As the Grammys get closer, the biggest night in music is slowly releasing more details about the big show. On Monday, Jan. 21, the award show announced the first nine performers scheduled to rock the stage. Included in the lineup are all eight Grammy nominees for Best New Artist, who will perform in a Best New Artist segment showcase.
Best New Artist Spotlight Returns
The artists nominated for Best New Artist include Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, SOMBR, and The Marías.
After receiving positive feedback from the set last year, the new artist nominees will display their talent in a special segment for the second year. Even if the artist does not win the prestigious award, their music will still get recognition and highlight their talent.
The details of how the award show will arrange the artist lineup for the set have not been released yet. But if it is similar to the Best New Artist segment at the 2025 Grammys, the nominees will perform their hits in a medley, one after the other.
First-Time Nominees Take Center Stage
It will be a big night for all the artists nominated; most Best New Artist nominees are first-time Grammy nominees, and some performers may get lucky in more than one category.
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Artists Addison Rae, Olivia Dean, SOMBR, and Alex Warren received their first Grammy. The group KATSEYE and Lola Young are also first-time nominees, but they are up for two awards on Feb. 1.
Not New, Just Breaking Through
The nominees for Best New Artist are in a close race, but Leon Thomas could be a frontrunner. The “Victorious” actor scored six Grammy nominations at the upcoming show. And even though Thomas is in the running for Best New Artist, it will not be his first Grammy. In 2024, the “Mutt” singer won a Grammy for his contribution to SZA’s hit song “Snooze.”
Another artist on the roster that will not usually fall under a new artist category is The Marias. The band has consistently released singles and EPs since 2017, but with the success of their sophomore album, Submarine, and hit singles like “Back to Me,” the group made waves on the Billboard charts and rose in popularity.
According to Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason Jr., in an interview with Billboard last December, he revealed the Grammys’ idea of what defines a new artist.
“The name of it sometimes catches us or trips us up a little bit because a lot of the artists aren’t new, but it’s an artist that has finally broken through. There’s maybe artists that have been toiling and working and writing and creating for so long, but now they finally came to national prominence or national consciousness. And for us, we want to celebrate those artists.”
From Nominee To Grammy Favorite
The next performer announced for the big night is last year’s Best New Artist nominee, Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter did not take the award home, but had a great year, bringing her nominations to six.
The “Espresso” singer nominations include Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album. According to the Grammys website, more performers will be announced in the coming days.
Grammys 2026: End Of an Era
The Grammys will premiere live Sunday night, Feb. 1, on CBS at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, hosted by returning host comedian Trevor Noah for the sixth year. The award show will also stream on Paramount+ the next day, and if you have a Paramount+ Premium account, you can watch it live as well. This will be the last year Noah hosts the show, and next year the Grammys will also get a new home on Disney+.
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