By now, we all know a few things about sombr. He’s as talented as he is tall (6’7”). He wrote every song on his debut album by himself and co-produced the album with Tony Berg (except for two tracks he produced by himself). That album, I Barely Know Her, cracked the top 10 on the Billboard 100 and spawned a top 10 hit, “Back to Friends,” on the Billboard Hot 100.
At 20, sombr is the youngest of this year’s Grammy nominees for best new artist – and, in fact, the youngest in four years, since The Kid LAROI and Olivia Rodrigo, who were 18 and 19, respectively, on Grammy night in 2022.
The youngest solo artist ever nominated for best new artist may surprise you. She’s long been a household name, but more for the weekly variety show she starred in with her brother than for her occasional hit records. The youngest best new artist winner is a country star who was anything but “blue” on Grammy night in 1997. (You probably were able to guess both artists from these clues. If not, never fear: All will be revealed as you scan the list.)
The seven other nominees for best new artist this year are: Olivia Dean, 26; Addison Rae, 25; Leon Thomas, 32; Alex Warren, 25; and Lola Young, 24, plus two groups, KATSEYE and The Marías.
Final-round Grammy voting ended on Monday Jan. 5. The winners will be announced at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1. Here are predictions in 12 key categories, including all six of the General Field categories – album, record and song of the year, best new artist, producer of the year, non-classical and songwriter of the year, non-classical.
Here are all the solo artists who were nominated for the best new artist Grammy before their 21st birthdays. They are shown in chronological order. The age shown is their age on the night of the Grammy ceremony.
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Johnny Restivo
Age on Grammy night, 1959: 16 years, two months and 17 days
Best new artist winner: Bobby Darin
Notes: This was the first year the award was presented. Restivo, who was born in the Bronx, cracked the Hot 100 in 1959 with “The Shape I’m In.”
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Joanie Sommers
Age on Grammy night, 1961: 20 years, one month and 20 days
Best new artist winner: Bob Newhart
Notes: Somers landed her biggest hit more than a year after the Grammy nod, when “Johnny Get Angry” rose to No. 7 in July 1962.
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Marie Osmond
Image Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Age on Grammy night 1974: 14 years, four months and 18 days
Best new artist winner: Bette Midler
Notes: Osmond had a top five hit on the Hot 100 in November 1973 with a cover version of “Paper Roses,” which was first a hit for Anita Bryant in 1960. The hit brought Osmond a second Grammy nod that year: best country vocal performance, female. For the record, her brother Donny has yet to land a Grammy nod.
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Shaun Cassidy
Age on Grammy night 1978: 19 years, four months and 28 days
Best new artist winner: Debby Boone
Notes: Cassidy’s mother, Shirley Jones, and stepbrother, David Cassidy were nominated in this same category seven years earlier as key members of The Partridge Family. Shaun had three top 10 hits on the Hot 100 before Grammy night, with a remake of The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron” and a pair of Eric Carmen songs, “That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Hey Deanie.”
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Andy Gibb
Age on Grammy night 1978: 19 years, 11 months and 19 days
Best new artist winner: Debby Boone
Notes: Gibb, the youngest brother of Bee Gees, had a second Grammy nod that year – best pop vocal performance, male for “I Just Want to Be Your Everything,” which was his first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100. For the record, The Bee Gees were not nominated for best new artist in 1967, but they were nominated (and won) best pop vocal performance by a group for the sublime “How Deep Is Your Love” the same year their kid bro was nominated for “I Just Want to Be Your Everything.”
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Brandy
Image Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images Age on Grammy night 1996: 17 years and 18 days
Best new artist winner: Hootie and the Blowfish
Notes: Brandy had a second nod that year – best female R&B vocal performance for “Baby,” which was her first top five hit on the Hot 100.
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LeAnn Rimes
Age on Grammy night 1997: 14 years, five months and 30 days
Best new artist winner: She won!
Notes: Rimes set a record (which she still holds) as the youngest winner in this category in Grammy history. She won a second Grammy that year – best female country vocal performance for the Patsy Cline soundalike hit “Blue,” which was her first Hot 100 hit (No. 26).
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Fiona Apple
Age on Grammy night 1998: 20 years, five months and 13 days
Best new artist winner: Paula Cole
Notes: Apple had two other nods that year for “Criminal” – best rock song and best female rock vocal performance. She won in the latter category. The song was her first Hot 100 hit (No. 21)
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Christina Aguilera
Image Credit: David Keeler/Online USA Age on Grammy night 2000: 19 years, two months and six days
Best new artist winner: She won!
Notes: She had a second Grammy nod that year – best female pop vocal performance for “Genie in a Bottle,” which was her first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100.
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Britney Spears
Age on Grammy night 2000: 18 years, two months and 22 days
Best new artist winner: Christina Aguilera
Notes: She had a second Grammy nod that year – best female pop vocal performance for “…Baby One More Time,” which was her first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100.
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Avril Lavigne
Image Credit: Tim Roney/Getty Images Age on Grammy night 2003: 18 years, four months and 28 days
Best new artist winner: Norah Jones
Notes: Lavigne had four other Grammy nods that year – song of the year and best female pop vocal performance for “Complicated”; best female rock vocal performance for “Sk8er Boi” and best pop vocal album for Let Go. “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” were her first two top 10 hits on the Hot 100. Let Go reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. With all that going for her, how did she not win best new artist? Look who she had to compete with.
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Michelle Branch
Age on Grammy night 2003: 19 years, seven months and 22 days
Best new artist winner: Norah Jones
Notes: She won that year as a featured artist on Santana’s “The Game of Love,” which was voted best pop collaboration with vocals. The collab reached No. 5 on the Hot 100.
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Joss Stone
Age on Grammy night 2005: 17 years, 10 months, three days
Best new artist winner: Maroon 5
Notes: Stone had two other Grammy nods that night – best pop vocal album for Mind, Body & Soul and best female pop vocal performance for “You Had Me.” Stone was also part of a memorable “Grammy Moment” on that year’s telecast, when she teamed with Melissa Etheridge for a live performance of the Janis Joplin hits “Cry Baby” and “Piece of My Heart,” keyed to Joplin receiving a posthumous lifetime achievement award.
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Ciara
Age on Grammy night 2006: 20 years, three months and 15 days
Best new artist winner: John Legend
Notes: Ciara had three other Grammy nods that year – best rap/sung collaboration for “1, 2 Step,” featuring Missy Elliott; and best rap song and best short form music video for Elliott’s “Lose Control,” on which she was featured. Both of those songs made the top three on the Hot 100. Ciara won in the music video category.
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Chris Brown
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Age on Grammy night 2007: 17 years, nine months and seven days
Best new artist winner: Carrie Underwood
Notes: Brown had a second Grammy nod that year – best contemporary R&B album for his debut album, Chris Brown, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
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Taylor Swift
Age on Grammy night 2008: 18 years, one month and 29 days
Best new artist winner: Amy Winehouse
Notes: This was, surprisingly, Swift’s only Grammy nomination that year. Her eponymous debut album failed to land a best country album nod. Swift has since made up for that disappointment. Every regular studio album she has released since Taylor Swift has been Grammy-nominated for a genre album award and/or album of the year. (We’ll see in December if The Life of a Showgirl maintains this streak.)
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Adele
Age on Grammy night 2009: 20 years, nine months and four days
Best new artist winner: She won!
Notes: Adele also won best female pop vocal performance for “Chasing Pavements,” which was her first Hot 100 hit.The ballad, which reached No. 21, was also nominated for record and song of the year.
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Justin Bieber
Image Credit: Stacie McChesney/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images Age on Grammy night 2011: 16 years, 11 months and 13 days
Best new artist winner: Esperanza Spalding
Notes: Bieber was also nominated for best pop vocal album for his first full-length, My World 2.0, which topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks.
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Khalid
Age on Grammy night 2018: 19 years, 11 months and 18 days
Best new artist winner: Alessia Cara
Notes: While Khalid and Cara competed for best new artist, they were partners on the same nominated entry (“1-800-273-8255”) in two other categories – song of the year and best music video. Khalid was also nominated for best R&B song for “Location” and best urban contemporary album for American Teen.
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Billie Eilish
Age on Grammy night 2000: 18 years, one month and nine days
Best new artist winner: She won!
Notes: Eilish became the first artist to sweep the “Big Four” categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist – since Christopher Cross in 1981. (He was 29 when he achieved the feat.) Eilish won a fifth Grammy on the night – best pop vocal album for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks. Her only loss was best pop solo performance for “Bad Guy.” The award went to Lizzo for “Truth Hurts.”
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Lil Nas X
Age on Grammy night 2000: 20 years, nine months and 18 days
Best new artist winner: Billie Eilish
Notes: LNX won two Grammys that night – best pop duo/group performance and best music video, both for “Old Town Road,” his megahit collab with Billy Ray Cyrus. He was also nominated for album of the year and record of the year (losing to Eilish in both categories) and best rap/sung performance for “Panini.”
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Olivia Rodrigo
Image Credit: Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images Age on Grammy night 2022: 19 years, one month and 15 days
Best new artist winner: She won!
Notes: Rodrigo came into the night with seven nominations and left with three trophies. She also took best pop vocal album for SOUR and best pop solo performance for “Drivers License.” Her other nods for album of the year for SOUR; record and song of the year for “Drivers License” and best music video for “Good 4 U.” SOUR topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks. “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U” both topped the Hot 100.
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The Kid LAROI
Age on Grammy night 2022: 18 years, seven months and 18 days
Best new artist winner: Olivia Rodrigo
Notes: The Kid LAROI was nominated on the strength of “Stay,” his collab with Justin Bieber which topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks. LAROI had a second Grammy nod that year, album of the year as a featured artist on the deluxe edition of Bieber’s Justice.
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Sombr
Age on Grammy night 2026: 20 years, six months and 28 days
Best new artist winner: TBD
Notes: Taylor Swift, another artist who broke through at an early age, is one of many who have sung sombr’s praises. In October, she said he was “amazing” in a SiriusXM interview. She later gifted Sombr a four-leaf clover necklace.
