MS. LAURYN HILL Before you even ask, the answer is: No, she doesn’t have a new album yet. Hill has been dogged by that inquiry — a plea, really — since releasing her last studio album, 1998’s hip-hop classic and Grammy winner “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” While fans continue to wait for new music, Hill has enlivened her back catalog with updated and sometimes startling rearrangements of her songs both as a solo artist and with the Fugees. July 31, 8 p.m. Tickets: $55-$75. House of Blues. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
IMELDA MAY Pitched somewhere between sultry Vegas nightclub act and Wanda Jackson on the 1950s rockabilly circuit, this Irish singer spits fire on her forthcoming album, “Tribal.” A new mother, May defies expectations and lets loose on her latest, burning low and slow one minute and burrowing deep into her punk influences the next. July 31, 8 p.m. Tickets: $17. Paradise Rock Club. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
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KATY PERRY “I am a champion/ And you’re gonna hear me roar.” That’s Perry flexing some muscle on last year’s “Prism,” her third studio album that wasn’t quite a commercial juggernaut but still a strong effort by the pop star. Perry comes to town for a two-night stand that will skim the new album while dipping into her other inescapable hits, from “Hot N Cold” to “Teenage Dream.” Capital Cities open. Aug. 1-2, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25-$149.50. TD Garden. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com