As you may know, the 2019 Grammy Nominees were dropped this week. This year’s list is packed with unique and talented musicians, but particularly the Best New Artist line-up. 2018 was a long, long, long year but it brought us a BIG wave of new artists and music. While exciting, this may be overwhelming to some if you haven’t been keeping up with music lately. If this sounds like you, here’s your quick crash course!
By: Maddie Piper
#1: H.E.R.
This Best New Artist nominee is an American R&B Singer/Songwriter who, in order to keep all attention on the music she creates rather than herself, kept her identity anonymous during the release of her two EPs: H.E.R. volume I and H.E.R. volume II. But after releasing her music, she became so popular that she had no choice but to show herself. She started out in music as a ten-year-old musical prodigy by the name of Gabrielle Wilson and was signed to a record label at the age of fourteen. She later chose to go by the acronym H.E.R., meaning “Having Everything Revealed.” This crazy talented artist also has 4 other grammy nominations: Album Of The Year, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song.
#2: Dua Lipa
Next is Dua Lipa, an English singer songwriter who was discovered through her covers on Youtube when she was 14 years old. She’s known for her low, smokey voice, and songs like “IDGAF” and the break-up anthem,”New Rules.” The 22 year old is currently touring her self-titled debut album.
#3 Greta Van Fleet
These guys are a Michigan-based rock band made up of four members from the ages of 19 to 22. Their Zeppelin-esque yet unique and electric sound gives the modern music world not only an awesome throwback vibe, but also a new and refreshing take on the classic rock’n roll genre. The EPs From the Fires and Black Smoke Rising got this group three other Grammy nods; Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance.
#4 Margo Price
This country girl made a name for herself this year after the release of her first two albums. Her first, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter got her dubbed Country Music’s next star in 2016, and her second album, All American Made got lots of attention, including her Grammy nod. Her potent lyrics address social issues in modern America such as the Patriarchy, as well as the institutions set against the working class.
#5 Bebe Rexha
This New York City-based American singer, songwriter, and self-taught record producer is all over the place. Not only does she have her own popular songs including “I’m a Mess” and “Meant To Be” with Florida Georgia Line, but she also wrote songs for the likes of Eminem, Tinashe, Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, and Iggy Azalea. Her Studio album, “Expectations” came out June 22, 2018 following her multiple collaborations and EPs.
#6 Jorja Smith
Smith is an English Singer-Songwriter who, since 2016, has released multiple singles including collaborations with Drake and many other artists. She started writing songs at the age of 11, inspired by the political and social issues she experienced growing up in Walsall, West Midlands. She has been compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse, and her strong and poignant lyrics on her album Lost & Found got her to number 3 on the UK charts.
#7 Luke Combs
This American Country singer-songwriter is definitely an unconventional success and is loved for his down to earth attitude and powerful music. In 2015, after releasing two EPs, he dropped his single, “Hurricane” which hit #1 on iTunes. Combs started singing in high school and learned guitar while in college, and has only been making music for about six years. This unconventional success is taking the music world by storm.
#8 Chloe x Halle
This sister duo from Atlanta Georgia got their start doing covers on Youtube. The two girls were discovered in 2013 after a record label saw their cover of Beyonce’s “Pretty Hurts,” so their soulful voices and sweet harmonies got them a strong fanbase long before the release of their debut album The Kids Are Alright in March of 2018. They were also recently the opening act for Beyonce and JAY-Z’s On the Run tour, and you can see them act on the TV show Grown-ish.
So there’s the nominees for Best New Artist at the 2019 Grammy Awards! 2018 experienced quite a wave of new artists and music, so we hope this helped you feel a little more caught up, and maybe even got you some new artists to listen to. Who do you hope to see win this year?
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