From Ice Spice to Jelly Roll, here's a look at the breakthrough artists who scored their breakthrough GRAMMY nod on Friday.
The 2024 GRAMMY nominations were announced on Friday, and that means a brand new roster of Best New Artist nominees!
Always one of the most buzzed-about categories on music's biggest night, the GRAMMYs have been on something of a Best New Artist hot streak in recent years, with four of the last five winners of the award -- Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion and Olivia Rodrigo -- continuing to top the pop charts after their introductory honors.
However, last year's surprising honoree, acclaimed jazz artist Samara Joy, beat out more mainstream acts like Latto, Anitta and Omar Apollo, proving that Best New Artist can also be one of the night's biggest wild cards. (Never forget the 2011 GRAMMYs, when Esperanza Spalding beat out Justin Bieber and Drake for the honors.)
The Best New Artist nominees for 2024 are a genre-spanning class which includes chart-toppers like Ice Spice and Coco Jones, unique breakout stars like Jelly Roll and Fred Again.., and voices you've heard on TikTok like Victoria Monét and Noah Kahan.
Whether you're just tuning into the artist now or already count them as one of your faves, ET has compiled this handy guide to get to know this year's nominees.
Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams released her debut EP, Minor, in 2020, and followed it up with This Is What It Feels Like, in 2021. She rose to prominence while performing as the opener on Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour in 2022 and hit the stage as an opener for Taylor Swift during select performances of the Eras Tour U.S. leg.
The singer -- daughter of famed science fiction director J.J. Abrams -- released her debut full-length album, Good Riddance, released in February 2023, which reached No. 52 on the US Albums chart and No. 3 in the U.K.
Fred Again..
The English producer, singer and DJ grew up next to Brian Eno's studio, which explains a lot about his eclectic sound. Born Frederick John Philip Gibson, Fred got his start as a songwriter and producer before breaking through on collabs with Swedish House Mafia and Skrillex.
Following the release of his three Actual Life albums -- which track his musical journey through the COVID-19 pandemic, Fred gained even further notoriety with an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and a headlining set at Coachella in April 2023, cementing him on the musical map.
Ice Spice
In the hood, they call her Princess Diana, but according to Billboard, she's a hit maker. The 23-year-old Bronx-born MC, whose real name is Isis Gaston, broke out on the scene in 2022 with her hit single, "Munch," and hasn't slowed down since.
In a brief time, Ice Spice has found viral success -- with a Drake endorsement, a Lil Tjay collab and a duet on PinkPantheress' unstoppable earworm, "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" -- all leading up to Ice landing a track on the Barbie soundtrack alongside Nicki Minaj -- the end credits hit, "Barbie World" -- and a feature on Taylor Swift's remix of "Karma." What a year!
Jelly Roll
Jelly Roll didn't set out to be a country music star. Born Jason Bradley DeFord, the 38-year-old Nashville native got his start as a member of the hip-hop collective SNO. He'd spend the better part of two decades chasing stardom as a rapper, releasing a number of mixtapes and collaborating with fellow novice rappers.
He'd eventually make his Grand Ole Opry debut in November 2021 -- after multiple stints in jail -- before the release of his first major-label album in September 2021, Ballads of the Broken. The first single off that album, "Dead Man Walking," landed him atop Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in May 2022, but it was "Son of a Sinner" that changed the trajectory of his career, after the track spent a record-setting 28 weeks atop Billboard's Emerging Artist chart, No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 and 8, respectively, on Billboard's Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs chart.
It was after the success of "Son of a Sinner" when Jelly Roll transitioned full time to country music. Nearly two years after Ballads of the Broken, Jelly Roll dropped his country debut album this summer with Whitsitt Chapel, which is why he's just now fully captivating the country music scene -- thanks in large part to the hit single "Need a Favor."
Coco Jones
While she has been a familiar face on TV screens thanks to early Disney Channel success and her role as Hilary Banks on Bel-Air, Coco Jones recently proved that she has more than just acting chops. This year, the 23-year-old R&B vocalist has been riding the wave of her 2022 EP, What I Didn't Tell You, which features her breakout single, "ICU."
The track was certified gold, reaching No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, and even landed Justin Timberlake for a remix, which dropped in July 2023.
Noah Kahan
Another TikTok success story, Kahan -- who's been releasing music since 2017 -- teased his single, "Stick Season," in live performances and viral clips for nearly two years before the song was officially released in July 2022. The album of the same name, which followed in October, was Kahan's biggest success to date by far, being certified gold in the United States and topping both the U.S. Rock Albums and U.S. Alternative Albums charts.
Since his major takeoff, Kahan -- whose Straffort, Vermont, upbringing has inspired many a New England lyric and song title -- has released an expanded version of the album, Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever), as well as four major collabs on updated songs from the album: "Dial Drunk" featuring Post Malone, "Call Your Mom" featuring Lizzy McAlpine, "She Calls Me Back" featuring Kacey Musgraves, and "Northern Attitude" featuring Hozier.
Victoria Monét
While Monet has been releasing music for almost a decade, and has three previous GRAMMY nominations as a songwriter -- for Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" and Thank U, Next, and Chloe x Halle's "Do It" -- 2023 saw the release of her debut album, Jaguar II, making her eligible for breakthrough honors as a performer.
Jaguar II was supported by three singles: "Smoke" with Lucky Daye, "Party Girls" with Buju Banton, and "On My Mama" -- the latter of which hit No. 58 on Billboard's Hot 100 and No. 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The War and Treaty
The husband and wife duo started making music together in 2014, but only signed their first major label deal in May 2022, with Universal Music Group Nashville. Their mix of soul, blues, country and rock earned them recognition, and after a performance alongside Brothers Osborne at the Country Music Association Awards in November 2022, they grew and even bigger audience.
The War and Treaty released their major label debut album, Lover's Game, in March 2023, on which they co-wrote all 10 tracks. The album charted on the UK Americana Charts, and received critical acclaim, supported by singles "That's How Love is Made," "Lover's Game," and "Ain't No Harmin' Me."
The 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and will broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at ETonline.com for everything you need to get ready for music's biggest night, including how to watch, GRAMMY performers and more.
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