New Grammy Voices
The Best New Artist nominees for the 2021 awards, to be held on January 31st, include pop stars, critical favorites, and a few curveballs
Phoebe Bridgers
Who: The 26-year-old singer-songwriter first captured critics’ attention with her bleak, honest songwriting about sadness on 2017’s Stranger in the Alps and its single “Motion Sickness.” Ever since, she’s been inescapable for fans of rock and folk, collaborating with everyone from Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus (as the indie supergroup Boygenius) to Conor Oberst, the 1975, and Matt Berninger. Bridgers’ latest LP, Punisher, has been hailed as one of the best albums of 2020, but what makes her stand out even more is that she’s never lost her distinct sense of humor. Aside from a riotous Twitter account, she recently promised to cover the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” if Donald Trump lost the presidential election — and then she actually did it, with Maggie Rogers.
The Hit(s): Sales of that “Iris” cover raised $173,703 for Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization. Earlier, the singles “Garden Song” and “Kyoto” helped Bridgers break through on the Rolling Stone Artist 500 chart.
Ingrid Andress
Who: A Colorado native and former a cappella singer (her team competed on NBC’s The Sing-Off), Andress made it big in Nashville last year with her tender debut single, “More Hearts Than Mine.” She has a country singer’s approach to songwriting and piano skills that recall Sara Bareilles, and her album Lady Like was one of several country-pop success stories in 2020, helping Andress land at Number 15 on our Breakthrough 25 chart.
The Hit(s): “More Hearts Than Mine” is the biggest of her three country-radio hits to date. Andress’ recent cover of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” has more than 2 million streams on Spotify.
Megan Thee Stallion
Who: Megan could easily have been nominated in this category last year on the strength of her hit Fever mixtape alone. Better late than never: She’s only solidified her standing as one of rap’s most formidable MCs and a bona fide pop star.
The Hit(s): Where to begin? The “Savage” remix with Beyoncé gave Megan her second Number One on the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs chart. Then Meg topped it with “WAP,” her smash collaboration with Cardi B.
Chika
Who: The 23-year-old Alabama rapper went viral in 2018 with a freestyle criticizing Kanye West’s support of Donald Trump over West’s own “Jesus Walks” beat. She turned more heads by performing “Richey v. Alabama,” a rap about an abortion bill in her home state, on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Hit(s): The truthtelling MC has made videos for her singles “No Squares,” “High Rises,” and “Can’t Explain It.”
Doja Cat
Who: Doja Cat first entered popular awareness with a meme back in 2018, when she uploaded a brilliant blast of pop absurdism, “Mooo!” — a song that’s literally about being a cow. She crossed over in a much bigger way in 2020 with her blockbuster disco-pop single “Say So.” The song is up for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
The Hit(s): Not only was “Say So” a major hit on both the charts and TikTok, but so was its Nicki Minaj-featuring remix, which peaked at Number Two on the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs chart last May. For a pre-“Say So” hit, check out “Juicy” or “Tia Tamera,” featuring Rico Nasty, both from Doja’s 2018 debut, Amala.
D Smoke
Who: The winner of the first season of Netflix’s hip-hop competition Rhythm + Flow, D Smoke has made the jump from reality TV to the music industry as comfortably as anyone could. The rapper — whose younger brother, SiR, is signed to Top Dawg Entertainment — first followed up his Netflix win with an EP, Inglewood High, then last February released a new album,
Black Habits, which notched a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album.
The Hit(s): One of the biggest tracks to emerge from Black Habits was “Gaspar Yanga,” a collaboration with Snoop Dogg, the video for which has garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube. The album’s title track is another standout.
Noah Cyrus
Who: She’s the younger sister to Miley, daughter to Billy Ray, and the most recent member of the Cyrus family to embark on a music career. Noah’s 2020 EP, The End of Everything, featured the single “July,” which was later remixed by Leon Bridges. She’s also done collaborations with Lil Xan and Jimmie Allen.
The Hit(s): “Make Me (Cry),” a 2016 single with Labrinth, remains one of Cyrus’ biggest songs.
Kaytranada
Who: Kaytranada is perhaps the most unexpected entrant this year. The Haitian Canadian DJ-producer solidified his spot as an indie favorite with his stellar 2016 debut, 99.9%. His 2019 follow-up, the equally great Bubba, is up for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
The Hit(s): “10%” with Kali Uchis is nominated for Best Dance Recording; if you’re looking to go deeper, try 99.9% highlights “Glowed Up” with Anderson .Paak and “You’re the One” with Syd.