The nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards were revealed on Friday, including the finalists for Best New Artist.
KATSEYE, The Marías, and Lola Young were among the nominees, along with Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, and Alex Warren.
KATSEYE are among the fresher crop of artists this year, having formed in 2023 via the reality competition show Dream Academy. The six-piece girl group features members from around the world and burst onto the scene this year with the hit “Gnarly.” They also performed their first extended set at this year’s Lollapalooza, and are about to embark on their first-ever North American tour next week (get tickets here).
The Marías, meanwhile, have been around for much longer, releasing their first EP back in 2017. The Los Angeles quartet have had a massive breakout year on the back of their 2024 second album Submarine, which went relatively unnoticed at last year’s Grammys — still, a major appearance at Coachella 2025, as well as a new solo album from frontwoman María Zardoya, helped bring their stylized dream pop to the mainstream.
Other selections include Addison Rae, the TikTok influencer-turned-pop-savant, who offered her long-awaited debut album this year; Sombr, the New York singer-songwriter who absolutely dominated the Billboard charts this year with his pair of singles “Back to Friends” and “Undressed”; Alex Warren, who had one of the most inescapable songs of 2025 with “Ordinary”; and R&B artist Leon Thomas, whose breakout LP Mutt also received an album of the year nod.
Rounding out the nominations are English artists Lola Young, who experienced a massive breakthrough year with hit song “Messy” and new album I’m Only Fucking Myself, and Olivia Dean, whose new album The Art of Loving spawned several hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
For the 2026 Grammys, the Recording Academy’s Best New Artist category honors musicians who achieve a prominent public breakthrough during the eligibility year, having released at least five singles or one album in their career. The Academy’s updated rules now allow artists previously featured on an Album of the Year nominee to compete for Best New Artist, provided their contribution to that album was under 20 percent of its playing time. Previous major recognition or Grammy nominations for performance typically disqualify an artist, unless as a featured artist before meeting the minimum release threshold.
Historically, the Best New Artist category has sparked frequent debate because many nominees are already fairly established by the time they receive a nod, having released albums and built sizable followings well before their Grammy breakthrough. Recent nominees like Sabrina Carpenter or Khruangbin exemplify this pattern, with Carpenter releasing five albums over the past decade and Khruangbin debuting in 2015, yet both only now being recognized as “new” due to their career-defining surge in public recognition during the eligibility period.
Last year, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. clarified that the essence of the category is less about a literal debut and more about honoring that pivotal “breakthrough year” where artists rise to national or international prominence, regardless of how long they’ve been active. Last year’s Best New Artist winner was Chappell Roan.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will take place on February 1st, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The event will be aired live on CBS and Paramount+. See an updated list of nominees in all major categories here.
2026 Grammys Best New Artist Nominees:
KATSEYE
The Marías
Lola Young
Olivia Dean
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
