Following an unpredictable year brimming with wacky celebrity engagements, delayed concerts and a weeklong Texas “snowpocalypse,” UT students relished in cheering away a year of chaos as the clock struck midnight this New Year’s Eve. 

Despite the twists and turns of the recent past, The Daily Texan asked students to attempt the impossible — predict the future. Sharing mixed feelings of fear and excitement, UT students shared their pop culture predictions for 2022.

Instead of releasing an album, Rihanna will get involved with unconventional business endeavors. 

“There’s never going to be another Rihanna album,” business freshman Bella Banda said.  “I think she’s gonna get into furniture. She’s gonna get into something weird like that, and then everybody’s gonna start listening to or watching her again.”

Many fashion trends from last year will carry over to 2022 and grow in popularity.

“I feel like low rise jeans are gonna come back, and there’s gonna be this whole movement of body positivity,” Lynna Benhamou, a biology and environmental sciences sophomore, said. “In terms of hair, I feel like a lot of people are gonna … dye prints in their hair, like cheetah prints. I hope so, I think it looks great.”

Mainstream music will take inspiration from the sound of the 1960s and 70s. 

“I feel like the groovy vibe is gonna come back, like 60s and 70s type of music,” Benhamou said. “There’s this one band that’s Austin-based called Sarah and the Sundays, and I feel like some of their songs definitely (have) that kind of vibe.” 

2022 will be a strong year for television, and comedies will especially thrive.

“I think it’s going to be a really strong year for TV because of the pandemic,” Samia Arni, a political communication and urban studies sophomore, said. “So many shows shut down production and started up back in the fall or summer of 2021. On top of new content we’re supposed to get this year, we’re gonna see a lot of the shows that were supposed to come out last year. It’s particularly going to be great for comedies and sitcoms. ‘Russian Doll’ on Netflix is supposed to come back this year. ‘Ramy’ on Hulu is supposed to come back this year.”

International films will play a significant role in entertainment this year.

“I’m hoping there’s more of an interest in foreign films,” Arni said. “With ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game,’ K-dramas and Korean movies have been in wider interest, so I hope that also extends with other cultures as well. There’s so many good film cultures outside of the West, so I hope they get more recognition. I think Netflix, in particular, has been doing a good job in investing resources into that.”