One of the most anticipated categories at the Grammy Awards each year, the Best New Artist category, was stacked this year with eight incredible nominees.
Before the winner was announced toward the end of the night, each artist took part in a performance medley featuring some of their biggest hits from the past year.
The band The Marías kicked off the medley with their viral song “No One Noticed,” followed by Addison Rae performing “Fame Is a Gun,” the standout track from her debut album released earlier this year. KATSEYE followed with “Gnarly,” Leon Thomas performed “Mutt” and Alex Warren sang “Ordinary.” Lola Young then performed “Messy,” a song that had already won a Grammy earlier in the night. Olivia Dean performed her No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Man I Need” and the medley concluded with SOMBR performing “12 to 12.”
If you’ve spent any time online over the past year, chances are you’ve heard many of these artists and songs before. Tracks like “Ordinary,” “Gnarly” and “No One Noticed” have been trending across platforms such as TikTok for weeks, helping bring these artists into mainstream media.
When the moment arrived, Dean was awarded the Best New Artist Grammy by the voting members of the Recording Academy. While Dean earned the title of “new artist,” she is not new to the scene. She self-released her first song, “Reason to Stay,” in 2018 before signing with AMF Records and releasing her debut EP “Ok, Love You Bye” in 2019. The EP performed well and set the stage for her successful debut album, “Messy,” released in 2023, which included popular tracks like “Dive” and “The Hardest Part.”
Dean was nominated for Best New Artist following the release of her second album, “The Art of Loving,” in September 2025. The album features hit songs “Man I Need,” “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” and “A Couple Minutes.” It gained even more momentum when Dean opened for the final shows of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short & Sweet” tour in fall 2025. Since then, Dean has had multiple songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Man I Need” currently sitting at No. 2.
Dean was my top choice to win this award, as she brings a breath of fresh air not only to the Best New Artist category, but to the music industry as a whole. Her sound blends soul, jazz, pop and R&B, and she is often compared to Amy Winehouse. What makes her win stand out is how different her style is from much of the music created by the other nominees. While her genre is not new, it is rarely represented at this level of mainstream success.
Dean’s music stands out because of her attention to every element of the craft, from songwriting and vocals to instrumentation and overall composition. Traditionally, music in this genre leans toward themes that are slow, sad and heartbroken. Dean, however, often brings a lighter, happier and more upbeat tone to her songs. This balance has been pivotal to her success and has helped carry her music to the top of the charts.
With her first Grammy now under her belt, it will be exciting to see what Dean does next, and whether she can push past that No. 2 spot to claim the top of the charts.
