Best new artist
Many Grammy winners for best new artist have gone on to long and distinguished careers. The Beatles, the GOAT of all groups, won the award in 1965. Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas and one of the top artists in pop and R&B history, won in 1991. Adele, who has the longest-running No. 1 album by a solo woman in Billboard 200 history, won in 2012. Billie Eilish, who won nine Grammys and two Oscars before her 23rd birthday, won in 2020.
Two eventual EGOT recipients, Marvin Hamlisch and John Legend, are past best new artist winners.
Other past winners of note include Bobby Darin (the first winner, in 1959), Jose Feliciano, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Carpenters, Carly Simon, Natalie Cole, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Sade, Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Tracy Chapman, Toni Braxton, Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rimes, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood and Sam Smith.
All of the aforementioned acts have received at least one additional Grammy nomination since their best new artist wins. But 13 past winners for best new artist haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since their night of glory. We’re not including this year’s winner, Victoria Monét, because she obviously hasn’t had an opportunity yet to add to her nomination tally.
We’re also not including four groups that haven’t been nominated since winning best new artist because one or more members were nominated on their own. America wasn’t nominated after winning in 1973, but Dan Peek, a member of that trio, was, for best gospel performance, contemporary or inspirational, for his album All Things Are Possible. Culture Club wasn’t nominated after winning in 1984, but Boy George was, twice – best pop vocal performance, male for “The Crying Game” and best dance recording for “When Will You Learn.”
Hootie & the Blowfish weren’t nominated after winning in 1996, but Darius Rucker won best country solo performance for “Wagon Wheel.” And fun. wasn’t nominated after winning in 2013 (no surprise since they haven’t released another album since their win), but Jack Antonoff and Nate Ruess have both been nominated since that night. Ruess received two nods for “Just Give Me a Reason,” his hit collab with P!nk. Antonoff has won nine Grammys since that night.
Here’s a list of past winners for best new artist who haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since.
Robert Goulet
08/12/2024
Remarkably, 10 of those 14 artists are women.
08/12/2024
Victoria Monét won her long overdue first Grammy on Sunday night (Feb. 4), beating Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll and Ice Spice, among others, for the coveted best new artist trophy. She also won best R&B album for Jaguar II and best engineered album, non-classical. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Seasoned veterans dominated in this year’s major Grammy categories, but come time for the best new artist reveal, it’ll be eight of music’s freshest faces that get a moment to shine.
The rising stars in the running for 2024’s best new artist span all ages, backgrounds and genres, but they all have one thing in common — each one shook up their respective corners of the music world in the past year alone. For starters, there’s Ice Spice, who collaborated with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, scored four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed a feature on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie soundtrack in 2023. (The 24-year-old may also be the first nominee to ever drop a song with the word “fart” in its title just days before the Grammy ceremony.)
Speaking of Swift — who is nominated six times this year — the pop superstar has two musicians to root for in the best new artist race. In addition to Ice, she’s also buddies with 24-year-old Gracie Abrams, who opened for a slew of Eras Tour dates last year after dropping her long awaited debut album Good Riddance. The “Anti-Hero” singer was one of the first people to congratulate Abrams when the nominations dropped in November, as the indie pop darling previously revealed to Billboard.
Who else did Abrams celebrate with? Fellow nominee Noah Kahan, whose Stick Season has been a mainstay on the charts since its 2023 re-release. “Noah FaceTimed me immediately, and he’s just the f–king best ever,” she gushed at the time. “We kind of were just screaming at each other on the phone like, ‘Let’s pregame and sit with our moms at the awards!’”
When it comes to the country space, however, possibly no one’s name was brought up more this year than Jelly Roll’s. The genre-bending Nashville native made history on the rock and country charts this year thanks to his single “Need A Favor.”
Longtime Ariana Grande collaborator Victoria Monét is also getting her flowers at this year’s awards. She’s the only best new artist nominee this year to also have a nod in one of the other “Big Four” categories, with her song “On My Mama” making the running for record of the year.
Rounding out the category are “ICU” singer Coco Jones, English DJ fred again.. and husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty. Most of the candidates brushed shoulders and gave performances at Spotify’s best new artist party Thursday night (Feb. 1), one of many Grammy week events in the build-up to the big night.
And though it’s ultimately up to the Recording Academy to whom the award goes, you have the chance to decide below. Vote for who you think should take the best new artist crown at the 2024 Grammys here:
Spotify‘s annual best new artist party is returning for Grammy Week 2024.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, the streamer will showcase live performances from Grammys best new artist nominees Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, Victoria Monet and Jelly Roll, among others, at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The event kicks off at 7 p.m.
“2024 marks eight years since launching Spotify’s Best New Artist campaign and seven years that we have hosted the party to honor the nominees,” says Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music, in a statement. “Our mission is to support new artists and artist development, and BNA is a moment to honor the best of the best. It’s been incredible to celebrate with the artists and their teams and see this event grow to what it has become today.”
“Our team has been working for months to bring this event to life,” added Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music partnerships & audience. “Not only do we get to celebrate the artists, but we also get to lift up our partners on the labels, publishers, management and industry teams who we work with day in and day out. Spotify prides itself on being the premiere partner for artists of all stages and their teams. It’s a privilege to not only showcase the incredible art being made but also bring opportunities to artists that help propel careers to the next level.”
The year’s other best new artist nominees are Fred again.., Ice Spice, Coco Jones and The War and Treaty.
Spotify first hosted its best new artist Grammy party in 2017, when it showcased performances by two nominees: The Chainsmokers and Maren Morris. Last year, the party featured performances from all 10 best new artist nominees — Anitta, Omar Apollo, Domi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, Wet Leg and eventual winner Samara Joy — at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
The 10 2023 Latin Grammy nominees for best new artist showed what they’re made of on Tuesday night (Nov. 14) at the Best New Artist Showcase. The event hosted by the Latin Recording Academy for the second consecutive year highlights and promotes these emerging talents.
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From Colombian singer-songwriter Maréh to Puerto Rican artist GALE, Brazilian singer Natascha Falcão, Mexican band Conexión Divina, Colombian pop/rock trio Timø, Venezuelan singer-songwriter Joaquina and more, one-by-one they took the stage to perform a song of their own and another one by an artist who’s inspired them.
“This is a very significant event within Latin Grammy Week because it elevates the nominees in the category of best new artist, and this category gives life to a fundamental part of the Academy’s mission, which is to celebrate the new generation of creators and support them on their path on the world stages,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, at the beginning of the ceremony.
“With these types of initiatives we reaffirm our commitment to supporting new talents. Especially… where diversity and inclusion are promoted,” he added. “The 10 nominees who will perform on this stage today represent precisely that, and they require your full support.”
Held at the Centro Cultural Magallanes in Seville, Spain, the showcase began with host David Bisbal — winner of the Latin Grammy for best new artist in 2003 — performing a medley of hits, including “Esclavo de sus Besos,” “Bulería” and “Ave María,” which got the crowd dancing. “Twenty years ago I was nominated to this same award, so I can understand perfectly what this means to them,” the Spaniard star said.
This year, each nominee was introduced by a well-known artist who served as their “godparent.” Carlos Vives supported Colombian singer Ana del Castillo, saying that she “represents the female revolution of vallenato”; Christian Nodal presented Conexión Divina, noting that “regional Mexican music is experiencing a historic moment largely thanks” to young people like them; Yotuel introduced GALE, whom he called “an incredible musician… [whose] spirit will make her conquer the whole world”; and Gaby Moreno backed Joaquina, whom she praised for her “tremendous talent for capturing experiences and feelings of her generation.”
The latter two were among the most applauded of the night, with Joaquina performing a cover of “Es Por Ti” by Juanes accompanied by the in-house band and a powerful piano rendition (which she played herself) of her ballad “Rabia”. GALE, who closed the showcase, played her hit “Problemas” and Shakira’s “Inevitable.”
Other nominees who had outstanding performances included Mexican singer Paola Guanche, who presented her soulful ballad “Prohibido” and Celia Cruz’s classic “Bemba Colorá;” Conexión Divina, with their sublime “Odio” and Marco Antonio Solís’ “Si No Te Hubieras Ido;” and the Brazilian Falcão with a beautiful performance of her song in Portuguese “Banho de Flor.”
Maréh brought some bossa nova flavor with “Amuleto” and also performed “Pedro Navaja” by Rubén Blades; León Leiden sang “A Thousand Ways” and Miguel Bosé’s “Morena Mía;” Ana del Castillo performed “A Medias” and a cover of “Amores Extraños” by Laura Pausini; Mexican Borja “Rimas del Verbo Amar” and Alejandro Sanz’s “Y Si Fuera Ella;” and Timø “Conquistar El Planeta” plus “Mariposa Tecknicolor” by Fito Páez.
The annual Latin Grammys — which will be held outside the United States for the first time — will be broadcast from the Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Spain on Thursday (Nov. 16) at 8 p.m. ET on Univision, UniMás and Galavisión in the U.S., and at 10:30 p.m. CET on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in Spain. Danna Paola, Sebastián Yatra, Roselyn Sánchez and Paz Vega will serve as co-hosts.
What constitutes a new artist? It’s a question that’s likely on the minds of many who have pored over the list of best new artist nominees at next year’s Grammys.
Indeed, this year’s crop — announced along with the rest of the nominees on Friday (Nov. 10) — includes several acts with notably deep discographies. Jelly Roll — one of 2023’s biggest breakthroughs — started releasing a long string of albums more than a decade ago. Victoria Monét put out her debut EP way back in 2015. And prior to releasing this year’s Lover’s Game, Americana duo The War and Treaty already had three albums under their belt and years of experience outside the band before that.
This is far from a new phenomenon. Chance the Rapper, who won best new artist in 2017, had released three albums prior to winning the award. Lizzo had also put out three full-lengths, including her breakthrough smash Cuz I Love You, prior to her 2020 nomination in the category. And the category’s 2011 winner, Esperanza Spalding, had likewise put out a trio of albums prior to taking home the award.
Some of this is the result of The Recording Academy changing the eligibility criteria over the last decade-and-a-half. After Lady Gaga was deemed ineligible for best new artist in 2010 because she’d been nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording the year prior, the academy updated its rules to allow previous nominees to be nominated for best new artist — just as long as they hadn’t actually won a Grammy, or released an entire album.
Six years after that, the academy again updated the eligibility requirements “to remove the album barrier given current trends in how new music and developing artists are released and promoted.” It also required artists to have “released a minimum of five singles/tracks or one album, but no more than 30 singles/tracks or three albums” in order to qualify.
In 2020, the academy updated the requirements once more by declining to specify the “maximum number of releases” an artist could put out before being deemed ineligible. Instead, it stated that “screening committees will determine whether the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence prior to the eligibility year.” Today, the academy officially describes the category as recognizing “an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.” In sum, the definition of “new” has become more open-ended than ever.
That may be why this year’s group of nominees is arguably one of the most head-scratching in Grammys history. Below, we take a look at just how “new” this year’s best new artist nominees really are.
The 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony will be telecast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4.
Gracie Abrams
Image Credit: Danielle Neu
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