In an age where no one wants to be pigeonholed, diversity is an important aspect of the musical cultural zeitgeist. An example: the 2024 GRAMMY Nominee for Best New Artist.
At the 66th GRAMMY Awards, the General Field category was a zig-zagging array of rising superstars who are the best in their respective genres. From bopping club tracks of Ice Spicethe smooth R&B of Victoria MonĂ©t – WHO finally got the golden gramophone on February 4 – or the unbiased footage of Jelly rollthis year’s Best New Artist class represents every taste.
Inside the Recording Academy GRAMMY Housethat variety was on full display as seven of this year’s nominees took to the stage with moderators and A rolling stone writer Brittany Spanos to think about creativity, their individual journeys, and what honor means to them.
Read on for some of the most exciting insights from the GRAMMY House Best New Artist Spotlight.
Noah Kahan almost erased his stardom
To the singer/songwriter best known for “Stick Season” that was broken from the heart. Noah Khan She said she was shocked when she found out she was nominated for Best New Artist. “A childhood dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been practicing my GRAMMY speech since I was a kid, and I didn’t believe it was going to happen until the day it happened. It’s really special and beautiful, because whatever I can say to my grandkids, I’m nominated . for the GRAMMYs.”
However, Kahan’s dream almost never came true because of the fear of the first rejection. “I put a verse on TikTok and thought I’d delete it but nobody liked it,” Kahan on “Stick Season.” Intending to wipe him out, Kahan said he had eaten edibles and forgot; The song went viral after that.
“I wrote the first verse and the lyrics in 20 minutes, and the second verse in three months,” he told the audience at the GRAMMY House. “There was a lot of rewriting, going off TikTok. But one night at a show in Syracuse, everyone was suddenly singing and I knew it was going to be special.”
Gracie Abrams was “horrified at the idea of ​​the show” at first
If he there may have been a stint opening for Taylor Swift’s Era tournot long ago the singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams found the idea of ​​playing shows a frightening prospect.
“I was horrified at the idea of ​​doing the show,” Abrams said. “Until a few years ago, I never sang in a room that wasn’t my room. In the beginning, I turned to music to be alone, not to experience community.”
Abrams’ success changed him. “Everyone needs that kind of space, and it’s really amazing to connect with a room full of people like that. Now I appreciate live music in a way that I didn’t before,” he told the audience at the the GRAMMY House.
He obviously took cues from the aforementioned Eras title along the way. “When I see Taylor fill the stadium with such energy, power and joy, there is something lighter in the studio, I was very lucky to learn from the best last year .”
Coco Jones has rebuilt her career from the ground up
A show business veteran who started out as a young Disney star, Coco Jones is the first nominee noted that despite his initial success, he made a conscious effort to become a true artist.
“I went through a lot of insecure years,” he admitted to Spanos. “When you’re a child star, it’s good but I didn’t have dignity. You can’t control too much. You have to know who I am: have fun, meet people, fall in love, fall for love, and that gave me the story to share [in my music].”
As a result, Jones received five GRAMMY nominations, and took home the Golden Gramophone for Best R&B Performance for “ICU.”
Every new level of success inspires me to dream more,” he said. “There was a time, my dreams became small and believable. But I want to dream something incredible.
War and Treaty have learned to be vulnerable
For many years, the clothes of the country-people The war and the treaty (protected by the couple Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter) traveled around on buses playing small gigs. “Eight years ago we did a show for three people in a coffee shop,” Tanya says. “So when we started, we were always closed in the writing process.”
However, as they became more successful, they began to become more vulnerable when it came to art. “When we decided to open ourselves up to working with other composers,” he continued.
“It’s scary, because I’m sensitive about my art,” Michael said. “I had one song that I kept in the bank, it was the biggest song and I gave them my best. But soon he realized that it was part of the process. “You have to feel that it will get better.”
Victoria MonĂ©t’s Creative Evolution Lasts
When an R&B star Monet Growing up, he was initially inspired by the music his parents listened to. “I’ll be listening to artists like Earth, Wind and Fire (with) shows, live music, lyrics and feelings,” he told the Best New Artist Spotlight audience. “And then I became really obsessed Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, TLC, Janet Jackson SY Sade.”
These artists lit the fire and led Monet for seven GRAMMY nominations and various hit singles, including “Hollywood” and “How Do You Get It.”
“I want to make sure I live life to have experiences to write about,” he said. “Life is a writing session, one long writing session, and you can write it when you go into the studio.”
Ice Spice took Taylor Swift’s advice to heart
Perhaps the biggest cheer at the panel went to breakout artist Ice Spice who, along with a Best New Artist nod, picked up four GRAMMY nominations, including Best Rap Song with . Nicki Minaj FOR “Barbie World.”
“As an artist in general, I’m always working on my craft,” he said. “I surprised myself a little bit, especially working on the new album. I have an interesting voice that I’ve never done before.”
But there was a little inspiration from it Taylor Swift which helped him see his work in a new way. “One of the best pieces of advice Taylor ever gave me was to keep making music. He said, ‘If you keep making music, everything will work out.’
Jelly Roll Uses Genre Defying Music as Therapy
When it comes to blending disparate genres into a cohesive sound, there’s no better example than Jelly Roll, the country artist on the rise today with his powerful and uncompromising anthem, “I Need a Gift.” .”
“I learned every trick I could from hip-hop,” he said. “It taught me a lot about storytelling and not being afraid to tell the truth.”
Jelly Roll also noted that he uses the skills of a hip-hop artist when it comes to his own work. “In terms of volume, I want to release music as a rapper, I want to write music like a country writer, and I want to tour like a rock and roll star.”
2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Complete List of Winners and Winners
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