Drake announces surprise release of new album Honestly, Nevermind

The rapper shocked and delighted fans with the surprise announcement on his Instagram. Photo / Getty Images

Drake surprised his Instagram followers this morning with the announcement that his latest album Honestly, Nevermind is only hours away.

The Canadian hitmaker posted the cover art of the project, alongside the simple caption: "7th studio album HONESTLY, NEVERMIND out at midnight."

Although the 35-year-old's Instagram post provides little detail, it was liked by Kanye West almost immediately, leading to commenters speculating the hip-hop artist may be featured on the album.

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Drake's sixth album Certified Lover Boy was only released last year and he had made no mention of a follow-up, making the announcement an even bigger shock.

However, the swiftness of the project could be partly attributed to the musician's recently reported signing of a $400 million (NZ$629m) record deal.

Variety reported in May that the rapper had signed an "expansive, multi-faceted deal" with Universal Music Group. The deal "encompasses recordings, publishing, merchandise and visual media projects".

More details on Honestly, Nevermind are expected in this afternoon's premiere episode of Drake's new SiriusXM radio show Table for One. The programme will air at 3pm NZT, one hour before the album's release at 4pm NZT.

In November last year, the Recording Academy nominated Certified Lover Boy for a Best Rap Album Grammy and Drake's hit song Way 2 Sexy for Best Rap Performance. However, the rapper later withdrew himself from contention for the awards.

Honestly, Nevermind comes hot on the heels of another highly-anticipated album announced today, Beyonce also took to social media this morning, where she revealed "Act 1" of her next project Renaissance would be released on July 29. This will be the superstar's first solo album since her critically acclaimed Lemonade album in 2016.