2013 was a big year for artists releasing new studio albums, from some of the biggest pop stars in the world to breakout electronic acts.

Many female pop stars released new albums in 2013, including Miley Cyrus with Bangerz, Katy Perry with PRISM and Lady Gaga with ARTPOP. Each of these albums went to no. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Ariana Grande released her first album in 2013 as well, debuting at no. 1.

It was a male pop star, though, that had the highest debut of the year. Justin Timberlake debuted The 20/20 Experience to almost 1 million copies sold in the first week. Boy band One Direction sold almost 700,000 copies of their latest album Midnight Memories. Robin Thicke became more popular than ever with the title track of his latest album Blurred Lines.

Some of the world's most prominent rappers also released new albums in 2013, including Eminem with The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Jay-Z with Magna Carta Holy Grail, Kanye West with Yeezus and Drake with Nothing Was the Same. Additionally, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis exploded on to the scene with their debut album The Heist.

As for more alternative acts, newcomer Lorde has turned into one of the breakout artists of 2013 with her album Pure Heroine. Electronic duo Daft Punk came back after a seven-year hiatus with their wildly successful album Random Access Memories.

Finally, Beyonce surprised the music industry and the world with the release of her self-titled album on Thursday, Dec. 13. 

Here's a gallery of the most talked about albums of 2013: