6 Artists Who Lost the Best New Artist Grammy Could Be Nominated for Album of the Year at 2027 Awards
Billboard ·
Bottom line: If you don't win best new artist, all is not lost.
When the nominations for the 69th annual Grammy Awards are announced on Nov. 16, no fewer than six artists who were nominated for best new artist and came up short in that category on Music’s Biggest Night could be in contention for album of the year. They probably won’t all make it, but they’re all very much in the conversation.
We’ve seen this before, where artists who lost best new artist came back to receive an album of the year nod. At the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, three of the album of the year nominees were artists who had lost best new artist previously: Justin Bieber (who lost in 2011 to Esperanza Spalding), Kendrick Lamar (who lost in 2014 to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) and Sabrina Carpenter (who lost in 2025 to Chappell Roan).
So, a word of advice to the seven artists whose names are not called as the winner of best new artist on Feb. 7. All is not lost. You’re just starting on your journey.
In Grammy history, seven artists who lost best new artist have gone on to win album of the year as a lead artist in a subsequent year. These include Swift, the only artist in Grammy history to win album of the year four times (for Fearless, 1989, Folklore and Midnights .)
The other artists who lost best new artist but came back later to win what most consider the most prestigious Grammy award are Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Toto, The Chicks, Mumford & Sons and Musgraves.
As a member of Cream, Clapton lost best new artist in 1969 to José Feliciano but he came back to win album of the year in 1993 with Unplugged.
As a member of Led Zeppelin, Plant lost best new artist in 1970 to Crosby, Stills and Nash but he came back to win album of the year in 2008 with Raising Sand , a collab with Alison Krauss.
Toto lost best new artist in 1979 to two-hit-wonders A Taste of Honey but won the album award four years later with Toto IV .
The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) lost best new artist in 1999 to Lauryn Hill but won album in 2007 for Taking the Long Way .
Mumford & Sons lost best new artist in 2011 to Esperanza Spalding but won album of the year two years later with Babel .
As noted above, Musgraves lost best new artist in 2014 to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis but won album of the year five years later with Golden Hour.
Two other artists lost best new artist and won album of the year on the same night – an odd outcome. JFK impressionist Vaughn Meader lost best artist in 1963 to Broadway star Robert Goulet but won album of the year for The First Family . Voters may have sensed even then that, while that album was a phenomenon, Meader’s long-term career prospects were limited. The other case is harder to make sense of. Alanis Morissette lost best new artist in 1996 to Hootie & the Blowfish, but won album of the year that same year for Jagged Little Pill .
Swift isn’t the only artist who lost best new artist but went on to amass an impressive number of album of the year nods. Kendrick Lamar, who as noted above lost best new artist in 2014 to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, has been nominated for album of the year five times as a lead artist. Kanye West, who lost in 2005 to Maroon 5, has been nominated four times.