Adele, John Legend, and Mariah Carey have more in common than just powerhouse vocals. Each of these now-superstars have been recipients of the Grammy award for Best New Artist.
So, while the award may not be necessary for stardom, it's definitely a good indicator that a performer isn't merely a flash in the pan.
The Best New Artist nominees aren't necessarily a collection of bright and shiny newcomers. While some stars have nabbed a nomination after releasing their freshman album, others only earned a nod after hitting their stride. The "Best New Artist" may not always be "new" to fans, but it's one way for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to celebrate musicians with a promising future.
Any artist of any style can score a nomination — it's merely a coincidence that, for the past two years, the prize has been handed out to R&B artists. Last year, Meghan Trainor took home the honour, while in 2015 the award went to Sam Smith.
This year the nominees are all across the board. From rap to EDM, there's likely an artist on this list repping your favourite style. Click through to find out who's nominated for the 2017 award — and who could be on the musical landscape for a very long time.
Anderson . Paak
.Paak — formerly known as Breezy Lovejoy — released a 2012 album under his original moniker before moving to .Paak for 2014's Venice. The California native's most recent album Malibu was also nominated this year in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. He's already earned the respect of a major rap icon: he has performed on six tracks on Dr. Dre's 2015 album Compton.
Chance the Rapper
The Chicago native is nominated for a ton of Grammys this year. In addition to Best New Artist, he received a nod for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Rap Album. Though he's been in the music game for a while, the 23-year-old's third mixtape, Coloring Book, which boasted collaborations with everyone from Justin Bieber to Future, propelled him from "one-to-watch" status to "watch what he does next."
The Chainsmokers
The EDM hitmakers behind "#Selfie" have dominated the charts in the last year with tracks like "Don't Let Me Down" and now the perpetually-played "Closer." They may have been called electronic music's Nickelback, but come on — have you heard "Paris" yet?!
Kelsea Ballerini
Country pop star Ballerini released her freshman album The First Time in 2015, and cruised up the country charts in 2016 with singles like "Peter Pan" and "Yeah Boy." Unlike Taylor Swift, who praised the young singer on Twitter, Ballerini insists she'll "never stray" from her country roots.
Maren Morris
Unlike relative newcomer Ballerini, Morris has been in the country game for a while — her first album was released in 2005, and she's written songs for huge stars like Kelly Clarkson and Tim McGraw. Her first major studio album only hit this year — and, when it did, it soared to the top of the country charts. In December of 2016, Morris solidified her rising-star status with a performance on Saturday Night Live.
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