The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2012 in music in the United States.
Notable events January 7 – Katy Perry's single "The One That Got Away" reaches #1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, making her album, Teenage Dream, the first album in history to have seven songs from the same album reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It is also only the third album in history to have six singles from the same album reach the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. 20 – Etta James dies of leukemia at age 73.
February 4 – Adele's single "Set Fire to the Rain" reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her album, 21, the first album in history to have three #1 songs from the same album by a British female artist. 5 – During Super Bowl XLVI Kelly Clarkson performed the National Anthem, and Madonna performed during the halftime show. The twelve-minute performance becomes the most watched television event of all time, gathering a record 118 million viewers, six more than the game itself. Subsequently, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" becomes Madonna's 38th top ten hit and her 41st #1 hit on the dance charts. 11 – Music icon Whitney Houston is found dead at the age of 48 in her Los Angeles hotel room hours before a pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis. Further investigations reveal cocaine in her system, but the cause of death is ruled as heart disease and drowning. Sales of her albums spike, and "I Will Always Love You" re-enters the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. 12 – The 54th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Adele won six awards for her album 21, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year (the latter two for "Rolling in the Deep"). Bon Iver wins Best New Artist. Kanye West and the Foo Fighters swept in their respective categories, with Kanye winning 4 Grammys and the Foo Fighters taking 5. 28 – Terrorizer released their first studio album in six years, Hordes of Zombies. 28 – Corrosion of Conformity released their first studio album in seven years, Corrosion of Conformity. 29 – Davy Jones of the band The Monkees dies in Florida after suffering a severe heart attack at the age of 66.
March 3 – Adele becomes the first female artist to have three singles in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, and the first female artist to have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. Katy Perry's single "Part of Me" debuts at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming only the 20th song in history to debut atop the chart. It is her seventh consecutive top five single on the chart. 26 – Madonna released her twelfth studio album MDNA, which becomes her eighth #1 album on the Billboard 200, debuting with 359,000 copies sold in the second week. 26 – Joan Osborne released her first studio album in four years, Bring It on Home.
April 1 – The Academy of Country Music Awards took place in Las Vegas. This was the last year Reba McEntire hosted until 2018. 4 – Justin Bieber's single, "Boyfriend", has the second-highest first week sales of a new single, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, later on surpassed by Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" with 623,000 sales making Bieber the third highest first week sale. 10 – Counting Crows released their first album in four years, Underwater Sunshine (or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation). 26 – Chiodos' original lead singer, Craig Owens, rejoins the band after being let go in September 2009, replacing Brandon Bolmer, who departed Chiodos in March. Drummer Derrick Frost also rejoins the band, replacing Tanner Wayne, who left with Bolmer in March. 28 – Gotye became the first Belgian-Australian solo artist to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Somebody That I Used To Know". 29 – Kevin Richardson rejoined the Backstreet Boys permanently, after roughly six years of departure.
May 1 – Pennywise releases All or Nothing, their only album to feature Ignite singer Zoli Téglás on lead vocals, following the August 2009 departure of original lead singer Jim Lindberg. 4 – Rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys dies of cancer at the age of 47. 8 – Jermaine Paul wins the second season of The Voice. Juliet Simms is named runner-up. Tony Lucca and Chris Mann finishing third and fourth place respectively. 15 – Garbage released their first studio album in seven years, Not Your Kind of People. Tenacious D released her first studio album in six years, Rize of the Fenix. 17 – Donna Summer, known as "The Queen of Disco", dies of cancer at age 63. 20 – The Billboard Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 23 – Phillip Phillips is crowned winner of the eleventh season of American Idol while Jessica Sanchez is named runner-up. 29 – Doc Watson dies after complications from abdominal surgery at age 89.
August 1 – No Use for a Name frontman Tony Sly dies at the age of 41 of a drug overdose. 2 – Blink-182 celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band with a worldwide tour simply called 20th Anniversary Tour. 4 – Ministry reunited at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. 7 – Sixpence None the Richer released her first studio album in four years, Lost in Transition. 9 – The Monkees announce that Michael Nesmith rejoined the band for a twelve city tour of the U.S.. 12 – Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" peaks at No. 2, becoming her ninth and final Top 10 single from the Teenage Dream era. 28 – TobyMac debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his sixth full-length studio album Eye on It. The album was the first Christian release since 1997 to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
September 4 – Matchbox Twenty released their first studio album in ten years, North. 6 – The MTV Video Music Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 11 – DMX released his first studio album in six years, Undisputed. 21 – Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day has a meltdown at the iHeartRadio Festival when the tour promoters cut their performance short to extend time for Usher's performance. During their performance of Basket Case, he decides to stop the song and goes on a profanity-filled rant, even going as to say that he's "not Justin Bieber". Billie then smashes his guitar alongside Mike Dirnt, flips off the officials and throws the microphone. He enters rehab the next day. 25 – No Doubt released their first studio album in eleven years, Push and Shove.
October 16 – Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard released his solo debut, Former Lives. 22 – Taylor Swift released her anticipated album, Red. The album sold 1,208,000 copies in its first week in the U.S, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, the second highest debut for a female artist. 30 – The Coup released their first studio album in six years, Sorry to Bother You.
November 1 – The CMA Awards took place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted for the fifth year in a row.
December 18 – Cassadee Pope wins the third season of The Voice. Terry McDermott is named runner-up. Nicholas David finishing third place. 19 – Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was charged with multiple sexual offences against minors, infants and animals. In December 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment plus six years of extended supervision on licence.
Bands formed
3rdeyegirl Body/Head The Chainsmokers Chelsea Light Moving Dan + Shay Device Emblem3 Fifth Harmony Flying Colors Greta Van Fleet MisterWives On An On Perfect Pussy PVRIS Skaters Them Are Us Too The Winery Dogs X Ambassadors
Bands reformed
98 Degrees The Afghan Whigs At the Drive-In The Beach Boys (classic lineup) Black Tambourine (single performance) Cannibal Ox Coal Chamber Dark New Day Desaparecidos Die Kreuzen Firehose (tour only) Garbage Grandaddy Jonas Brothers Matchbook Romance Matchbox Twenty The Monkees No Doubt The Obsessed Phantom Planet The Procussions The Replacements Van Halen
Bands on hiatus
The Black Eyed Peas Every Avenue Foo Fighters Incubus LMFAO Ludo Oceano Rage Against the Machine Scissor Sisters She Wants Revenge Staind Thrice Thursday
Bands disbanded
Beastie Boys Behind Crimson Eyes The Books Buffalo Springfield The Carrier Creed Das Racist David Crowder Band Defiance Diddy-Dirty Money D.R.U.G.S. The Dubliners Girls Handsome Furs Hole INXS It Dies Today Jack's Mannequin Jet Made Out of Babies Matchbook Romance MC5 Meg & Dia Morningwood Pretty Ricky Radio 4 Revis Rock Bottom Remainders Selena Gomez & the Scene Seven Mary Three Sherwood Sons and Daughters A Static Lullaby This Time Next Year Vains of Jenna Ween Women WU LYF
Albums released in 2012 List of 2012 albums
January DateAlbumArtistGenre(s)10Live from the KitchenYo GottiHip hopThese TimesSafetySuitSocraticSocraticPop-punk17Beautiful Things Anthony GreenIndieKidz Bop 21Kidz Bop KidsPop24100 Proof Kellie PicklerCountryAttack on MemoryCloud NothingsThe Church of Rock and RollFoxy ShazamEmotional TrafficTim McGrawCountryHuman Again Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid announces her new album. November 15, 2011.Indie popiSoundtrack IIiCarlyPopLet's Go Eat the FactoryGuided by VoicesIndie rockResolution Lamb of GodSomething ChairliftThe Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy Nada SurfAlternative rockWe're Here with YouJulien KWishing WellCheyenne Marie MizeFolk rock31 Beyond Magnetic (EP)MetallicaBorn to Die Lana Del ReyInvicta Hit the Lights
February DateAlbumArtistGenre(s)7Blues Funeral Mark LaneganA Different Kind of Truth Van HalenGo Fly a Kite Ben KwellerHome Dierks BentleyCountryScars & Stories The FrayTramp Sharon Van EttenIndie folk14Continued Silence EPImagine DragonsKing or the Fool Tony WilliamsR&BMuscle Car ChroniclesCurren$ySki Beatz 24 Hour Karate School Presents Twilight Ski BeatzHip hop21Breakfast Chiddy BangHip hopCareless World: Rise of the Last King TygaHip hopElectric Sea BucketheadOn the Impossible Past The Menzingers Reign of Terror Sleigh BellsSome Nights fun.24History SpeaksDeep Sea DiverIndie rock28Black Belt Theatre Planet AsiaHip hopBlack Radio Robert Glasper ExperimentCorrosion of ConformityCorrosion of ConformityThe Day After TomorrowMainoHip hopGhostory School of Seven BellsGod Save the King CopywriteHip hopHordes of Zombies TerrorizerDeathgrindThe Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2Stones Throw Records & Minimal Wave RecordsNo Trespassing Too $hortHip hopPIL2 Ja RuleHip hopWZRD WZRDAlternative rock
March DateAlbumArtistGenre(s)6Break it Yourself Andrew BirdHit Me Like a Man EP The Pretty RecklessMia Pharaoh Miniature TigersMilk Famous White RabbitsIndie rockNow FireflightRapper's Best Friend 2 The AlchemistHip hopRigmarole Pep LoveHip hopThreads Now, NowIndie rockWrecking Ball Bruce Springsteen13Anarchy, My Dear Say AnythingFelony Flats Anya MarinaLetters from Birmingham Ruben StuddardPort of Morrow The ShinsRockQ.B. O.G.: The Best of MC Shan MC ShanSouth Bronx Teachings: A Collection of Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down ProductionsHip hopTorture Cannibal CorpseDeath metal20Building Brian Larsen"Trailer for Brian Larsen's Forthcoming Album, "Building" – Coming 2011" Retrieved February 13, 2011The General Strike Anti-FlagPunk rockMixed Emotions TanlinesThe Odd Future Tape Vol. 2 Odd FutureHip hopRadio Music Society Esperanza SpaldingContemporary jazzUnexpected Arrival Diggy27Amaryllis ShinedownThe Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 1 E-40Hip hopThe Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 2The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 3Covered Macy GrayThe Electric AgeOverkillThrash metalKids in the Street The All-American RejectsKolexxxion Bumpy Knuckles & DJ PremierHip hopMDNA MadonnaThe Next Logical Progression Gift of GabHip hopThe Night the Sun Came Up DevNoctourniquetThe Mars Volta Take Me to Your Leader ¡Mayday!Relapse MinistrySeedsGeorgia Anne Muldrow & MadlibTeenage Dream: The Complete Confection Katy PerryTuskegeeLionel RichieVulnerable The Used
April