What qualifies for the Best New Artist at the Grammys? A look into how artists qualify for the award

Last Friday, the Recording Academy released the nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards in February 2025, this list of nominees included eight artists for Best New Artist.
The Best New Artist category at the Grammys is one of the top awards every year, highlighting rising stars in the music industry, but not all the artists nominated can truly be defined as new.
Many of the artists nominated have released multiple albums and started their music careers as early as 2014.
So what does it actually mean to be nominated for or win the Best New Artist award?
Each year, the Best New Artist category at the Grammy Awards recognizes a rising star who through their performance and artistry is helping to shape the future of music, according to the Grammy Awards website.
“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,” according to the Grammys.
According to Entertainment Weekly, CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., said the category is focused on when these artists achieved prominence for their amazing work.
According to the Recording Academy’s rulebook, “This Category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.”
The artist’s performance is a primary element the Recording Academy considers when judging entries for Best New Artist. According to the rulebook, this category does not consider production elements of the recording.
An artist must have released a minimum of five singles or one album to be eligible for Best New Artist.
But while there is a minimum, there is no maximum amount of music released that disqualifies an artist.
One thing that can disqualify an artist from receiving a Best New Artist nomination is how many times they’ve submitted for the category before. An artist can only submit for the category up to three times, per the rulebook.
The Recording Academy’s rulebook also excludes artists who have received prominence as members of other groups
“New recording artists who previously achieved recognition in a different discipline, such as songwriters, politicians, actors, astronauts, etc.,” do qualify for Best New Artist, per the rulebook.
Eligibility for the category truly comes down to when the musician “attained a breakthrough or prominence,” if it was during the award’s eligibility period, then the artist qualifies, per Billboard.
Here is a look at the eight artists nominated for Best New Artist this year:
Pop-artist Benson Boone released his first album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades,” in April, and since then his popularity has increased greatly. He received multiple MTV Video Music Awards nominations and performed at the awards show.
From Washington, Boone first caught the public eye on “American Idol” in 2021, around the same time he also grew a following on TikTok, per the Grammys. This year he headlined a sold out global tour, and was also an opener for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in London.
Boone’s most popular songs are “Beautiful Things,” “In The Stars” and “Slow It Down,” per Spotify.
2024 was Sabrina Carpenter’s year, according to the Grammys. She reached superstardom with three hits that smashed the charts — “Espresso,” “Please, Please, Please” and “Taste.”
She started the year by opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Latin America, Australia and Asia, and later had an impressive debut at Coachella.
Carpenter is a former Disney star who released her sixth album, “Short n’ Sweet,” this year; her first album, “Eyes Wide Open,” was released in 2015.
This year she received six Grammy nominations: Best New Artist, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, per Billboard.
Doechii is a rapper who first went viral with the single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” in 2020.
So far Doechii has released three mixtapes and two EPs, and she has collaborated with artists such as Katy Perry and Kodak Black. She also went on tour with Doja Cat, according to the Grammys.
She has not yet released a studio album but her latest mixtape is “Alligator Bites Never Heal.” Doechii’s top songs are “What It Is” and “Anxiety.”
Along with her Best New Artist nomination, she was nominated for three other awards: Best Remixed Recording, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album for “Alligator Bites Never Heal”, according to Billboard.
Khruagbin is a trio made up of bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson Jr. The band originally took inspiration from ‘60s and ‘70s Thai funk, per the Grammys. Their first album, “The Universe Smiles Upon You,” was released in 2015, and they now have four albums.
The band has played at festivals like Coachella, collaborated with iconic artists such as Paul McCartney and performed in front of big names such as Barack Obama.
Khruagbin’s most popular songs are “Texas Sun” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive),” per Spotify.
After leaving her record label and becoming an independent artist, Raye, a British artist, released her debut album, “My 21st Century Blues,” in 2023, according to the Grammys.
Not only was her song “Escapism” viral on social media, but it also took the top spot on the UK Singles Chart, the song was her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, per the Grammys.
Raye went on tour with Lewis Capaldi and SZA and has performed at music festivals such as Coachella and she was an opener for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Earlier this year, she made history by receiving six trophies at the BRIT Awards. Raye also received a Grammy nomination for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, according to Billboard.
After a few years in the music industry, Chappell Roan was dropped from her label in 2020, according to the Grammys. In 2023 she signed with a new record label and later that year, she released her first album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”
In the beginning of 2024, Roan opened for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts World Tour.” According to the Grammys, her songs later gained mass popularity and she played for huge crowds at Lollapalooza, Coachella and other festivals.
Her album had its biggest week for sales a year after its release, “ultimately securing her place as one of pop’s most promising stars,” according to the Grammys.
Roan’s 2024 single “Good Luck, Babe!” received Grammy nominations for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, per Billboard.
Shaboozey is a country artist who’s first single, “Jeff Gordon,” was released in 2014, according to the Grammys. Earlier this year, Shaboozey was featured twice on Beyonce’s album “Cowboy Carter,” with songs “SPAGHETTII” and “SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN.” After the album released, his streams on Spotify increased by 1,350%.
He has released three albums and this year Shaboozey’s single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” quickly took the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart. The single has held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks, per the Grammys.
Along with best new artist, Shaboozey was also nominated for Song of The Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, per Billboard.
Teddy Swims started on YouTube in 2019, later signing with Warner Records and putting out four EPs. He released his debut album “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1)” in 2023, per the Grammys.
His breakthrough came with the song “Lose Control,” which was Swims’ first song on the Billboard Hot 100. His next album, “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2),” is set to release in January.
Best New Artist is Swims’ only Grammy nomination this year. According to the Grammys, he is also known for the song “The Door”, which along with “Lose Control,” is from his album.