The Best New Artist category for the 60th GRAMMY Awards is positively stacked with talented creators who have built names for themselves on their own terms.

Some are songwriters who broke into the business penning hits for big-name artists before transitioning into their own solo careers; others are independent phenoms who leveraged their social media followings and artist amplification platforms such as SoundCloud to build a grassroots critical mass that made it impossible for the industry to ignore them.

All five will surely be names to watch in the coming years. Here's a closer look at this year's Best New Artist nominees:

Alessia Cara

Alessia Cara's debut single, "Here," became a sleeper hit in early 2015, and was dubbed by MTV as the "new song for everyone who secretly hates parties."

Her debut album arrived soon after, with the third radio single "Scars To Your Beautiful" becoming a chart hit late last year when it climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100

Leaving no doubt that the Canadian singer has officially arrived, in 2017 she was tapped for some impressive marquee collaborations on Zedd's "Stay" and Logic's "1-800-273-8255." The former is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while the latter is up for Song Of The Year.

Khalid

Singer/songwriter Khalid's explosive viral success with self-released tracks on SoundCloud saw the young artist tapped for numerous "artists you need to know" lists by publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone just months after his high school graduation.

His first official single, "Location," released before the end of his senior year. The video collected more than 17 million plays on YouTube by the time his debut album, American Teen, dropped last March, and he promptly sold out every tour date of his 2017 summer tour.

Khalid is also featured alongside Alessia Cara on Logic's Song Of The Year and Best Music Video-nominated "1-800-273-8255."

The 19-year-old is nominated for a total of five GRAMMY Awards this year, with his Best R&B Song-nominated "Location" and Best Urban Contemporary Album-nominated American Teen rounding out his nods.

Lil Uzi Vert

With a rapid-fire series of mixtapes starting in late 2015 and stemming across 2016, Lil Uzi Vert carved himself a noticeably standout niche into the exploding cloud rap genre. With a sound often meandering between rock and hip-hop stylings, Vert's music has been sometimes called "emo rap," though the 23-year old artist strives hard to avoid genre labels.

Released in August, his debut album, Luv Is Rage 2, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

During his recent sit-down with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio, Vert was quick to stir the pot when Lowe tried to nail down a name for his sound, summing himself up saying, "I think it's [unidentifiable] … I just pulled up in a UFO, that means I'm an alien. [laughs] That's all I can say."

Lil Uzi Vert is also nominated alongside breakout trap trio Migos for his feature verse on their summer smash hit "Bad And Boujee."

Julia Michaels

Prior to stepping into the solo spotlight with her breakout debut single "Issues," Julia Michaels had already built an illustrious songwriting resume packed with writing credits for top-tier artists including Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Gwen Stefani, Hailee Steinfeld, Linkin Park, and Justin Bieber.

Speaking to the Recording Academy about "Issues," Michaels revealed that the song was originally written over two years previously with the intent of giving away to a songwriting client, but she felt it too personal to give up, and sparked her decision to make the jump into becoming a performing artist.

"I just thought, 'I can't do that. I can't give this song to somebody'," Michaels explained.  "That was my very first feeling of wanting to sing my own words."

Michaels is nominated for two GRAMMY Awards this year, with "Issues" bringing the singer/songwriter an additional nod for Song Of The Year.

SZA

SZA began stirring up underground buzz as early as 2012, with her self-released debut EP, See.SZA.Run, which caught the attention of independent hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment, which signed her in early 2013.

After releasing a pair of acclaimed EPs over the next two years, Top Dawg kept a tight lid on any and all details about SZA's eventual debut album, Ctrl, which was eventually released this past June. Though the album's success — gold certification and a No. 3 peak position — has resulted in somewhat of a whirlwind for the singer/songwriter, it's given her a new perspective on her fans.

"Being noticed on a very different end of the spectrum is very intense, but it makes me feel like I have a responsibility because I feel like every person that I'm meeting at a meet-and-greet or at a show — or that's listening to my album or that I'm seeing on the internet — I see that they're genuine reflections of me," SZA told GRAMMY.com.

Along with her Best New Artist nod, SZA has also drawn a Best R&B Song nomination this year for "Supermodel."

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

The team behind The Defiant Ones celebrated a big win for Best Music Film at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. The crew awarded include director Allen Hughes and producers Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood, Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo, Doug Pray & Steven Williams.

In a year rife with quality music documentaries and series, the bar has been set high for this dynamic category. The Defiant Ones is a four-part HBO documentary telling the story of an unlikely duo taking the music business by storm seems better suited for fantastical pages of a comic book, but for engineer-turned-mogul Jimmy Iovine and super-producer Dr. Dre, it's all truth.The Defiant Ones recounts their histories, their tribulations and their wild success. These include first-hand accounts from those who were there in Iovine's early days, such as Bruce Springsteen and U2's Bono, as well as those on board when Dre and Iovine joined forces, such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem.

The competition was stiff as the category was filled with compelling films such as One More Time With Feeling, Two Trains Runnin', Soundbreaking, and Long Strange Trip. 

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There's no doubt music finds a way into nearly every moment of our daily lives, whether it's marking milestones such as a first dance at a wedding, the soundtrack to our favorite movie or singing in the shower for fun. In fact, it's hard to imagine times when we are more than an ear-length away from hearing another song.

But why does music mean so much to us? A powerful form of communication that transcends all barriers — music is our common language, but why?

A composer and educator with a lifelong fascination for music, Adam Ockelford has traced our connection with music back to infants and caregivers. Infants are unable to follow words, but they are developmentally primed to trace patterns in sound, such as through the songs a caretaker sings to them. Therefore, understanding music is intuitive for humans, even at a very young age, and it encourages healthy development.

In addition, there may be another evolutionary purpose for music. Music provides a sense of sameness between humans — if you can copy the sounds someone else makes, you must be an ally. This synergy plays a role in human survival because it evokes empathy and understanding, a lesson we still learn from music in today's culture.

"Music is central to the notion of what it is to be human, and spans cultures, continents and centuries," writes Ockelford. "My music, your music, our music can bind us together as families, as tribes and as societies in a way that nothing else can."

Need a playlist? Check out our favorite songs of summer 2017 

What do artists do the moment they walk off the GRAMMY stage from presenting, accepting an award or performing? Now, you can find out.

Take a peak at Album Of The Year GRAMMY winner Bruno Mars, 60th GRAMMY Awards Host James Cordon, Cardi B minutes before her electrifying performance of "Finesse," and more!

Also see Best Pop Duo/Group Performance GRAMMY winners Portugal. The Man posing with their first career GRAMMY Award, Best Roots Gospel Album GRAMMY winner Reba McIntire right after she walked offstage, Best R&B Song GRAMMY winner James Fauntleroy, Best Remixed Recording GRAMMY winner Latroit, and many more, with these photos from backstage during the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

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There's big news today for punk-rock fans aware that the Misfits made much more than just T-shirts.

The massively influential punk band announced a special show touted as the "only 2017 performance in this world… or any world" and billed as "The Original Misfits" in Los Angeles at the Forum on Dec. 30.

This will be the first Misfits show featuring original singer Glenn Danzig and original bassist Jerry Only with long-time guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein since the band reunited for a pair of Riot Fest appearances in Chicago and Denver in 2016. Last year's Riot Fest gigs, which featured drummer Dave Lombardo, marked the first time in 33 years the original Misfits members played together.

"OK Los Angeles, you've waited almost 35 years for this, here's your chance to see the "Original Misfits" in this Exclusive L.A. only performance." said Glenn Danzig. "No Tour, No BS, just one night of dark metal-punk hardcore brutality that will go down in the history books. See you there."

Tickets for this "one night only" show go on sale Friday, August 25.

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