Best New Artists

The Grammy Awards are an annual music awards event hosted by the Recording Academy to honor excellence in the music industry. A Grammy is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards an artist, producer, songwriter, etc. could receive in the music industry. The show recognizes most genres of music in different aspects, however, “The Big Four” categories and their nominees are usually the talk of the town. These categories are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist–which we will take a look at the nominees for here. 

The press list from the Recording Academy defines the Best New Artist Category as “[…] an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) [music released between September 16, 2023 through August 30, 2024] achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape” (Recording Academy). Previous winners of the award include: Olivia Rodrigo, Adele, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and many more incredible acts. The nominees for this year include: Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims. Let’s dive in to find out who they are, where they come from, and how their year in music led to such an honorable nomination. 

Benson Boone

The 22 year old singer received his first Grammy nomination after releasing his debut album Fireworks and Rollerblades in April of 2024. He is from Monroe, Washington and got his start in the music industry from covering songs on Tiktok and appearing on American Idol in 2021. After being sent to Hollywood, he took a step back from the show to focus on his personal career where he was signed to Night Street Records in partnership with Warner Records by Imagine Dragons’ Daniel Reynolds. His debut single, “Ghost Town”, made Billboard’s top 100 songs on its release. Boone opened for Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour in London this year, as well as headlining his own world tour. His song, “Beautiful Things”, peaked at number 2 on US charts and is recognized as Spotify’s second most streamed song of 2024. 

Other songs you may know: “In The Stars”, “Slow it Down”, “Cry”, “Death Wish Love” (from the movie Twisters).

Sabrina Carpenter

Despite the nominated Short n’ Sweet being her sixth studio album, Sabrina Carpenter is one of the nominees in the Best New Artist category. Stealing the hearts of many, Carpenter had an outstanding year earning six nominations total at this year’s Grammy Awards, earning a nomination in all four big categories.  The singer gained popularity from her role as Maya Hart on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World. From this role she was signed to Disney’s Hollywood Records where she released her first four albums. In 2021 she moved to Island Records where she then released emails i can’t send and Short n’ Sweet. Also opening for Taylor Swift this year, Carpenter headlined her first arena tour in the US. Her song “Espresso” took over pop radio when she released it before her performance at Coachella and was Spotify’s most streamed song globally in 2024. She then released “Please Please Please” and earned her first number one hit on the Billboard top 100 chart. 

Other songs you may know: “Taste”, “Feather”, “Nonsense”, “Juno”, “Bed Chem”

Doechii

The rapper from Tampa, Florida earned her first three Grammy nominations this year in the Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album, and Best New Artist categories. Doechii started sharing her music on platforms like SoundCloud and Youtube until 2021 when her single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” went viral on Tiktok, gaining the attention of many record labels. She signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in partnership with Capitol Records where she would go to release “What it is (Block Boy)” with Kodak Black and earn her first platinum certification. Her latest release, Alligator Bites Never Heal peaked at number 33 on the United States charts and is celebrated for its diverse sound. Doechii has headlined her own tour and has been an opening act for artists like Kendrick Lamar and SZA. 

Other songs you may know: “DENIAL IS A RIVER”, “NISSAN ALTIMA”, “Balloon ft. Doechii” (from Tyler the Creator’s Chromakopia). 

Khruangbin

Khruangbin is a vocal trio consisting of Laura Lee ( bass), Mark Speer (guitar), and Donald “DJ” Johnson (drums) releasing music influenced by soul, funk, and psychedelic rock genres. The name “Khruangbin” is Thai and can be translated to airplane, the group describes this name to represent the cross culture sound they have in their music. Their latest release A La Sala and their huge international success led to their first nomination under the Best New Artist category at this year’s Grammy Awards. 

Other songs you may know: “Texas Sun”, “Mariella”, “People Everywhere (Still Alive)”.

RAYE

RAYE is a British singer-songwriter who rose to fame through her many collaborations and songwriting features, some including Beyoncé and David Guetta. After leaving a record label for claiming they would not release her debut album, she became an independent artist where she would go on to release a masters recorded version of her album My 21st Century Blues. RAYE earned her first UK number one with her single “Escapism” after going viral on social media. Her sound can be summarized as a mix of R&B, pop, soul, and dance. She has supported many artists on their tours including, Taylor Swift, Lewis Capaldi, SZA, and Kali Uchis. RAYE has received six Brit awards during her career and is nominated for three Grammys this year. 

Other songs you may know: “Prada”, “Oscar Winning Tears”, “Moi” (with Central Cee).

Chappell Roan

Missouri native, Chappell Roan, gained popularity over the last few years for her energetic sound and unapologetic personality. Roan had to face the lows of the music industry to find the success she has today.  She began working with producer Dan Nigro in 2018 and released the hit “Pink Pony Club” in April 2020. Despite the release of this song, Chappell Roan was dropped from Atlantic Records. From getting dropped by her record label and having to move back and forth from Los Angeles to Missouri, Roan continued to write music independently. Nigro and Roan began working together again after his focus from Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour shifted and they wrote “Naked in Manhattan” which NPR described as a “queer girl bop.” From this moment on, Chappell Roan continued to write and release music to eventually release her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. The success of the album, and the incredible year she had left her with six nominations at this year’s awards. 

Other songs you may know: “HOT TO GO,” “Good Luck, Babe!,” “Femininomenon”. 

Shaboozey

Shaboozey racked up five nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards from the success of his song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”. The Virginia native began releasing music in 2014 and released his debut album in 2018 with Republic Records. He gained traction from his collaboration with Duckwrth on “Start a Riot” that was featured in Marvel’s animated movie, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse. Prior to the release of “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey was asked to be on Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER where he is credited with two features. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” sample’s J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” and spent 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 100 list. It is tied with the record set by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” for the longest running Hot 100 song ever. 

Other songs you may know: “Good News,” “Drink Don’t Need No Mix (feat. BigXthaPlug),” “My Fault (feat. Noah Cyrus)”.

Teddy Swims 

Teddy Swims is an American singer-songwriter from Georgia who rose to fame with his single 2023 “Lose Control.” Prior to his success, Swims would upload song covers to a Youtube Channel in 2019 and 2020 and was in various rock bands. His music draws inspiration from pop. country, and soul genres. I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy is his debut album that was released in September 2023 and peaked at 17 on the US Charts. Swims has worked with Maren Morris, X Ambassadors, and Megan Trainor. Later this year he is a supporting act for Thomas Rhett’s concert at Fenway Park.  The Best New Artist nomination is Swim’s first Grammy nomination. 

Other songs you may know: “The Door,” “Bad Dreams,” “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Woman” (With Thomas Rhett).

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