2021 Grammys: Ranker’s Top 5 Picks for ‘Best New Artist’
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Music’s biggest night is here again — the 63rd annual Grammy Awards are set for March 14. The world’s biggest pop, rap, and rock stars are competing for awards like best album, best record, and best song of the year, but perhaps the most talked about category is the award for best new artist. Each year, the Recording Academy’s nominees for the biggest emerging talent in music give us a strong, diverse picture of all the potential directions the industry could be headed.
This year, the category is almost certain to go to one of the many female nominees who dominated the airwaves throughout 2020, though it’s anybody’s guess which one will actually take the award home. That’s why we left the question to anyone and everyone! Our Who Will Win the 2021 Grammy for Best New Artist? list features all eight nominees for this year’s award. Given that this year’s ceremony takes place during Women’s History Month, it’s appropriate that our voters’ Top 5 choices are all women. Take a look at their choices below, and keep reading to find out how the results could help us predict who will be the winner on March 14.
Photo: Instagram
#1: Megan Thee Stallion
This should come as no surprise to anyone who spent any time near a radio over the last 12 months. Houston-based rapper Megan Thee Stallion topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Savage Remix” in May of 2020, thanks in part to R&B icon Beyoncé’s vocal contribution. Megan was also featured on Cardi B’s highly controversial rap hit “WAP,” which debuted on the charts at No. 1 just a week after its release. Though 2020 brought plenty of top-tier talent into the public eye, no one’s star rose quite as high that year as Megan’s.
Photo: Instagram
#2: Doja Cat
Rapper and singer Doja Cat’s rise to fame hasn’t been without its fair share of scandal. Another breakout star of 2020, she owes much of her success to virality on platforms like SoundCloud and TikTok. But the internet has also led to trouble for Doja Cat. During the same year that her song “Say So” topped the charts, she was also criticized for her participation in allegedly alt-right group chats. Love her or hate her, Doja Cat is clearly a pop star for our times.
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#3: Phoebe Bridgers
Bridgers has been an indie darling since the release of her debut album “Stranger in the Alps” in 2017, but it wasn’t until last year that she started to become a household name. Bridgers released a new album and two EPs in 2020, making her one of the year’s most prolific rock artists. More recently, she’s received attention for her online skirmishes with David Crosby after the rock legend criticized her performance on SNL in February.
#4: CHIKA
Probably the least well-known of the artists in this Top 5, CHIKA is nonetheless a serious contender for the award. The emerging rap talent garnered attention this year for her freestyle verse admonishing Kanye West over the rapper’s own “Jesus Walks” beat, and has since earned praise from Erykah Badu, Lena Waithe, and Sean Combs for her impressive lyricism.
Photo: Instagram
Photo: Instagram