The 2025 Grammy Award nominations were released Friday. With a competitive year, many newer artists made significant strides in the music industry.
The Best New Artist category highlights any musician who "achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape during the year’s eligibility period,” according to the official Grammys website. Here are the nominees competing for the Best New Artist award:
Sabrina Carpenter
“Espresso” was the song of the summer, and Sabrina Carpenter seems to be the new face of pop music. However, Carpenter has been in the industry since childhood.
Carpenter started as a Disney Channel child star, playing Maya Hart in the 2014 sitcom “Girl Meets World.” While the show was running, Carpenter released her debut album “Eyes Wide Open” in 2015 and showcased her multi-faceted talent within the entertainment industry.
Her status as a “pop princess” came with the release of her 2022 album “emails I can’t send,” but her most recent project, “Short n’ Sweet” (2024), truly launched her into stardom. With massive hits such as “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” and “Taste,” Carpenter’s success earned her six Grammy nominations for the album.
Carpenter successfully transitioned from Disney to a full-blown pop star, but it was a long time coming. With six full-length studio albums, Carpenter has been releasing music for almost 10 years. In a video of Carpenter reacting to her nominations, she said, “I don’t know how that’s possible. I’m the best old artist. S---, I’ve been here.”
Doechii
Doechii is a popular rapper and singer to look out for. Doechii rose to prominence after her 2020 single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” blew up, which led her to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022.
Since then, Doechii’s music catalog has been constantly expanding. Her 2022 hit “What It Is” has amassed over 330,000 streams and is a standout track for the rapper.
In 2024, Doechii released a full-length studio album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” including tracks like “NISSAN ALTIMA,” solidifying her place as an upcoming rap icon.
Doechii is up for four Grammys, making her the most nominated female rapper this year.
Benson Boone
Benson Boone first gained attention online after he auditioned for Season 19 of “American Idol.” After passing the auditions, Boone withdrew from the competition to focus on his music career outside the show. Boone released his first single “Ghost Town” in 2021 and was instantly successful.
Since then, Boone released an EP titled “PULSE” in 2023, along with several popular singles that same year, including “In the Stars” and “To Love Someone.”
However, his 2024 single “Beautiful Things” was his real claim to fame. The song blew up and has over 1.5 billion streams on Spotify. Boone performed the hit at the 2024 VMAs and was praised for his impressive vocals and lyricism.
RAYE
RAYE’s career in the music industry started as a songwriter, penning hits for big names like Beyoncé, Rihanna and John Legend. She began releasing original music in 2021 but became popular after releasing her 2023 album, “My 21st Century Blues.”
The album’s single “Escapism.” (2022) went viral on TikTok and made RAYE a household name. The album included other notable songs such as “Oscar Winning Tears.” and “Worth It.”
RAYE was nominated for two other Grammys including Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for her work on Lucky Daye's album “Algorithm.”
Teddy Swims
Teddy Swims first got into the music industry by posting covers to YouTube, but specifically his take on Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" blew up, and currently has over 187 million views.
The artist then released his debut single “Picky” and his debut EP “Unlearning” in 2020. Swims’ music blends country, R&B and soul; he continued to drop singles exploring these different genres.
Recently, however, Swims has gained worldwide popularity after the release of his 2023 album “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1).” Specifically, his song “Lose Control” was a massive commercial success and currently has over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Khruangbin
Perhaps the sleeper pick of the category, Khruangbin is a musical trio from Houston, composed of Laura Lee Ochoa, Mark Speer and DJ Johnson. The group draws inspiration from a genre of Thai music from the ‘60s called “luk thung.”
Khruangbin released their first album “The Universe Smiles Upon You” in 2015. Since then, the trio has released numerous singles and EPs, consistently releasing music for around a decade.
Although they don’t neatly fit into a genre, Khruangbin’s music has a mellow, psychedelic, funky feel and is popular among indie music fans. In 2024, the band released its fourth studio album “A LA SALA,” which led to a Best New Artist nomination.
Shaboozey
Shaboozey first gained popularity in 2018 for his song with Duckwrth titled “Start a Riot,” which was featured in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018). Shaboozey initially made a name for himself in the rap and hip-hop scene, particularly with his first two studio albums “Lady Wrangler” (2018) and “Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die” (2022).
Shaboozey only gained worldwide recognition, however, for his 2024 country hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has over 897 million streams on Spotify.
Shaboozey’s 2024 album “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going” features other successful tracks including “Drink Don’t Need No Mix” and “Last Of My Kind.”
Chappell Roan
If there is one artist who blew up this year, it’s Chappell Roan. Roan first gained attention for posting covers on YouTube in 2013. In 2015, Roan released her original song “Die Young” and got signed by Atlantic Records shortly after.
In 2017, she released her first single “Good Hurt” and a five-song EP titled “School Nights.” In 2020, she released two more singles “Love Me Anyway” and “California,” but was subsequently dropped from her label.
This setback didn’t stop Roan from making music. Roan continued to release singles, including “Pink Pony Club” (2020), which now has over 290 million streams on Spotify.
In September 2023, Roan released her first studio album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” but only gained massive commercial success recently after opening for Olivia Rodrigo on her tour for “GUTS.”
Despite only recently entering the spotlight, Roan is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, with almost 43 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her success and musical prowess earned her six Grammy nominations for the upcoming awards season and is the main contender to snag the Best New Artist title.
