Grammy Award for Best New Artist

"Best New Artist" redirects here. For other uses, see Best New Artist (disambiguation).

Grammy Award for Best New Artist
A gold gramophone trophy with a plaque set on a table
Victoria Monét is the most recent recipient
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1960
Currently held byVictoria Monét (2024)
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960[1] "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist." Note that this is not necessarily the first album or single released by an artist; for example, Shelby Lynne won the award in 2001 after having already released six albums over 13 years.[2] The award was not presented in 1967.

The Best New Artist award has a reputation for being given to artists whose music industry success ends up being short-lived; it is sometimes asserted, with varying degrees of sincerity, that the award itself brings a curse.[3][4] This viewpoint was expressed by Taffy Danoff, a former member of Starland Vocal Band (known for "Afternoon Delight"), in an interview for VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders: "We got two of the five Grammys – one was Best New Artist. So that was basically the kiss of death and I feel sorry for everyone who's gotten it since."[5]

The category is also notable for being the only category in which a Grammy Award was vacated; this occurred in 1990 after it was revealed that winners Milli Vanilli did not contribute their own vocals on their album Girl You Know It's True;[6] the award was not then given to another artist.[7]

  1. ^ "Just what is 'alternative'? - today > entertainment - Music - TODAY.com". TODAY.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Allen, Jamie (February 22, 2001). "Steely Dan, Faith Hill, Eminem, U2 each win 3 Grammys". CNN.
  3. ^ "The Grammys: The curse of the Best New Artist award?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014.
  4. ^ "And the winner is ... what's your name again?". TODAY.com. January 14, 2005. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  5. ^ Taffy Danoff (Interviewee) (2002). VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders (TV-Series). North America: VH1. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  6. ^ "Milli Vanilli's Grammy Rescinded by Academy : Music: Organization revokes an award for the first time after the revelation that the duo never sang on the album". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1990. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (December 5, 1990). "Winner of Grammy Lost By Milli Vanilli: No One". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2008.