2022 GRAMMY Awards: Vote now for ‘Best New Artist’

Who will win ‘Best New Artist’ this year?
Grammy Award
Photo credit Getty Images
By , Audacy

Music’s biggest night is right around the corner! The 64th annual GRAMMY Awards will air Sunday, April 3, after being previously postponed earlier this year. Surely, one of the most exciting categories is Best New Artist. In recent years, the category has been dominated by women with Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion having taken home the awards within the last three years respectively. But who will walk away the winner in 2022?

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The 2022 Best New Artist category is jam-packed with 10 deserving artists across all genres. Some acts have been around for years, while others have recently made their debut. Arooj Aftab, Jimmie Allen, Baby Keem, FINNEAS, Glass Animals, Japanese Breakfast, The Kid LAROI, Arlo Parks, Olivia Rodrigo, and Saweetie are the nominees.

Who do you think should receive the golden gramophone for Best New Artist? Vote for your favorite below and check out all of this year's nominees!

Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab is making history as the first female Pakistani Best New Artist nominee. The singer, composer, and producer has been releasing music independently for several years. The Pakistan-born artist released her debut album Bird Under Water in 2015. Her song "Mohabbat” from her third album Vulture Prince was featured on Barack Obama's 2021 summer playlist. Aftab is also nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category for "Mohabbat."

Jimmie Allen

Jimmie Allen is the only Country artist in the Best New Artist category. Allen delivered back-to-back No.1 hits with 2018’s "Best Shot" and 2019’s "Make Me Want To." On his versatile breakthrough EP Bettie James, he collaborated with Noah Cyrus, Babyface, Monica, and Pitbull. In 2021, Allen was awarded New Male Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards, becoming the first Black artist to win. The rising Country star also received the New Artist award at the 2021 CMA Awards.

Baby Keem

Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr., professionally known as Baby Keem, gained recognition with his 2019 single "Orange Soda." The 21-year-old rapper is also a cousin of 2014 Best New Artist nominee Kendrick Lamar. Keem released his acclaimed debut album The Melodic Blue in 2021. The album hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. Keem is also nominated for Best Rap Performance for "Family Ties" featuring Lamar.

FINNEAS

The brother to 2020's Best New Artist winner, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS initially made a name for himself as Ellish’s producer. The 24-year-old artist released his debut EP Blood Harmony in 2019 and followed up with his debut studio album Optimist last year. Interestingly, he wrote and produced all 13 tracks on his latest project. FINNEAS is the only 2022 Best New Artist candidate with previous nominations and wins. He has already received eight GRAMMYs as a songwriter and producer.

Glass Animals

British Indie-Rock quartet Glass Animals went completely viral with their 2021 single “Heat Waves.” After trending heavily on Tik Tok, the catchy song charted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s U.S. and global charts. Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley refers to “Heat Waves” as "the most personal song I've ever written." The group, composed of Bayley’s childhood friends Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer and Drew MacFarlane, was formed over a decade ago in 2010.

Japanese Breakfast

Experimental pop band Japanese Breakfast witnessed breakout success in 2021 with "Be Sweet." The track is off their third album Jubilee, which is a change of pace from their previous projects. Spearheaded by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner, the group is nominated for both Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. Zauner has been the Japanese Breakfast frontwoman since 2013.

The Kid LAROI

Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, better known by his stage name The Kid LAROI has been rapping and signing since he was 14 years old. Just a few years later, the 18-year-old artist gained attention in 2020 with "Go" featuring the late Juice WRLD. His breakout hit "Without You" featuring Miley Cyrus on the remix initially put him on the map. And of course, his collab with Justin Bieber “Stay” became a worldwide mega-hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.

Arlo Parks

Born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, Arlo Parks is a British indie folk and R&B singer. Parks’ music stems from poetry, which is evident on songs like "Black Dog" and "Caroline.” Her breakthrough moment followed the release of her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, released in 2021. Collapsed in Sunbeams earned the singer-songwriter the Mercury Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the U.K. music industry. Parks is additionally nominated Best Alternative Music Album.

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo blossomed from Disney star to global sensation with her mesmerizing single "drivers license." Her debut album Sour has five power-singles, all of which are at least platinum. The singer-songwriter has nods in all of the Big 4 categories including Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Music Video for "good 4 u." At 19 years old, Rodrigo would be the third-youngest to receive Best New Artist if she wins.

Saweetie

Saweetie’s debut album Pretty B*** Music is scheduled to release this year. However, the rapper emerged on the scene with her 2017 debut "Icy Girl." In recent years, Saweetie consistently dropped "My Type," "Tap In,” and her Doja Cat collab "Best Friend." Diamonté Harper aka Saweetie is best known for putting her spin on popular Hip Hop samples.

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