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The Best New Artist Category is one of the most exciting at any GRAMMYS Awards. Every year, it shines a spotlight on emerging talent who are defining music’s zeitgeist.
The nominees might be TikTok-raised stars or late-blooming veterans; what matters most is their musical trajectory and impact in the current year. The Best New Artist nominees for the 2026 GRAMMYS — Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young — have each used their unique artistry to create stand-out work that has left a mark on the music industry.
Learn more about the nominees below and read the full 2026 GRAMMYs nominations list ahead of Music's Biggest Night on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.
Olivia Dean
Olivia Dean’s deep, soulful voice and jazz-inspired pop melodies are a treasure trove, filled with nostalgic gems about love and heartbreak. Her "Man I Need" currently sits at No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 after being released this summer; its success a harbinger of global domination to come, but far from an overnight sensation.
After releasing EPs OK Love You Bye and What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?, the British singer was named Amazon Music’s breakthrough artist of the year in 2021. Her 2023 debut album Messy led to her selection as BBC Music Introducing's Artist of the Year, a place on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize, and nominated for multiple BRIT Awards.
Since then, Olivia Dean performed at Glastonbury 2024, and supported Sam Fender and Sabrina Carpenter on tour. By the time her second LP, The Art of Loving, came out on Sept. 26, 2025, its three singles "Nice to Each Other," "Lady Lady," and "Man I Need" had already crowned her as a new industry favorite. As the world falls in love with her sensibility, she receives her well-deserved first GRAMMYS nomination for Best New Artist.
KATSEYE
A project between Geffen Records and South Korea’s HYBE Entertainment, KATSEYE is a global girl group born from K-pop’s cutthroat training system. Out of 120,000 applicants, Sophia, Daniela, Megan, Manon, Lara, and Yoonchae were shortlisted along with 14 other contestants to participate in the 2023 survival show "The Debut: Dream Academy." There, they underwent intense practice lessons and weekly eliminations until finally being selected as members of the six-piece group.
Hailing from widely different backgrounds, KATSEYE harness diversity as one of their main strengths. Leader Sophia was born in the Philippines; main dancer Daniela is American with Venezuelan and Cuban roots; all-rounder Megan is from Hawaii with a Singaporean Chinese mother; the charismatic Manon is Swiss Ghanaian; vocalist Lara is Indian American; Yoonchae (the youngest of the group at 17) is Korean.
Although they have yet to release a full album, KATSEYE’s releases have proved their potential to take over the world. "Touch" — from their first EP, 2024’s SIS (Soft Is Strong) — went viral on TikTok for its addictive drum and bass. KATSEYE's 2025 was marked by the outlandish hyperpop of "Gnarly" and the Latin-inspired "Gabriela," both from their sophomore EP, Beautiful Chaos. "Gnarly" earned them their first Billboard Hot 100 entry, while the EP debuted in the fourth place on Billboard’s 200 chart.
Add to all that a third single, "Gameboy," performances at Wango Tango and Lollapalooza Chicago, and a viral denim campaign for Gap — and you got the recipe for this generation’s most exciting girl band.
The Marías
Formed in Los Angeles by vocalist María Zardoya, drummer/producer Josh Conway, guitarist Jesse Perlman and keyboardist Edward James, The Marías have been active for almost a decade. The indie group have developed a unique blend that melds Zardoya’s Puerto Rican heritage and atmospheric, magical pop grooves to increasing acclaim.
Their 2021 debut album Cinema included the single "Hush," which topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart. In the following year, they joined Halsey’s Love and Power Tour and collaborated with Bad Bunny on "Otro Atardecer" — a track from Un Verano Sin Ti, for which they received their first GRAMMYS nomination for Album Of The Year as featured artists.
The Marías' first Best New Artist nomination comes right after a major upheaval in their career. Just before the band started working on their second album, 2024’s Submarine, Zardoya and Conway ended their eight-year relationship. The breakup led to a six-month hiatus, lots of therapy, and, ultimately, their most vulnerable, resonant LP.
From this tumultuous time arose their breakout hit "No One Noticed," which went viral on TikTok as a summertime sadness anthem and reached No. 22 on the Hot 100. Since then, The Marías have opened select shows for Billie Eilish back in December and participated on "Ojos Tristes" off Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s I Said I Love You First. Their nomination in the Best New Artist Category is a well-deserved acknowledgement after years of expressive work across genres.
Addison Rae
Originally known as one of TikTok’s most famous dancers, Addison Rae has spent the past few years focused on making her own music. The transition wasn’t easy: Her 2021 debut single "Obsessed" was panned by critics, and audiences seemed resistant to the idea that an influencer could be taken seriously as an artist. But Rae didn’t back down.
"I've learned that growth takes time and experience takes time," she told GRAMMY.com. "When 'Obsessed' came out, a lot of people were like, ‘Why are you releasing music? You haven't struggled in music, you haven't put in the years that it takes to become an artist!’" After "Obsessed," Rae decided to put in the years and the work. "I was in the studio all the time. I was writing and forcing myself to feel uncomfortable in writing alone."
Her first EP, 2023’s AR, introduced listeners to Rae’s dreamy soundscape. She was then featured on Charli xcx's remix of "Von Dutch," and her own "Diet Pepsi" broke into Hot 100 in 2024. By the time Rae dropped her first studio album, Addison, in June 2025, the public was more than ready to embrace this new chapter.
Addison received rave reviews for its impeccable vibes and carefully curated sounds, with themes ranging from money and fashion to introspective, intimate abstractions. It’s a product that only a chronically online influencer like Rae could create. Her fresh artistic vision and confidence in songwriting prove that she was made to be a pop star — and with her first GRAMMYS nomination for Best New Artist, she can expect to soar even higher.
sombr
Like many of his peers, Shane Michael Boose — the 20-year-old New Yorker performing as sombr — chased his dream of being a singer through TikTok. His emotive voice and eager lyrics struck a chord, and before he noticed, he had not one, but two entries on the Billboard Hot 100. "Back to friends" and "undressed" garnered more than one billion streams combined, assuring that whatever Boose was doing, he was on the right path.
His 10-track debut LP, I Barely Know Her, was released in August 2025 and showed that Boose had even more up his sleeve. In addition to the two aforementioned tracks, I Barely Know Her featured singles "we never dated" and "12 to 12" (whose music video features fellow nominee Addison Rae), and an alt-rock brilliancy inspired by the likes of Jeff Buckley, Prince, and the Rolling Stones. Boose is the only credited songwriter on the album, and co-produced it along with his mentor, the GRAMMY-winning producer Tony Berg.
Beyond this sound, Boose is an extremely relatable Gen Zer, self-deprecating and silly on his ever growing TikTok accounts (of course, he has a spam one). His ingenuity is as endearing as his music is compelling, and both will certainly lead him far.
Leon Thomas
A Broadway child actor-turned-songwriter, Leon Thomas has long been in the music scene — just not in the spotlight. He spent years crafting chart-topping hits for artists like Ariana Grande, Post Malone, and Drake, and took home a Best R&B Song golden gramophone at the 2024 GRAMMYS for SZA’s "Snooze," which he co-wrote and produced.
Working with top stars made Thomas realize he had to put his own dreams first. "Writing these records and working with these big artists is such a blessing, but I want to hit stages and see the world through my music," he told GRAMMY.com. Thomas' 2023 debut studio album, Electric Dusk, showed off his R&B prowess and finesse; the following year, he earned his first-ever entry on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the title track from his sophomore LP, MUTT (itself nominated for Album Of The Year). A neat, addictive midtempo, "MUTT" crowned Thomas as a solo star to be reckoned with. One year later, Thomas advocated for creators as Music Advocacy Day's 2025 Artist Ambassador.
"First off, I've had a GRAMMY on my lock screen on my phone for, like, a year and a half. So this has been a one-track-minded thing," Thomas revealed in a backstage interview right after winning his first golden gramophone as a producer last year. Regardless if he’s kept the lock screen or not, the Recording Academy Voting Membership has taken notice, and acknowledged his riveting solo work.
Alex Warren
It sounds like a joke to say that a track titled "Ordinary" would become one of 2025’s most ubiquitous hits. Like its singer, Alex Warren, "Ordinary" is anything but. Fervently devotional and majestically orchestrated, the song compares love to "Something so heavenly, higher than ecstasy," and offers a surge of dopamine to hopeless romantics around the world.
Warren has been through an unusual assortment of highs and lows. By 21, he had been homeless, lost both his parents, co-founded and participated in the TikTok collective Hype House (of which Addison Rae was also a member), and started dating his future wife. Now 25, he is married, saw his life change overnight with the success of "Ordinary," and will add a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist to his extraordinary history.
Included in his debut studio album, July’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid, "Ordinary" reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries — including the Billboard Hot 100 — and stayed at the top of the charts for weeks. Along with it came fellow hits "Bloodline" with Jelly Roll, "On My Mind" featuring BLACKPINK’s Rosé, and "Eternity." An extension of Warren’s 2024 EP of the same name, You’ll Be Alright, Kid is a 21-track anthology and a statement about Warren’s catapult into superstardom.
Lola Young
It’s hard not to relate to Lola Young’s unapologetic lyricism. Talking about experiences and feelings that many would rather forget, she brings healing in the form of catharsis. That’s what made her 2024 single "Messy" a viral hit, with stinging verses like "And I'm too perfect 'til I show you that I'm not/ A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the f—ing lot" and "I'm not skinny, and I pull a Britney every other week/ But cut me some slack, who do you want me to be? 'Cause I'm too messy, and then I'm too f—ing clean."
"Messy" is the sixth single from Young’s acclaimed 2024 sophomore album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, and became her first entry — and first No. 1 — on the charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. It also earned her the Ivor Novello Rising Star award that same year. But Young’s success didn’t come out of the blue: The 24-year-old South Londoner has been penning fearless lyrics and developing her stirring, raspy vocals since she was just 14.
Following her hard-earned mainstream breakout, Young released her third LP, I’m Only F–king Myself, in September 2025. Led by singles "Not Like That Anymore," "One Thing," and "d£aler," the album established Young as a promising talent to watch. Her nomination for Best New Artist at the 2026 GRAMMYS confirms it.