Mustafa, Alex Warren, Sombr and 335 More Rising Stars Appear on 2026 Grammy Entry List for Best New Artist
The Screening Committee's oft-stated aim is to include rather than exclude, and they demonstrated that this year.
Alex Warren and Sombr, who squared off against each other for best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7, are going head-to-head again. Both are among the 337 artists who are vying for a Grammy nomination for best new artist. First-round voting opened on Friday (Oct. 3) and will continue through Oct. 15. The 68th annual Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 7.
All six artists who competed for best new artist at the VMAs are entered here – Warren (who won), Sombr, The Marías, Ella Langley, Gigi Perez and Lola Young. (At the VMAs, the latter three acts were eliminated before the final round of voting.)
Four of the five artists who are nominated for new artist of the year at the CMA Awards on Nov. 19 are entered here – Langley, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson Jr. (The fifth CMA nominee, Shaboozey, received five Grammy nominations, including best new artist, last year.)
The screening committee that had the final say on Grammy eligibility in this category was so inclusive that it allowed three artists who were nominated for new artist of the year at the 2024 CMA Awards – Megan Moroney (who won), Zach Top and Bailey Zimmerman. (Artists can receive two nods for new artist of the year at the CMAs. Moroney was first nominated in that category in 2023.)
Three of the nine artists who competed for best new artist at the BET Awards on June 9 are on the Grammy entry list – Leon Thomas (who won), BigXthaPlug and October London. Thomas’ eligibility was in question because he won a Grammy for best R&B song two years ago for co-writing SZA’s hit “Snooze,” and had prior releases as a recording artist. But the screening committee decided it would be fairer to let him in than to kick him out.
Two of the five artists who were nominated for emerging artist of the year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards on Sept. 10 are entered – MJ Lenderman (who won) and Jesse Welles.
Two of the five artists who competed for best new artist at the Brit Awards are entered – Ezra Collective and Myles Smith. Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, which finished second to Bad Bunny in most nominations for the upcoming Latin Grammys, is entered.
Other buzzy artists on the entry list, not already mentioned, include Gavin Adcock, aespa, Amyl and the Sniffers, ATEEZ, Babymetal, Barry Can’t Swim, Blondhsell, Ken Carson, Central Cee, Olivia Dean, Dijon, Djo, ENHYPEN, Sam Fender, FLO, Alex G, Riley Green, JADE, KATSEYE, Key Glock, Ravyn Lenae, Lil Tecca, Mariah the Scientist, Parker McCollum, Jessie Murph, Mustafa, Keke Palmer, Pink Pantheress, Addison Rae, Reneé Rapp, The Red Clay Strays, Role Model, Royel Otis and Sleep Token and Tito Double P.
While the Grammys set a minimum number of releases an artist must have to qualify in this category (five singles/tracks or one album), there is no maximum. Instead, the Grammys’ rules and guidelines booklet says nominations for the honor hinge on when “the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence” — and it delegates that determination to a screening committee.
Artists are allowed to appear on the entry list for best new artist three times, after which they are ruled ineligible for future consideration.
The rules in this category have changed over the years as the Recording Academy has struggled to strike just the right balance: not too strict, not too lenient. In the past, the academy has sometimes disqualified artists for reasons that may now seem petty; take Whitney Houston, who had recorded a couple of duets prior to releasing her debut album and was therefore deemed ineligible, or singer-songwriter Richard Marx, who had contributed a song to a soundtrack. Other times, the academy has leaned too far in the other direction. Robert Goulet won in 1963, two years after he became a star in the Broadway musical Camelot. When Alessia Cara claimed the prize in 2018, it was nearly two years after her ballad “Here” hit the top five on the Hot 100.
Three past winners for best new artist – Crosby, Stills & Nash (who won in 1970), Jody Watley (1988) and Lauryn Hill (1999) – wouldn’t be eligible under today’s rules. David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash were all already known for their work in previous groups, as were Watley (in Shalamar) and Hill (Fugees).
A total 337 artists are eligible for best new artist this year, up from 323 last year, but down from 405 in 2023.
First-round voting opened Friday (Oct. 3). Voters have until Oct. 15 to make their choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 7. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 5. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
This article was first published by Billboard U.S.
