# 2015 in music

This topic covers notable events and articles related to music in 2015.

## Specific locations

* African music
* American music
* Australian music
* Brazilian music
* British music
* Canadian music
* Chinese music
* Danish music
* European music (Continental Europe)
* Finnish music
* French music
* German music
* Icelandic music
* Indian music
* Irish music
* Japanese music
* Malaysian music
* Mongolian music
* North Korean music
* Norwegian music
* Philippine music
* Polynesian music
* South Korean music
* Swedish music
* Taiwanese music
* Vietnamese music
* World music

## Specific genres

* Classical
* Country
* Electronic
* Heavy metal
* Hip hop
* House
* Jazz
* Latin
* Opera
* Pop
* Rock
* K-pop
* J-pop

## Albums released

* List of 2015 albums

## Awards

* 2015 Billboard Music Awards
* Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift – New Artist of the Year: Sam Smith – Top Hot 100 Song: All About That Bass – Top Billboard 200 Album: 1989
* 57th Japan Record Awards
* Grand Prix: "Unfair World" (ja) by Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe • Best Singer: Seiko Matsuda • Best New Artist: Magnolia Factory • Best Song: several
* 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards
* Artist of the Year: Big Bang • Album of the Year: Exodus by Exo • Song of the Year: "Bang Bang Bang" by Big Bang • Best Music Video: Bae Bae by Big Bang
* MTV Video Music Awards
* Video of the Year: Bad Blood – Best Male Video: Uptown Funk – Best Female Video: Blank Space – Artist to Watch: Fetty Wap
* MTV Europe Music Awards
* Best Song: Bad Blood – Best Video: Downtown – Best Female: Rihanna – Best Male: Justin Bieber
* The 3rd V Chart Awards
* Top Male Artist : Vision Wei with By Your Side • Top Female Artist: Jane Zhang with You Are Mine (我是我的) • Top Group: Top Combine with Large Pear (鸭梨大) • Top New Artist: Henry Huo
* Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
* Inductees: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band • Joan Jett & The Blackhearts • Green Day • Lou Reed • Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble • Bill Withers
* 25th Seoul Music Awards
* Grand Prize: Exo • Best Album: Time by Beast • Best Song: "Some" by Soyou & Lil Boi • Best New Artist: Red Velvet, Got7, Eddy Kim

## Bands formed

* 3776
* 1Punch
* Akishibu Project
* April
* Atarashii Gakko!
* Bastarz
* Big Brain
* Billie Idle
* Bish
* Burning Witches
* Bursters
* Camellia Factory
* CLC
* Day6
* DIA
* Earphones
* Ebisu Muscats
* Fate Gear
* GFriend
* The Hoopers
* iamnot
* Idol Renaissance
* Iginari Tohoku San
* iKon
* JJY Band
* Kolme
* La PomPon
* Ladybaby
* lol
* Magnolia Factory
* MAP6
* Meet Me at the Altar
* MeloMance
* Monsta X
* Mrs. Green Apple
* MyB
* Myth & Roid
* N.Flying
* Official Hige Dandism
* Oh My Girl
* OxT
* Pasocom Music Club
* The Peggies
* Pentagon
* Playback
* Pretty Brown
* POP
* Romeo
* Rubber Soul
* Seventeen
* Snuper
* Srv.Vinci
* Sora tob sakana
* Suchmos
* Tacoyaki Rainbow
* Tautumeitas
* Tokimeki Sendenbu
* TrySail
* Twice
* Unicorn
* UP10TION
* VAV
* VIXX LR
* Wednesday Campanella
* Whiteeeen
* Ziferblat

## Soloist debuts

* Aimyon
* Alina Baraz
* Alessia Cara
* Alex Gonzaga
* Amber
* Anly
* Anne-Marie
* Aurora
* Baek Yerin
* Bea Miller
* Charlie Puth
* Choa
* Daoko
* Daya
* Dean
* Declan McKenna
* Dua Lipa
* Elo
* Elsie
* Halsey
* Horan
* Faouzia
* Ferlyn G
* G2
* Gaeko
* G.Soul
* Goo Hara
* Hailee Steinfeld
* Iñigo Pascual
* Jacob Benedicto
* Jang Hyun-seung
* Jeremy Zucker
* Julien Baker
* Jung Yong-hwa
* Junoflo
* Jonghyun
* Julian Trono
* Kehlani
* Kiiara
* Lee Hongki
* Lizzy
* Mabel
* Marlo Mortel
* Matteo Guidicelli
* Melanie Martinez
* Morissette
* Minah
* Miwoo
* Niel
* Park Jimin
* Patrick Brasca
* Poppy
* Post Malone
* Reol
* Reese Lansangan
* Rita De Guzman
* RM
* Sabrina Carpenter
* Sakura Fujiwara
* Shaun
* Taeyeon
* Wuno
* Lee Tae-il
* Ugly Duck
* Yassi Pressman
* Yezi

## Bands reformed

* 13th Floor Elevators
* The Academy Is...
* A-ha
* Aiden
* Alexisonfire
* Armor for Sleep
* As One
* At the Drive-In
* Bay City Rollers
* The Black Eyed Peas
* Black Grape
* The Bluetones
* Brooks & Dunn
* Busted
* The Corrs
* Daphne and Celeste
* Dashboard Confessional
* Digable Planets
* Disturbed
* Evanescence
* Faithless
* Good Charlotte
* LCD Soundsystem
* Lush
* Matchbook Romance
* The Matches
* Pist.On
* The Promise Ring
* Rainbow
* Royal Trux
* Savatage
* Simply Red
* The Starting Line
* Supertramp
* Symphony Number One
* Thrice
* A Tribe Called Quest
* Underoath
* Ween

## Bands disbanded

* 3 Inches of Blood
* Avi Buffalo
* The Black Crowes
* Bloodhound Gang
* Burzum
* California Breed
* Cali Swag District
* CBS Orchestra
* Cobra Starship
* Device
* Eastern Conference Champions
* Erase Errata
* Flesh for Lulu
* Framing Hanley
* Funeral For a Friend
* Goodbye to Gravity
* G.R.L.
* I, the Breather
* James Last Orchestra
* Kill Hannah
* Klaxons
* Maybeshewill
* Mean Creek
* MellowHype
* Mötley Crüe
* Motörhead
* Neutral Milk Hotel
* Noah and the Whale
* Obits
* Odd Future
* The Replacements
* Rise to Remain
* The Rosso Sisters
* Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts
* Sleeper Agent
* Stereo Kicks
* Texas in July
* The Weakerthans

## Deaths
### January

* 1 – Matthew Cogley (30), British musician and songwriter (Failsafe).
* 6 – Lance Percival (81), British actor and singer.
* 13
** Ronnie Ronalde (91), British siffleur and yodeller.
** Trevor Ward-Davies (70), English bassist (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich)
* 19 – Ward Swingle (87), American jazz singer (The Swingle Singers).
* 22 – Joan Hinde (81), British trumpet player
* 25 – Demis Roussos (68), Greek singer and musician
* 27 – Margot Moir (55), Scottish-born Australian singer (The Moir Sisters).
* 29 – Danny McCulloch (69), British bassist (Eric Burdon & The Animals).

### February

* 12 – Steve Strange (55), British musician (Visage).
* 16 – Lesley Gore (68), American singer
* 21 – Clark Terry (94), American jazz trumpeter.
* 22 – Erik Amundsen (78), Norwegian jazz upright-bassist.
* 23 – Ron Edgar (68), American rock drummer (The Music Machine)

### March

* 21 – Jørgen Ingmann, (89), Danish guitarist.

### April

* 1
** Dave Ball (65), British musician (Procol Harum).
** Sandy Mason (75), American country music singer-songwriter
* 3 – Andrew Porter (86), British organist, music critic, and opera director
* 10 – Ronald Hambleton (97), English-born Canadian broadcaster and music critic (Toronto Star).
* 13 – Ronnie Carroll (80), Northern Irish singer
* 14 – Percy Sledge (74), American soul, gospel and R&B singer
* 17 – Brian Couzens (86), British music industry executive (Chandos Records).
* 18 – Ben E. King (76), American soul and R&B singer

### May

* 6
** Errol Brown (71), British-Jamaican singer (Hot Chocolate)
** Dottie Dillard (91), American pop singer (The Anita Kerr Quartet)
* 14 – B.B. King (89), American blues guitarist.
* 20 – Bob Belden (58), American jazz saxophonist.
* 23 – Marcus Belgrave (78), American jazz trumpeter.
* 31 – Slim Richey (77), American jazz guitarist.

### June

* 11 – Ornette Coleman (85), American jazz saxophonist.
* 12 – Monica Lewis (93), American singer and actress.
* 21 – Gunther Schuller (89), American composer, conductor, and horn player.
* 27 – Joe Bennett (75), American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist (Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones)

### July

* 1
** Val Doonican (88), Irish-born singer.
** Edward Greenfield (86), British music critic and broadcaster.
* 13 – Eric Wrixon (68), British musician from Belfast, Northern Ireland (Them, Thin Lizzy).
* 22
** Daron Norwood (49), American country music singer
** Eddie Hardin (66), British singer-songwriter and pianist (The Spencer Davis Group and Axis Point).
* 30 – Lynn Anderson (67), American country singer
* 31 – Pamela Brandt (68), American country-rock bassist, singer and songwriter (The Deadly Nightshade)

### August

* 1 – Cilla Black (72), British singer and presenter.
* 12 – John Scott (59), British organist and choirmaster.
* 14 – Jazz Summers (71), British music manager (Scissor Sisters, The Verve, Snow Patrol), (lung cancer)
* 20 – Laurent Rossi (67), French singer, songwriter, and record producer (Bimbo Jet)

### September

* 4 – Hal Willis (82), Canadian country music singer
* 13 – Gary Richrath (65), American guitarist (REO Speedwagon)
* 29 – Phil Woods (83), American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer

### October

* 8 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer (Ph.D.)
* 9 – Larry Rosen (75), American drummer, entrepreneur, and music producer.
* 20 – Cory Wells (74), American singer (Three Dog Night)
* 22 – Mark Murphy (83), American singer.
* 28 – Diane Charlemagne (51), English dance singer (52nd Stree, Urban Cookie Collective)

### November

* 5 – Nora Brockstedt, Norwegian singer (92).
* 25 – Svein Christiansen, Norwegian drummer (74).

### December

* 3 – Scott Weiland (48), American musician, singer and songwriter (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver and Art of Anarchy)
* 28
** Guru Josh (51), acid house DJ
** Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (70), English musician, singer and songwriter (Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Rockin' Vickers)
* 30 – Zjef Vanuytsel (70), Belgian folk singer.
* 31 – Natalie Cole (65), American singer, songwriter, and actress (congestive heart failure).