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Without fail, every year the Grammy Awards cause an uproar across one genre or another. Although fans’ chatter about snub is still at the top of online forum, the 2025 Grammys nomination list sparked another interesting question. What qualifies an artist as “new?”
Yesterday (November 12), the Recording Academy took to its official Instagram page to seemingly clarify the eligibility for the Best New Artist category.
“Every year, the #GRAMMYs Best New Artist category acknowledges rising stars who are shaping the future of music through their own artistry,” read the post (viewable here). “Little does it matter if they have just a few singles or 10 studio albums under their belts. The Best New Artist Category is all about highlighting how an act pushes creative boundaries and challenges a saturated industry with outstanding — and sometimes surprising — music.”
This statement subtly addresses the growing discussion around veteran acts like Khruangbin and Sabrina Carpenter could even found themselves competing against newer stars like Doechii, Raye, Teddy Swims, Benson Boone, and Shaboozey for a coveted gramophone trophy.
Khruangbin’s debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, was released nearly a decade ago. The same goes for Sabrina Carpenter’s Eyes Wide Open. But based on the Recording Academy’s post, an artist’s breakthrough is weighed more heavily. Maybe the Recording Academy will reconsider their three submission rule for the category to allow Uproxx cover Tate McRae a chance to compete based on this logic.
Well, the official Best New Artist winner won’t be announced until February 2, 2025, which is bound to cause yet another online teasy.
