While the 2017 Grammy nomination period officially comes to a close September 30th, I’ve been thinking a lot about potential nominees, particularly Best New Artist. Now the rules state that the nominee has to release “the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist” during the period, which would mean the album would be released October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016. I don’t know how strictly they enforce this because, for instance, Ed Sheeran’s album + was released in America in June 2012, but he was nominated for the 2014 Best New Artist – the release date was within the 2013 Grammy period. Regardless, I thought I’d throw a list together. It’s fun for me.
Halsey really made waves this past year with her album Badlands, which showcased her unique take on electronica/alternative.
Twenty One Pilots are a shoo-in for the nomination and win. They blew up last summer with “Stressed Out” and have been dominating the charts this summer and breaking records.
Rachel Platten was pretty big last summer with her hit “Fight Song” and made some more waves with “Stand By You.” She’d be an underdog, but Platten has proven people wrong time and time again, so she could get nominated.
Charlie Puth burst on to the scene with his “See You Again” collaboration with Wiz Khalifa, but this past year he shaped pop music with his album Nine Track Mind.
Shawn Mendes rose to prominence in 2015 with his hit “Stitches,” and his album. Personally, I think it’d be a stretch for him to be nominated, although he does have an incredible voice.
Marren Morris made her debut in late 2015 with her hit “My Church” and is the country darling following in the steps of hitmakers like Sheryl Crow and Kacey Musgraves.
So…that’s what I got so far. I’ll probably add to it and create more lists, but it’ll be interesting to see who gets nominated in December!
