From Billie Eilish to Black Pumas, Lizzo to Tank And The Bangas and more.
Who will take Dua Lipa's place as the Recording Academy's new fave?
During this Sunday's GRAMMY Awards, eight new artists will compete for one of the show's top honors, but only one can be the best. Dua Lipa (of "New Rules" fame) won Best New Artist last year, following in the footsteps of artists such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, John Legend and Adele, among many, many more.
The Best New Artist class of 2020 includes a few hitmakers who are already household names (like Billie Eilish and Lizzo), but if you're looking for a crash course in who's who and who sings what, look no further: ET has compiled the handy guide below to all of this year's nominees.
Black Pumas
How new of an artists are Black Pumas? They don't even have a Wikipedia page yet. You can hear the Austin-based duo -- comprised of vocalist Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada -- blend '70s soul with a modern sound on their self-titled debut album. (As it were, Quesada is a GRAMMY winner as guitarist for the Latin funk band, Grupo Fantasma.)
Take a listen: "Colors"
Billie Eilish
The only way you haven't heard of Billie Eilish is if you clicked right to this website immediately after crawling out from under a rock. Her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, topped the charts, she had a star-making performance on Saturday Night Live and she got the Justin Bieber co-sign.
Take a listen: "bad guy"
Lil Nas X
All together now: I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road...! Lil Nas X came out of nowhere to rule 2019 with his viral hit, "Old Town Road," which was remixed by everyone from Billy Ray Cyrus to Diplo to the yodeling Walmart kid, broke records, and won Song of the Year at the VMAs and Musical Event of the Year at the Country Music Awards.
Take a listen: "Old Town Road"
Lizzo
New? Debatable. True Lizzo fans have been rocking with her since "Batches & Cookies." But there is no denying 2019 was her breakthrough year, as the world finally caught on and started jamming to "Truth Hurts" on repeat. In addition to dropping a third album, Cuz I Love You, Lizzo appeared opposite J.Lo in Hustlers and got the Rihanna stamp of approval.
Take a listen: "Truth Hurts"
Maggie Rogers
Maggie Rogers had quite the moment of discovery: As a college student, she played her song, "Alaska," for Pharrell Williams during a masterclass and moved him to tears. The songstress, who lists Patti Smith and Björk as influences and Brandi Carlile as a mentor, has since dropped her debut album, Heard It In a Past Life, and played both SNL and Coachella.
Take a listen: "Light On"
Rosalía
The Spanish songstress achieved international success with her second album, El Mal Querer, for which she won Album of the Year at the Latin GRAMMY Awards. (Beating out the likes of Alejandro Sanz and Luis Fonsi.) Rosalía may soon be able to add "Stars in an Oscar-nominated movie" to her resume, too, with an appearance in the Antonio Banderas film Pain and Glory.
Take a listen: "Malamente"
Tank And The Bangas
Tank And The Bangas is a funk/soul group out of New Orleans, founded and fronted by slam poet Tarriona "Tank" Ball. After breaking out as the 2017 winner of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, the outfit finally released their first major label album, Green Balloon, earlier this year -- one month after their must-see set at Coachella.
Take a listen: "Quick"
Yola
Yolanda "Yola" Quartey is a genre-blending British singer-songwriter who cites Dolly Parton as a key influence. After fronting the folk-rock band Phantom Limb and providing backup vocals for the likes of Massive Attack and Iggy Azalea, she released her first album, Walk Through Fire, a nominee for Best Americana Album.
Take a listen: "Faraway Look"
The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards air live on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS.
[This story was originally published on November 20, 2019.]
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