There are rumours circulating that a superstar "sneak attack" is coming this Friday.

That's when an artist releases new songs without giving fans any warning.

And right now there are a few albums due from big-name artists.

Could it be Rihanna? Drake? Frank Ocean? Or maybe even Kanye?

This is of course pure speculation but it's fun to speculate, especially if you end up getting it right.

So this is who we reckon could be giving fans an early Christmas present later this week.

Rihanna

We've been waiting quite a while for Rihanna's new album, Anti.

She's announced a world tour which kicks off in February, so her new tracks will need to be out pretty soon.

But there's a problem: this week Sia revealed that Rihanna hasn't actually finished the album...

Drake

Drake's Views From The 6 album has been rumoured for release early next year.

But this is a man who's dropped two albums without any warning already in 2015 - If You're Reading This It's Too Late and What a Time to Be Alive.

Three in a year?

Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean fans are growing impatient waiting for the follow-up to 2011's Channel Orange.

He said it was going to be released in July, but that didn't happen and no reason was given why.

We feel it's time for him to be frank.

So what is the appeal of 'pulling a Beyonce'?

Back in 2007, Radiohead announced the release of In Rainbows just 10 days before it was made available to fans.

In 2011, they followed it up by putting out The King of Limbs four days after revealing it was ready to go.

There wasn't even a four-day warning when Beyonce's self-titled album dropped on 13 December 2013.

Drake, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar have all employed the "sneak attack" tactic in the past.

There are a number of reasons why. The big one: it prevents the album leaking before an official release date.

We live in an instant age where having the album immediately is far more tempting than waiting for months.

Not everyone can pull off the 'sneak' release

An act needs to be at a certain level to pull this off, which is why it worked for huge global stars Radiohead and Beyonce.

Smaller artists need time to get the message out about new material.

If you haven't heard a single track from an upcoming album, then you are more likely to get excited and buy the whole album if it is a surprise release.

And at a time when sales continue to decline, unless you are Adele the pre-Christmas "sneak" is a good way to get fans to buy your album.

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