Meet Addison Rae & More of the Grammys 2026 Best New Artist Nominees

Lola Young

British singer Lola Young rose to fame after becoming a finalist on the U.K. talent competition series Got What It Takes? in 2016. Three years later, she released her debut single, "6 Feet Under."

In 2023, her song "Conceited" reached No. 63 in her native United Kingdom. But it was a year later that she earned international fame, charting at No. 1 at home and abroad, including in the United States, with her single "Messy."

Calling it "a song that seems to resonate because people can relate," Lola told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in January 2025, “it’s not everyday clean girl aesthetic. Some days, you haven't washed your socks. You don't need to wash your socks every day. It's ridiculous."

Lola has also achieved global success with her third studio album, the provocatively titled 2025 record I'm Only F--king Myself.

Leon Thomas

First rising to fame as a child actor, appearing in Broadway shows such as The Lion King and The Color Purple along with Nickelodeon's iCarly, Leon Thomas got his big break playing Andre Harris on the cable network's series Victorious alongside Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande.

He later worked with the latter as a coproducer and cowriter on her 2013 albums Yours Truly and Christmas Kisses and also collaborated with artists such as Post Malone, Kehlani and Ty Dolla $ign. That same year, Leon released his debut single, "Hello How Are You," featuring Wiz Khalifa.

While the track did not chart, Leon found more success with his 2018 single "Favorite" and later, his 2024 track "Mutt," from his album of the same name, reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and was certified double platinum in October 2025.

In addition to Best New Artist, Leon is nominated for five additional 2026 Grammys, including Best R&B Album and Album of the Year for Mutt.

Addison Rae

While not exactly an unknown name, Addison Rae is charting in new territory. Years after becoming the talk of TikTok, the He's All That actress is finally getting her accolades as a singer with her first-ever Grammy nomination.

Her nod for Best New Artist comes just months after releasing her debut studio album, Addison, which contains the hit singles "Diet Pepsi," "Aquamarine," "High Fashion," "Headphones On" and "Fame Is a Gun."

The Marías

After nearly a decade as a band, indie pop group The Marías—named for lead singer María Zardoya, the quartet also includes Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman and Edward James—made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

"No One Noticed”, which reached No. 22, “gets you in your feels—it’s pretty emotional, and kind of slow," the frontwoman said in a February 2025 interview with Billboard. "It gives me hope that people are still open to listening to a song over and over that makes them cry."

And the group drew all the emotions when they were nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

"Your best new artist nominated band!!!!" the band wrote on Instagram. "Sometimes it takes 10 years to blow up overnight. Proud of us."

KATSEYE

Made up of Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeong and Sophia Laforteza, Los Angeles girl group KATSEYE was formed during the 2023 talent competition The Debut: Dream Academy, which was documented on YouTube. The six were later the focus of the 2024 Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.

In 2025, the group performed a medley of their biggest hits, "Gnarly" and "Gabriella," during the MTV VMAs pre-show. At the ceremony itself, they won Push Performance of the Year for "Touch."

"This is so crazy," Lara said during their acceptance speech. "This is all very new to us. This is our first time ever doing this. We've been through a lot together. So, having this moment feels so rewarding and feels like everything has paid off and fuels us to keep going."

Alex Warren

These life events have shaped his music.

"My career is amazing, but at the same time, I think everything that I’ve lost—my parents, my childhood—that's just something that has led me to be the person I am today, the musician I am today," the singer told the outlet in October, "and I have a story to tell and hopefully [can] help some people."

Alex's debut album You’ll Be Alright Kid—a follow-up to his 2024 EP You'll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)—dropped in July 2025 and landed the No. 5 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. And the standout track "Ordinary," inspired by his wife Kouvr Annon, topped the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to being a musician, Alex is a social media star as one of the founding members of Hype House.

Sombr

Sombr barely knew what his life had in store. But now, he’s a Grammy nominee.

Raised in New York, the singer attended LaGuardia High School—a.k.a. the arts school that inspired Fame—but dropped out after the success of his 2022 track "Caroline."

"The next morning, my life was changed,” he told People in April 2025 about the virality of the song. "Every record label was in my email inbox."

Sombr went on to release his 2023 EP In Another Life followed by his 2025 debut album I Barely Know Her, which came in at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and contained his popular tracks "Back to Friends" and "Undressed."

As for how he got his name Sombr, the musician—whose real name is Shane Michael Boose—noted in a promo clip for his November Saturday Night Live appearance that it’s a play on his initials SMB.

Olivia Dean

Man, you need to learn more about Olivia Dean.

The British singer was recently nominated in two Grammy categories, including Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year in the non-classical group for her hit "Man I Need." However, her star has been rising for quite some time.

Olivia attended The Brit School—yes, the same performing arts school that counts Adele, Jessie J and the late Amy Winehouse as alumni. And by 2021, Amazon Music had named her Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Two years later, she dropped her debut album Messy, which rocketed to the No. 4 spot on the U.K. charts and contained hits like “Dive.” She went on to release her sophomore album The Art of Loving in 2025, which soared to No. 1. In fact, her bio notes Olivia became the first British female to have 3 U.K. top 10 singles since Adele.

As for how she’d describe her style?

“I’ve always just made music that I hopefully would want to listen to. It’s really as simple as that,” Olivia explained to ELLE in September. “I love soul music. I love jazz. I love bossa nova. I am listening to it all the time. I’m not like, ‘I’m going to make this jazzy, soul music because that will be cool.’ I just like it.”