New music is always a topic of conversation, especially new artists; something the world will never run dry of. Every Grammy season, the industry blesses us with some fresh new faces that we get to deem best new artist, and it will never be an easy task. From KATSEYE to Sombr, and ex Hype House members Addison Rae and Alex Warren, all competing for the trophy this year, one opinion remains popular on social media this time around: nobody is deserving enough to take home the prize.

Being an ex-TikTok star will always follow you around, especially if you were in the leagues like Addison and Alex. That’s partly why so many people want them out of the race; not many people view them as actual artists, just some kids who got famous on a dancing app. Addison’s re-brand was looked at as the re-brand of the century. Starting her career as an actual pop star in mid 2024, when she was featured on Charli XCX and A.G. Cook’s remix of Von Dutch, she then released singles 5 months later that would be featured on her debut album, Addison. All while totally shifting her aesthetic and her public image, she’s selling out theaters left and right. Meanwhile Alex focuses on his career as well, releasing the first part of his album, titled You’ll Be Alright, Kid, on September 26th, 2024, and the second part 10 months later on July 18th, 2025. But even with their recent success, people still don’t view them as professional pop artists.

There are a few familiar names on the list, some of which have been around for years already. Some of those artists include The Marías and Leon Thomas. Some outrage has sparked online because these artists aren’t new and have been in the industry for a while. The Marías, having already gained recognition for their 2017 and 2018 EPs, released their debut album CINEMA in June 2021, and their most recent album, Submarine, was released on May 31st, 2024. It’s safe to say that the group has definitely gained mainstream success in the past. As for Leon Thomas, he launched his solo career in 2018, releasing the first couple of singles from his debut album, Genesis. He hit the ground running and quickly gained recognition for his past producing for other artists and for his magnum opus as Andre Harris in Victorious. It is truly great that these artists keep gaining the recognition they deserve. It’s just that, since they’ve been around for so long, people want to give actual new artists a chance to win.

Two artists’ names stick out on this list, but not for the reasons we’d hope; KATSEYE and Sombr. KATSEYE is a multinational girl group that rose to fame with its debut EP, SIS (Soft is Strong). They gained little recognition from the project. A year later, a collab with Monster High was put out, covering the infamous Monster High Fright Song. It was a success, bigger than a success. A month later, they dropped “Gnarly, ” their lead single from their second EP, Beautiful Chaos. The girls were instantly in it for the long run. Although the song was seen as a total failure at first, after a few more listens, it grew on the majority of the world; later in the year, their summer EP dropped and went viral. They set a record for drawing the biggest daytime crowd for a day, with an estimated 85,000+ people; they were crushing the pop industry. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end; their time in the spotlight was cut short when their newest single Internet Girl was released on January 2nd. It’s safe to say people didn’t like it as much as they liked Gnarly’s quirkiness. Almost as if they were testing their luck with the chance that Internet Girl will grow on people the same way that Gnarly did, but that doesn’t seem likely with the amount of backlash they’re receiving. And in Sombr’s case, the media is already fed up with him, and he hasn’t even been in the public eye for more than a year. Releasing his debut album, I Barely Know Her, on August 22nd, 2025, it was really only big with one kind of demographic: teenage girls. His downfall started when a mother on TikTok documented her experience taking her daughter to his concert. She stated that she didn’t have a good time, mainly due to the fact that he kept saying “brain-rot” jokes the whole time that she didn’t understand. She also mentioned a “segment” that the singer did where he would invite underage girls on stage, dial their ex-boyfriends and attempt to make casual conversation with them, along with many other inappropriate moments. Sombr’s only response was to insult the woman, calling her old. The internet’s response was a mix of confusion and disgust, to say the least.

Last on the list are two British artists, Lola Young and Olivia Dean. Both have been discussed as having not very memorable music, although they have had fair opportunities and equal amounts of success. Lola Young is best known for her single Messy, which features her mix of her unique-sounding voice and great vocals. Many singles and 3 albums later, she has released her 4th studio album, I’m Only F**king Myself. Olivia Dean, coincidentally, also gained fame for a project titled Messy. She has extreme talent and a couple of years under her belt, but again, neither has had a lasting impact on pop so far.

These opinions only seem to be popular online, as Saints express otherwise. Senior Kamila Nolazco states, “I feel like KATSEYE isn’t really Grammy nomination worthy yet because if they were to win, it wouldn’t really be the girls winning, it’d be the writers and that’s like, the one reason I don’t like KATSEYE is because of the writing. I love the girls but I just think they need to be more in charge of what they write and sing.”. Senior Sophia Marrujo shares that she hopes Addison Rae wins, explaining “I think her win will prove to people that she’s now more than a TikToker, and to all those people saying Alex Warren is capable of change but Addison isn’t for some reason.”.

This year’s Best New Artist category feels less like a celebration and more like a debate, with how many people believing that no nominee is truly deserving of the award. However, this mindset reflects how quickly audiences expect new artists to become perfect and universally loved so fast. The Grammy is meant to recognize potential and growth, not just instant fame or viral success. No matter who wins, the backlash surrounding this category highlights how difficult it has become for new artists to simply exist and grow in today’s music industry.