Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse Best New Artist winner for 2007 | Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

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How Does An Artist Qualify For The Best New Artist GRAMMY Category?

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Take a closer look at the Recording Academy's qualification rules to determine which artists can be considered in the Best New Artist category
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 8, 2018 - 8:59 am

Each year the selection of GRAMMY nominees is the result of careful consideration and voting by Recording Academy members, who must both follow hard-and-fast rules as well as exercise their expert musical judgement. The Best New Artist category highlights newcomers — whether a solo artist, duo or group — but since "new" is a relative term, let's take a closer look at how making the cut is determined.

First of all, eligible artists must have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the year's eligibility period. This speaks to the essence of why Best New Artist is one of the most-anticipated categories each year, honoring exciting new talent in the music world. But sometimes rising stars take a while to reach this point, so numerical limits also help define the criteria for being "new" in this category.

The first numerical rule boils eligibility down to the number of an artist's releases. The minimum required is five singles or tracks or a complete album. The maximum is either three albums or a total of 30 singles or tracks previously released. Having more than this number of releases results in being ineligible even when an artist breaks through into public consciousness and impacts the musical landscape in a given eligibility period.

However, even if this numerical release criterion is met, an artist may still be deemed ineligible if the artist achieved previous prominence, meaning the artist came into prominence prior to the current eligibility year.

Another numerical limit is that an artist cannot have been considered more than three times previously for Best New Artist. This also applies to solo artists who emerge from having performed as a member in previous groups. That's right, being previously considered three times either as a solo artist, in a previous band, or some mixture of the two means an artist is not eligible for Best New Artist consideration.

For more valuable and illuminating information on all things GRAMMY Awards process, head over to GRAMMY101.com, or reach out to the Awards Help Desk at 877.637.6816, and don't forget to tune in Feb. 10.

See The Full List Of Nominees For The 61st GRAMMY Awards

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What's The Difference? GRAMMY For Album vs. Record Of The Year Explained

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If you don't know, now you know—here's the lowdown on two of music's most well-known yet often-confused terms, especially as they pertain to the GRAMMY Awards
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 9, 2018 - 9:01 am

How many albums are in your record collection? You see, confusion between the terms "album" and "record" are nothing new, as vinyl albums and vinyl records are often called “records”—but this terminology has roots in the history of both.

In the early days of vinyl, a 45-rpm (meaning "revolutions per minute") disc would hold one recording on each side, with an "A-side” —usually the hit single—and a "B-side," meaning a second single, outtake or sleeper hit.

Later, when long-playing records came around at 33 1/3-rpm, more music could be stored on each side because the rotation speed was slower, and "tracks" were born. A series of recorded songs, or tracks, could now fit on a single vinyl and make it an album.

Makes sense? Good! Now let's see how this applies to two GRAMMY Award categories in the General Field: Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year…

Album Of The Year, Explained

Fast-forward to today, when music is enjoyed in a multitude of formats: So, what makes an album eligible for the Album Of The Year category of the GRAMMY Awards? According the Recording Academy official Awards Department guidelines, recordings must contain at least five different tracks and a total playing time of 15 minutes or a total playing time of at least 30 minutes with no minimum track requirement.

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Voters in this category are expected to consider the quality and artistry of the collection of tracks as a whole, and this GRAMMY is awarded to any artist, featured artist, songwriter of new material, producer, recording engineer, mixer, and mastering engineer with at least 33 percent playing time of the album. For example, last year at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, Bruno Mars' 24K Magic won Album Of The Year.

Record Of The Year, Explained

On the other hand, the Record Of The Year category awards a single track and recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s), and/or mixer(s), and mastering engineer(s). Bonus points if you read up on how this category is distinguished from Song Of The Year (hint: Song Of The Year is a Songwriter(s) Award…).

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Whitney Houston Wins Record Of The Year

For example, at the 59th GRAMMY Awards, Adele's mega-hit "Hello" won Record Of The Year. Her album 25 also won Album Of The Year, but "Hello," being an individual track on that album, was eligible and victorious for Record Of The Year.

In both cases, with Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year, recordings must be released in the proper eligibility period and available to the public as stand-alone purchases or audio-only streams, although exceptions are made for opera and music video/film.

For further information on the contrast between these formats, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame is filled with both, clearly labeled. For more helpful information on the GRAMMY Awards process, including key dates, a process overview and FAQs, head over to GRAMMY101.com.

See The Full List Of Nominees For The 61st GRAMMY Awards

61st GRAMMY Awards
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Find Out Who's Nominated For Best New Artist | 2019 GRAMMY Awards

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Chloe X Halle, Luke Combs, Greta Van Fleet, H.E.R., Dua Lipa, Margo Price, Bebe Rexha, and Jorja Smith are the nominees for the prestigious Best New Artist category, giving them the chance to take home their first GRAMMY on Music's Biggest Night on Feb. 1
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Dec 7, 2018 - 5:44 am

Today is the day the Recording Academy reveals the 61st GRAMMY Awards nominees, including this year's list of contenders for Best New Artist. This year's nominees are (cue drumroll): Chloe X Halle, Luke Combs, Greta Van Fleet, H.E.R., Dua Lipa, Margo Price, Bebe Rexha and Jorja Smith. With so much rising talent in contention this year, let's learn a bit more about each nominee's breakout year in music.

Chloe X Halle

Sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, aka Chloe X Halle, may only be 20 and 18 years old, respectively, but the pop-infused R&B duo from Atlanta has been on the rise for several years already, with their first big break coming when Beyoncé noticed their YouTube cover of her song "Pretty Hurts" and signed them to her Parkwood Entertainment label in 2013. Since then, Chloe X Halle offered support for the European leg of Beyoncé's 2016 Formation Tour and the U.S. leg of her and Jay-Z's On The Run II Tour earlier this year.

Chloe X Halle released their debut album The Kids Are Alright in March 2018. The album's lead single and title track was featured on the TV show "Grown-ish," and they have recurring roles in the show. The Kids Are Alright is also nominated this year for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Luke Combs

Originally from Ashville, N.C., rising country singer Luke Combs moved to Nashville in 2014 to pursue his passion of performing live and making music. Inspired by his country heroes Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan, he steadily gained a following in the country music world after getting signed to Colombia Nashville and re-releasing his hit single "Hurricane" in 2016, which has since gone double platinum. Combs has spawned more hits, including "Beautiful Crazy," since releasing his debut album, This One's For You, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.

Greta Van Fleet

Twin brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka (age 21), their younger brother Sam (age 19), and friend Danny Wagner (also 19), from Frankenmuth, Mich. make up revivalist rock band Greta Van Fleet. They may be young but listening to their songs takes you back to the golden age of '70s psychedelic rock. They had songs featured in a car commercial (targeted at "cool dads" nonetheless) and the TV show "Shameless" before they ever released their debut single, "Highway Tune," in March 2017, which spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart and catapulted them into becoming one of the most-buzzed about new rock bands. Following two EPs, they released their debut full-length album Anthem of the Peaceful Army in October 2018. Greta Van Fleet have three other nominations, with "Highway Tune" up for Best Rock Performance, "Black Smoke Rising" in the running for Best Rock Song, and their second EP, From The Fires, in consideration for Best Rock Album.

Read On: Exclusive: Greta Van Fleet On Lollapalooza, "When The Curtain Falls" & Touring

H.E.R.

R&B singer/songwriter H.E.R., which stands for Having Everything Revealed, may prefer to not reveal everything about who she, born Gabi Wilson in Northern California (although she has yet to confirm this), is, yet her soulful music offers a window into the experiences she has had so far in her 21 years of life. She released her self-titled debut album in October 2017, which combined her first two EPs (H.E.R. Vol 1 and 2) plus 6 new tracks.

Her breakout single, "Focus," originally part of H.E.R Vol. 1, got the attention of Rihanna, who shared the song in an Instagram video in April 2017 to her over 66 million followers. The song's video, released in March 2018, has racked almost 6 million views on YouTube. She is the running for four additional GRAMMYs in her debut year, including for both Album Of The Year and Best R&B Album for H.E.R., Best R&B Performance for "Best Part" featuring Daniel Caesar and Best R&B Song for "Focus," which she co-wrote with Darhyl Camper Jr. and Justin Love.

Learn More: Something About Her: The Mystery Of H.E.R.

Dua Lipa

Rising 23-year-old popstar Dua Lipa, hailing from London, has been on a roll since her breakout single "New Rules" took the internet and airwaves by storm as one of the singles from her self-titled debut LP, released in June 2017. The song's has gone on to spawn fan videos from around the world and rack up over 1.5 billion views on YouTube to date. In April 2018 Calvin Harris dropped "One Kiss" featuring the singer/songwriter, and in September, Silk City, the Diplo and Mark Ronson production duo, put out another viral Lipa-track, "Electricity." The latter trio is in the running this year for Best Dance Recording for "Electricity."

Read More: Dua Lipa Reflects On Her Journey To Pop Stardom: "Absolutely Mental"

Margo Price

Nashville-based 33-year-old Americana singer/songwriter Margo Price started turning heads for her feminist-infused brand of country/folk music when she released "Hurtin' (On The Bottle)" in late 2015 as the lead single from her debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter. Price has a lot to say and isn't afraid to say it, as evidenced by her breakout sophomore album All American Made in October 2017 on Jack White's Third Man Records. The album features poignant songs such as "Pay Gap," a tribute to the ongoing fight for women's rights, and "Weakness," a look at her own feelings, pains and imperfections. The album also features an appearance from the great Willie Nelson on her song "Learning To Lose."

Hear More: Exclusive: Margo Price On 'All American Made,' Women's Rights & More

Bebe Rexha

Bebe Rexha, born Bleta Rexha, is a 29-year-old Brooklyn-born-and-raised pop singer/songwriter who got her start in music penning songs for big stars like David Guetta, Selena Gomez, Rihanna and others, including for Eminem's GRAMMY-winning 2013 track featuring Rihanna, "The Monster." She began to make her own voice heard with several breakout collabs, including in 2015 on G-Eazy's "Me, Myself & I" and in 2016 on Martin Garrix' "In The Name Of Love." With the release of her solo single "I Got You" in 2016, the rising star carved a niche for herself in the heavily-saturated pop world. Following her three EPs, she dropped her breakout debut studio album, Expectations, in June 2018.

Not afraid to surprise her fans, Rexha went "a lil' bit country" and recorded "Meant To Be" with Florida Georgia Line in 2017, which she shared is one her favorite songs from All Your Fault: Part 2, her third EP. The song's video has over 650 million views on YouTube to date and has her and Florida Georgia Line in the running for Best Country Duo/Group Performance this year.

In Her Words: Bebe Rexha On 'All Your Fault,' Harry Potter & Cardi B

Jorja Smith

The buzz around 21-year-old R&B singer/songwriter from the U.K. Jorja Smith began almost as soon as she self-released her debut single "Blue Lights" in January 2016 on SoundCloud, gaining almost half a million listens in just a month. Her second single, "Where Do I Go," got noticed by Drake, who soon tapped her for a collab on his album More Life—you can hear her on "Jorja Interlude" and "Get It Together," which also features South African DJ/producer Black Coffee—and took her on his several dates of his 2017 Boy Meets World tour.

Smith officially arrived when she released her debut studio album Lost And Found in June 2018, which includes a re-release of "Blue Lights," along with new hit singles, including "Teenage Fantasy." She is also featured on a Kendrick Lamar track, "I Am," on the Black Panther Soundtrack, which is nominated for Album Of The Year.

GRAMMY Award

Photo: Mike Pont/Getty Images

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Recording Academy Announces 61st GRAMMY Awards Update

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General Field nominations grow from five to eight and categories evolve to stay as appropriate, current, and relevant as possible
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jun 26, 2018 - 3:31 pm

The GRAMMY Awards reflect what's happening in the ever-changing landscape of music, and the Recording Academy works diligently to ensure the awards process continually evolves. Driven by the music makers — Academy members — who seek to meet the needs of the music community, several changes have been enacted for the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards process and categories.

For the four General Field categories — Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist — the number of nominations included in each will be increased from five to eight in order to better reflect the many entries in these categories.

Other changes put in place affect various categories including those in the World Music Field, which will now determine nominations through its own Nomination Review Committee where the top 15 selections from general voting membership's ballots will be narrowed down to the final five nominations by a Trustee-ratified committee of Voting Member experts.

For Best Compilation Soundtrack Album, the growing role of Music Supervisors is recognized as eligible. Also, only Music Supervisors who produced more than half of an album will now be eligible for consideration as album producers.

Driven by the technological side of music evolution, the Best Surround Sound Album category is renamed Best Immersive Audio Album. The same goes for the Field to which it belongs. The change reflects evolving technology, new formats, and current industry trends, practices, and language.

Several category guidelines and/or definitions were also updated. For instance, the Best Alternative Music Album criteria and definition has been broadened and updated as, "Alternative is defined as a genre of music that embraces attributes of progression and innovation in both the music and attitudes associated with it. It is often a less intense version of rock or a more intense version of pop and is typically regarded as more original, eclectic, or musically challenging. It may embrace a variety of sub-genres or any hybrids thereof and may include recordings that don't fit into other genre categories."

These changes and other will be in effect for the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards, as the Recording Academy continues to ensure the process remains as appropriate, current, and relevant as possible.

For more information about this year's rule changes and the GRAMMY Awards process, visit www.grammy101.com.

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Scott Walker

Scott Walker

Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images

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Art-Rock Singer/Composer Scott Walker Of The Walker Brothers Dies At 76

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The musical non-conformist left America, only to return as part of rock's '60s British Invasion
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 25, 2019 - 5:57 pm

'60s pop-rock idol Scott Walker has died. Born Noel Scott Engel in Ohio, Walker was 76 years old. The news was confirmed by his label, 4AD Records.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich were among the first, along with Nadine Shah, to publicly express sadness at Walker's passing.

After relocating to the U.K. in the 60s, the Walker Brothers' fame was comparable to the Beatles. Later, Scott found solo success with albums titled Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3, Scott 4, which culminated with his 1969 Scott Sings Songs from His TV Series album. 

On March 25, David Bowie's official website blogged their Farewell to Scott Walker, noting Bowie's past remark, "I think he's probably been my idol since I was a kid." (In 1993, Bowie covered the Walker Brothers' song "Nite Flights" on his album Black Tie White Noise.)

The 2006 documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man tried to do justice to the man's hard-to-categorize and wide-ranging talent. Walker's musical gifts were so strong, he got session work as a bassist in his teens. His singing made the Walker Brothers teen idols. His final solo album was 2012's Bish Bosch, but Walker also kept busy with collaborations and composing for film.

In 2017, Walker's lyrics were published by Faber & Faber, while the Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned and performed a special work of his. Also, the BBC threw him a tribute concert. In 2018, the music movie Vox Lux featured songs by Sia alongside Walker's original score.

Few musicians of such stature have managed to be obscure cult figures at the same time. Convention-breaking contradictions were part of Scott Walker's signature style, but this appears to have been artistically organic rather than a result of trying to be unconventional. Even Britain's own BBC, knowing Walker's history intimately and having honored him in 2017, described him as an "enigma" in their obituary headline on March 25.

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