is Wasted on the Young – Caesars
 * Va Va Voom – Cinerama

Biggest hit singles
The following singles achieved the highest aggregated chart positions in 1998, according to TsorT.

Other Chart hit singles
• "3 A.M." – Matchbox Twenty (#1 CAN)

• "All Around the World" – Oasis (#1 UK)

• "All 'Bout the Money" – Meja

• "All I Have to Give" – Backstreet Boys (#1 SP, #2 UK, #3 CAN)

• "All My Life" – K-Ci & JoJo (#1 AUS, NLD, NZ, #1 US)

• "All That I Need" – Boyzone (#1 IRL, UK, TAI)

• "The Angel and the Gambler" - Iron Maiden

• "Angels" – Robbie Williams (#2 IRL, #4 SWI, UK, #6 BE)

• "Angels Crying" – E-Type (#2 FIN, SWE, NOR)

• "Another One Bites The Dust" – Queen, Wyclef Jean, Pras & Free (#5 UK, #9 NZ)

• "Apparitions" – Matthew Good Band

• "Are You That Somebody?" – Aaliyah & Timbaland (#1 NZ, #3 NLD, #6 CAN)

• "Ava Adore" – The Smashing Pumpkins

• "Baby Don't Go" – Close II You

• "...Baby One More Time" – Britney Spears (#1 US, AUS, AUT, BE, CAN, CZ, DEN, FIN, FR, GER, IRL, IT, NLD, NZ, NOR, SWE, SWI, UK)

• "Back 2 Good" – Matchbox Twenty

• "Bailando" – Loona (#1 GER, SWI, #3 AUT)

• "Bamboogie" - Bamboo

• "Be Careful" – Sparkle & R. Kelly (#3 US, #4 NLD, #7 UK)

• "Because We Want To" – Billie (#1 UK, #5 BE, #8 SWE)

• "Believe" – Cher

• "Big Big World" – Emilia Rydberg (#1 AUT, BE, GER, NLD, NOR, SP, SWE, SWI)

• "Big Mistake" – Natalie Imbruglia

• "Blue Angels" – Pras & The Product G&B (#6 UK)

• "Bootie Call" – All Saints (#1 UK, #5 NLD, #9 IRL)

• "The Boy Is Mine" – Brandy & Monica

• "Brother Louie '98" – Modern Talking

• "Calcutta (Taxi Taxi Taxi)" – Dr. Bombay

• "Can't Keep This Feeling In" – Cliff Richard

• "Carnaval de Paris" – Dario G

• "C'est La Vie" – B*Witched

• "The Chameleon" – King África

• "Changes" – 2Pac

• "Chanter pour ceux qui sont loin de chez eux" – Lââm

• "Chocolate Salty Balls" – Chef

• "Cleopatra's Theme" – Cleopatra

• "Closing Time" – Semisonic

• "Cloud Number Nine" – Bryan Adams

• "Come with Me" – Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page

• "Cose della vita" – Eros Ramazzotti & Tina Turner

• "Crazy Little Party Girl" – Aaron Carter

• "Cruel Summer" – Ace of Base

• "Crush" – Jennifer Paige

• "The Cup of Life" – Ricky Martin

• "Daydreamin'" – Tatyana Ali

• "Daysleeper" – R.E.M.

• "Deeper Underground" – Jamiroquai

• "Diva" – Dana International

• "Doctor Jones" – Aqua

• "DooDah!" – Cartoons

• "Doo Wop (That Thing)" – Lauryn Hill

• "Dragula" – Rob Zombie

• "Dreams" - The Corrs

• "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" – Madonna

• "Ein Schwein namens Männer" – Die Ärzte

• "End of the Line" – Honeyz

• "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" – Backstreet Boys

• "Everybody Get Up" – Five

• "Faith" – Limp Bizkit

• "Feel It" – The Tamperer featuring Maya

• "Finally Found" – Honeyz

• "The First Night" – Monica

• "Flugzeuge im Bauch" – Oli.P

• "Fly Away" – Lenny Kravitz

• "Found a Cure" - Ultra Naté

• "Freak Me" – Another Level

• "Freak On A Leash" – Korn

• "From This Moment On" – Shania Twain

• "Frozen" – Madonna

• "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" – Will Smith

• "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" – Pras& Mýa & Ol' Dirty Bastard

• "Gimme Love" – Alexia

• "Girlfriend" – Billie

• "Given to Fly" – Pearl Jam

• "God Is a DJ" – Faithless

• "Gone till November" – Wyclef Jean

• "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" – Green Day

• "Goodbye" – Spice Girls

• "Got the Feelin'" – Five

• "Gym and Tonic" – Spacedust

• "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" – Jay-Z

• "Heartbeat / Tragedy" – Steps

• "Here I Go Again" – E-Type

• "High" – Lighthouse Family

• "Hijo de la Luna" – Loona

• "Horny '98" – Mousse T.

• "How Deep Is Your Love" – Dru Hill

• "How Much Is the Fish?" – Scooter

• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – Aerosmith

• "I Don't Want to Wait" – Paula Cole

• "If You Believe" – Sascha Schmitz

• "If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better)" – The Tamperer featuring Maya

• "If You Could Read My Mind" – Stars on 54

• "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" – Manic Street Preachers

• "I Get Lonely" – Janet Jackson

• "I Love the Way You Love Me" – Boyzone

• "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" – Tina Arena and Marc Anthony

• "I Want You Back" – Melanie Brown & Missy Elliott

• "I Want You Back" – NSYNC

• "I Want You to Want Me" - Solid Harmonie

• "I Wish" – Oli.P

• "I'm Your Angel" – Céline Dion & R. Kelly

• "Immortality" – Celine Dion & Bee Gees

• "Intergalactic" – Beastie Boys

• "Insane" – Texas

• "Iris" – Goo Goo Dolls

• "It's like That" – Run-D.M.C. & Jason Nevins

• "It's Tricky" – Run-D.M.C. and Jason Nevins

• "Jumper" – Third Eye Blind

• "Just the Two of Us" – Will Smith

• "Kind & Generous" – Natalie Merchant

• "Kung Fu Fighting" – Bus Stop & Carl Douglas

• "La Primavera" – Sash!

• "La Tribu de Dana" – Manau

• "Last Thing on My Mind" – Steps

• "Lately" – Divine

• "Let the Music Heal Your Soul" – Bravo All Stars

• "Life" – Des'ree

• "Life Is a Flower" – Ace of Base

• "Lilali" – Kim Kay

• "Lollipop (Candyman)" – Aqua

• "Looking for Love" – Karen Ramirez

• "Lords of the Boards" – Guano Apes

• "Lullaby" – Shawn Mullins

• "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" – Master P & Fiend, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X, Mystikal

• "Miami" – Will Smith

• "Millennium" – Robbie Williams

• "Move Mania" - Sash!

• "Music Sounds Better with You" – Stardust

• "My All" – Mariah Carey

• "My Friend (So Long)" – DC Talk

• "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion

• "My Hero" – Foo Fighters

• "Mysterious Times" – Sash!

• "Narcotic" – Liquido

• "Never Ever" – All Saints

• "Nice & Slow" – Usher

• "No Matter What" – Boyzone

• "No Regrets" - Robbie Williams

• "Not About Us" – Genesis

• "Once Upon a Time" – Down Low

• "One for Sorrow" – Steps

• "One Week" – Barenaked Ladies

• "Only When I Lose Myself" – Depeche Mode

• "Out of the Dark" – Falco

• "Outside" – George Michael

• "The Power of Good-Bye" – Madonna

• "Psycho Circus" – KISS

• "Push It" – Garbage

• "Ray of Light" – Madonna

• "Real World" – Matchbox Twenty

• "Remember the Time" – Nana

• "Renegade Master '89" – Wildchild

• "The Rockafeller Skank" – Fatboy Slim

• "Rollercoaster" – B*Witched

• "Save Tonight" – Eagle-Eye Cherry

• "Say It Once" – Ultra

• "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)" – Texas & Wu-Tang Clan

• "Searchin' My Soul" - Vonda Shepard

• "Sex and Candy" – Marcy Playground

• "Şımarık" – Tarkan

• "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" - Five

• "Slide" – Goo Goo Dolls

• "Someone Loves You Honey" – Lutricia McNeal

• "Stand by Me" – 4 The Cause

• "Still Not a Player" – Big Pun & Joe

• "Stop" – Spice Girls

• "Stranded" – Lutricia McNeal

• "Sweetest Thing" – U2

• "Take Me There" – Blackstreet & Mýa

• "Teardrop" – Massive Attack

• "Thank U" – Alanis Morissette

• "Thinking of You" - Hanson

• "This Is How We Party" – S.O.A.P.

• "This Kiss" – Faith Hill

• "To You I Belong" – B*Witched

• "Together Again" – Janet Jackson

• "Too Close" – Next

• "Too Much" – Spice Girls

• "Too Much Heaven" – Nana

• "Top of the World" – Brandy

• "Torn" – Natalie Imbruglia

• "Touch It" – Monifah

• "Truly Madly Deeply" – Savage Garden

• "Turn Back Time" – Aqua

• "Turn It Up (remix)/Fire It Up" – Busta Rhymes

• "Turn the Page" – Metallica

• "Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade" – All Saints

• "Unforgivable Sinner" – Lene Marlin

• "The Unforgiven II" – Metallica

• "Uninvited" – Alanis Morissette

• "Until the Time Is Through" – Five

• "Up and Down" – Vengaboys

• "Vill ha dig" – Drömhus

• "Viva Forever" – Spice Girls

• "Vivo per lei (je vis pour elle)" – Hélène Ségara & Andrea Bocelli

• "Wanna Get Up" – 2 Unlimited

• "The Way" – Fastball

• "We Like To Party" – Vengaboys

• "Weird" – Hanson

• "Westside" – TQ

• "What Can I Do?" – The Corrs

• "What Can I Do?" (Remix) – The Corrs & Tin Tin Out

• "What's Your Sign?" – Des'ree

• "When the Lights Go Out" – Five

• "When the Rain Begins to Fall" – Pappa Bear & Van der Toorn

• "When You Believe" – Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston

• "When You're Gone" – Bryan Adams & Melanie C

• "Whiskey in the Jar" – Metallica

• "Witch Doctor" – Cartoons (#2 UK, #9 BE)

• "Would You...?" – Touch and Go (#2 IT, #3 UK, #4 NZ, SWI)

• "Yakalelo" – Nomads

• "You're a Superstar" – Love Inc.

• "You're My Heart, You're My Soul '98" – Modern Talking (#2 AUT, GER, #3 FR, #4 SWI)

• "You're Still the One" – Shania Twain

• "Zora Sourit" – Celine Dion

Other Notable singles
• "If You'll Be Mine" - Babybird

Classical music

 * Leonardo Balada – Folk Dreams (Three Pieces for Orchestra)
 * Osvaldas Balakauskas – Symphony No. 4
 * Louis Andriessen – Writing to Vermeer
 * John Barry – The Beyondness of Things
 * George Crumb – Mundus Canis (A Dog's World) for guitar and percussion
 * Mario Davidovsky – String Quartet No. 5
 * Ludovico Einaudi – Arie
 * Lorenzo Ferrero – A Red Wedding Dress, for organ
 * Beat Furrer
 * Still for ensemble
 * Spur for piano and string quartet
 * Philip Glass – Days and Nights in Rocinha, for orchestra
 * Georg Friedrich Haas
 * Concerto for violin and orchestra
 * String Quartet No. 2
 * Jake Heggie – Sophie's Song
 * Wojciech Kilar – What a piece of work is a man, movie theme from “A Week in the Life of a Man”
 * Frederik Magle – Cantata to Saint Cecilia
 * Gordon McPherson – Miami
 * Hans Otte – Stundenbuch for piano
 * Zbigniew Preisner – Requiem for My Friend
 * Einojuhani Rautavaara – Piano Concerto No. 3 Gift of Dreams
 * Vache Sharafyan – The Sun, the Wine and the Wind of Time, for duduk, violin, cello and piano
 * Juan Maria Solare – Spaghettisssimo
 * Morton Subotnick – Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona

Opera

 * Mark Adamo – Little Women
 * Christopher Butterfield – Zurich 1916
 * Philip Glass – White Raven
 * Heinz Holliger – Schneewittchen
 * Constantine Koukias – The Divine Kiss
 * Ryan Ostrander – Madame Butterfly

Musical theater

 * March 5 – The Boy from Oz, Sydney production opened.
 * Notre-Dame de Paris – musical
 * Cabaret (Kander and Ebb) – Broadway revival
 * Footloose – Broadway production opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and ran for 709 performances
 * Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Stephen Trask) – off Broadway production
 * High Society – Broadway production opened at the St James Theatre and ran for 144 performances
 * Ragtime – Broadway production at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts and ran for 834 performances
 * The Sound of Music (Rodgers & Hammerstein) – Broadway revival

Musical films

 * Blues Brothers 2000
 * Meeting People Is Easy
 * Mulan
 * The Prince of Egypt
 * Velvet Goldmine
 * Why Do Fools Fall in Love

Births

 * January 2 – Sinnie Ng, Hong Kong singer (Lolly Talk)
 * January 4 – Coco Jones, American actress and singer
 * January 11 – Louisa Johnson, English singer-songwriter
 * January 22
 * Silentó, American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor
 * Biig Piig, Irish singer and rapper
 * January 23 – XXXTentacion, American rapper and singer-songwriter (d. 2018)
 * January 24
 * Jay Versace, American record producer
 * Briston Maroney, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Dating Samia)
 * January 27 – Albina Kelmendi, Kosovo-Albanian singer
 * January 29 – Mion Mukaichi, Japanese girl group singer
 * February 8 – Šarlote Lēnmane, Latvian singer-songwriter
 * February 11 – Khalid, American singer-songwriter
 * February 19 - Chappell Roan, American singer-songwriter, activist and musician
 * February 20
 * Corbin, American singer-songwriter and record producer
 * Gracey (singer), English singer
 * March 24 - Ethel Cain, American singer-songwriter, artist and producer
 * April 2 - Peach PRC, Australian pop singer, songwriter, social media personality, and performer
 * April 3 – Paris Jackson, American actor, singer, dancer, musician, activist and model (daughter of Michael Jackson)
 * April 20 – Felix Mallard, Australian musician, actor and model
 * April 21 – Zé Felipe, Brazilian singer
 * April 23 – Jeffrey Ngai, Hong Kong singer, actor and model
 * May 4 – Rex Orange County, English singer-songwriter and musician
 * May 21 - Ari Ólafsson, Icelandic singer
 * May 23 – Steve Lacy, American singer-songwriter, musician, and member of American band, The Internet
 * May 25 – Andrew Lambrou, Australian singer
 * May 28 – Dahyun, South Korean singer (TWICE)
 * May 29 – Cochise, American rapper
 * June 4 – Central Cee, British rapper and songwriter
 * June 18 – Patricia Janečková, German-born Czech soprano (died 2023)
 * June 24 – Tana Mongeau, American rapper and internet personality
 * July 1 – Chloe Bailey of Chloe x Halle, American singer and actress
 * July 8
 * Jaden Smith, American actor, rapper, singer and songwriter (son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, brother of Willow Smith)
 * Maya Hawke, American actress, model and singer-songwriter (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman)
 * July 15 – Kailee Morgue, American singer-songwriter, activist
 * July 18 – Luísa Sonza, Brazilian singer-songwriter
 * July 21 – Maggie Lindemann, American singer-songwriter
 * July 23 – Houdini, Canadian rapper
 * July 28 – Risa Watanabe, Japanese idol and model
 * August 2 – Cai Xukun, Chinese singer
 * August 4 – Lil Skies, American rapper
 * August 8 – Shawn Mendes, Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, voice actor and model. (Frequent collaborator with Camila Cabello)
 * August 11 – Nadia Azzi, American classical pianist
 * August 14 – Doechii, American rapper
 * August 18 – Clairo, American singer-songwriter and electropop recording artist
 * August 25
 * Abraham Mateo, Spanish singer and actor
 * China Anne McClain, American singer and actress
 * August 26 – Soyeon, Korean rapper, songwriter, record producer, and member of (G)I-dle
 * August 29 – Bizarrap, Argentine DJ and record producer
 * September 6 – Kayan9896, Hong Kong singer, actress and model
 * September 15 – Kevinho, Brazilian singer
 * September 25 – mallrat, Australian musician
 * October 22 – Roddy Ricch, American rapper
 * October 23
 * Emily Ann Roberts, American country singer
 * Amandla Stenberg, American singer and actress
 * October 24 – Daya, American singer-songwriter
 * October 28 – Ellie Drennan, Australian singer-songwriter, The Voice Australia winner of series 4, Jessie J was her coach
 * November 16 – Bárbara Tinoco, Portuguese singer
 * November 23
 * Just Sam, American singer
 * Emily Keener, American singer-songwriter'
 * November 28 - UPSAHL, American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
 * December 2 – Juice WRLD, American singer, rapper, and songwriter (d. 2019)
 * December 5 – Conan Gray, American musician
 * December 15 – Cavetown, British musician and activist
 * December 19
 * Frans Jeppsson Wall, Swedish singer-songwriter
 * King Princess, American multi instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, activist and record producer
 * December 21 - Lexie Liu, Chinese singer, rapper and songwriter
 * December 22 - Latto, American rapper
 * December 24 – Declan McKenna, English singer-songwriter and musician
 * Unknown – Joy, Australian musician, singer and producer
 * Unknown - Kim Dracula, an Australian trap metal/hardcore music artist

Deaths

 * January 2 – Nick Venet, record producer, 61 (Burkitt's lymphoma)
 * January 4 – Mae Questel, singer and actress, the voice of Betty Boop, Olive Oyl, Little Audrey & Little Lulu, 89
 * January 5 – Sonny Bono, singer and songwriter, 63
 * January 7 – Owen Bradley, record producer, 82
 * January 8 – Sir Michael Tippett, composer, 93
 * January 11 – Klaus Tennstedt, conductor, 71
 * January 15 – Junior Wells, harmonica player, 64
 * January 17 – Junior Kimbrough, blues guitarist and singer, 67
 * January 19 – Carl Perkins, singer 65, complications following a series of strokes
 * January 22 – Anselmo Sacasas, jazz pianist and bandleader, 85
 * January 24 – Justin Tubb, country music singer and songwriter, 62
 * January 26
 * Orlando DiGirolamo, jazz accordionist, pianist, composer, and teacher, 73
 * Shinichi Suzuki, violinist and inventor of the international Suzuki method of music education, 99
 * February 3 – Fat Pat, American rapper 27 (shot)
 * February 5
 * Tim Kelly, guitarist (Slaughter), 35 (car accident)
 * Nick Webb, jazz guitarist, 43 or 44 (pancreatic cancer)
 * February 6
 * Carl Wilson, The Beach Boys, 51 (lung cancer)
 * Falco, rock star, 40 (car accident)
 * February 10 – Alex Kramer, Canadian songwriter, 94
 * February 13 – Thomas Chapin, composer and saxophonist, 40 (leukemia)
 * February 17 – Bob Merrill, songwriter, 76 (suicide)
 * February 19 – Grandpa Jones, star of Hee Haw, comedian and musician, 84
 * February 25 – Rockin' Sidney, soul musician, 59
 * February 28 – Todd Duncan, first Porgy in Porgy and Bess, 95
 * March 8 – Roger Christian, The Christians
 * March 13 – Judge Dread, ska and reggae performer, 52 (heart attack on stage)
 * March 15 – Tim Maia, Brazilian singer and songwriter, 55
 * March 29 – Nada Tončić, operatic soprano, 88
 * March 31 – Joel Ryce-Menuhin, pianist, 64
 * April 1 – Rozz Williams, founder of Christian Death, suicide (hanging)
 * April 2 – Rob Pilatus, member of Milli Vanilli, 32
 * April 4 – Pierre Lantier, pianist and composer, 87
 * April 5 – Cozy Powell, drummer for Rainbow and Black Sabbath, 50 (car accident)
 * April 6 – Tammy Wynette, country singer, 55
 * April 7 – Wendy O. Williams, Plasmatics, 48 (suicide)
 * April 9 – Tom Cora, cellist and composer, 44
 * April 11 – Lillian Briggs, US singer and trombonist, 65 (lung cancer)
 * April 15 – Rose Maddox, country singer, 72
 * April 17 – Linda McCartney, rock photographer, keyboard player (Wings) and entrepreneur, wife of Paul McCartney, 56 (breast cancer)
 * May 2 – Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto, Japanese rock artist, 33, (hanging, apparently accidental)
 * May 5 – Tommy McCook, Jamaican saxophonist, 71
 * May 7 – Eddie Rabbitt, country singer, 56, lung cancer
 * May 9 – Alice Faye, actress and singer, 83
 * May 10
 * Lester Butler, blues harmonica player and singer, 38 (drug overdose)
 * Clara Rockmore, thereminist and violinist, 87
 * May 11 — Willy Corsari, singer and composer (100)
 * May 14 – Frank Sinatra, singer and actor, 82 (heart attack)
 * May 19 – Dorothy Donegan, jazz pianist, 76
 * May 20 – Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitarist, 81
 * May 22 – Royce Kendall, country musician, 62
 * June 2 – Ricky Hyslop, violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger, 83
 * June 8 – Harry Lookofsky, jazz violinist, 84
 * June 10 – Steve Sanders, the Oak Ridge Boys, 45, suicide
 * June 25 – Lounès Matoub, assassinated
 * July 3 – George Lloyd, British composer, 85
 * July 6 – Roy Rogers, actor and singer, 86
 * July 14 – Herman David Koppel, pianist and composer, 89
 * July 21 – O'Landa Draper, O'Landa Draper and the Associates (gospel choir), 34 (renal failure)
 * July 23 – André Gertler, violinist, 90
 * July 28 – Olga De Blanck Martín, pianist, guitarist and composer, 62
 * August 3 – Alfred Schnittke, composer, 63
 * August 11 – Benny Waters, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, 96
 * August 19
 * Ilva Ligabue, operatic soprano, 66
 * Sylvia Stahlman, operatic soprano, 69
 * August 22 – Sergio Fiorentino, pianist, 70
 * August 24 – Gene Page, arranger, producer and conductor, 58
 * August 25 – Lamar Crowson, pianist, 72
 * August 29 – Charlie Feathers, country blues musician, 66
 * September 4 – Lal Waterson, folk singer-songwriter, 55
 * September 9 – Habib Hassan Touma, composer and ethnomusicologist, 63
 * September 14 – Johnny Adams, blues, jazz and gospel singer, 66
 * September 18 – Charlie Foxx, R & B and soul musician, 58 (leukemia)
 * September 26 – Betty Carter, jazz singer, 69
 * September 30 – Pavel Štěpán, pianist, 73
 * October 1 – Pauline Julien, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, 60
 * October 2 – Gene Autry, actor and country singer, 91
 * October 5 – Jacques Abram, pianist, 83
 * October 7 – Arnold Jacobs, American tuba player and educator, 83
 * October 8 – Anatol Vieru, composer, 82
 * October 14 – Frankie Yankovic, America's "Polka King", 83
 * October 17 – Antonio Agri, violinist, conductor and composer, 66
 * October 25 – Warren Wiebe, "Soulful Rain Man", vocalist and session artist, 45 (suicide)
 * November 8
 * Consuelo Villalon Aleman, pianist, 91
 * Lonnie Pitchford, blues musician, 43 (AIDS)
 * November 12 – Kenny Kirkland, jazz keyboardist, 43 (congestive heart failure)
 * November 20 – Roland Alphonso, saxophonist, 67
 * November 27 – Barbara Acklin, soul singer, 55
 * December 4 – Egil Johansen, jazz drummer, 64
 * December 11 – Lynn Strait, (Snot), 30 (car accident)
 * December 21
 * Avril Coleridge-Taylor, pianist, conductor and composer, 95
 * Karl Denver, Scottish singer, 67
 * December 25 – Bryan MacLean, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Love), 52 (heart attack)
 * December 30 – Johnny Moore, R & B singer, 64

Awards

 * The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & the Papas, Lloyd Price, Santana and Gene Vincent
 * Inductees of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame include Andrae Crouch, The Imperials, The Jordanaires and The LeFevres

Mercury Music Prize

 * Bring It On – Gomez wins.