GRAMMY Guide: Best New Artist Nominations & Prediction

 By Jason Weintraub 

The definition of GRAMMY's Best New Artist award is pretty straight-forward. The official guidelines state any artist is eligible as long as they have released an album that helped "establish" their "public identity." Note that this is not necessarily the first album released by an artist.

The category has often created controversy and many times GRAMMY voters have given the award to a dark horse nominee. Take for example Lady Gaga's snub in this category a few years ago which led to an unprecedented change in GRAMMY rules, and last year The Academy created a bit of an upset when they awarded the Best New Artist to the virtually unknown (but not less deserving) Esparanza Spalding. This year's Best New Artist category may be one of the most competitive races to date that can possibly have once again a very unexpected outcome. Let's have a look at the nominees.

Bon Iver
Bon Iver gave us a glimpse of their sound in 2008 with "For Emma, Forever Ago," but they have really blown fans away with their 2011 release of their self titled second album. Now with a more layered and fuller sound, Bon Iver is nominated for four different GRAMMY categories, all summarized by the Best New Artist nod. The Academy isn’t the only ones fond of the folk rock band, the band has recently worked with the likes of James Blake and Kanye West. While Bon Hiver in French means “good winter,” it seems Bon Iver is having a good year all around.

J. Cole
While a hip hop artist or group has not won the Best New Artist Award since Arrested Development did in 1993, the North Carolina emcee is hoping to change that. Signed with Jay-Z’s RocNation, J.Cole has been one of the genre's most prominent rising stars, giving a taste of the future with his debut album "Cole World: The Sideline Story." With a platinum certified single under his belt, and collaborations with big named rappers such as Drake and Jay-Z, 2011 was just a breakout year for what looks to be a "Cole World" for years to come. 

Nicki Minaj
Out of all the nominees on the list, none may have a more impressive catalog than pop barbie Nicki Minaj. She was featured on some of the biggest albums of 2011, including LPs by David Guetta, Kanye West, Drake and Britney Spears. Plus, she released her debut album “Pink Friday” which included 8 charted singles. Signed to rapper’s Lil Wayne's Young Money label, Nicki Minaj has managed a way to merge her unique rapping/singing style with some of the biggest names in hip hop and pop. 

 The Band Perry (Predicted to win)
While the Jonas Brothers may have been the most popular family trio of musicians in the past years, they definitely have competition from The Band Perry. The siblings from Mississippi are the new spark in country music, with their self-titled debut album-reaching number 4 on the Billboard charts and becoming certified platinum on the eve of their nomination in December. They gained mainstream popularity with their triple platinum hit "If I Die Young," continuing their success with "You Lie" and "All Your Life." Country has done generally well in this category with Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band both picking up the wins in the recent years. The Band Perry would be a safe and satisfying pick for GRAMMY voters.

Skrillex
Skrillex may not be the founder of dubstep music, but he sure is the general in the dubstep army taking over America. Breaking off with his band to start his first solo tour in 2007, Skrilex has come a long way to be in the position he’s in today. Nominated for five GRAMMYs, Skrillex has been coined to single-handedly have brought dubstep to a mainstream audience. His BigBeat release, entitled "Scary Monsters & Nice Sprite," gave him commercial success while he also collaborated with DJs like Kaskade and fellow GRAMMY nominee Deadmau5. If someone may create an upset in this category it is Skrillex. He's moving with a lot of momentum and we would not be surprised he if he ends up grabbing GRAMMY gold.