By Deepa Lakshmin
Yearly, the Grammy Awards shine a light-weight on up-and-coming expertise price holding your eyes on (and ears open for). Up to now decade, the Finest New Artist gramophone has landed within the arms of Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Alessia Cara, and Sam Smith, to call a number of. On Sunday (April 3), Bitter promenade queen Olivia Rodrigo joined this corridor of fame shortly after opening the massive evening with a glowing efficiency of “Drivers License.”
Meg and Dua appropriately offered her with the award, passing down the distinction they loved themselves. There’s little doubt that Rodrigo’s breakout single skyrocketed her music profession, however Finest New Artist isn’t a couple of single chart-topping hit. It’s as a lot an award as it’s a promise that these artists’ music careers are simply starting, and that their finest is but to return. This yr’s nominees — Arooj Aftab, Jimmie Allen, Child Keem, Finneas, Glass Animals, Japanese Breakfast, The Child Laroi, Arlo Parks, and Saweetie, along with Rodrigo — all reside as much as that hype.
“That is my greatest dream come true,” Rodrigo mentioned in her acceptance speech, occurring to thank her crew, producer and collaborator Dan Nigro, her mother and father, and her mates Conan Grey, Iris Apatow, and Madison Hu.
Along with making a sly cameo in a BTS spy mission — sorry, efficiency — Rodrigo was nominated for a whopping seven Grammys this yr, together with noms in all 4 main classes: Finest New Artist, Album of the Yr, Tune of the Yr, and Report of the Yr. This isn’t her first finest new artist win, both. On the 2021 Video Music Awards, she snagged the identical title. Across the time her debut album Bitter got here out in Could 2021, the identical month she was named MTV’s Push artist, she opened up about her artistic course of.
“I simply hope that folks see bits of themselves in my songwriting, hopefully, or form of turn out to be engrossed within the tales I am telling,” she mentioned, “as a result of these are my favourite songs to hearken to.”
Clearly, numerous individuals relate to her music, whether or not it’s the heartbreak of “Drivers License,” the nostalgia of “Deja Vu,” the angst of “Brutal,” the defiance of “Good 4 U,” the grief of “Sufficient For You,” the torment of “Jealousy, Jealousy,” the ache of “Traitor” — you get the concept. Bitter paperwork the twists and turns of rising up, and I believe it’s protected to say this finest new artist’s music will proceed to make us really feel all the sentiments.
Keep tuned for continued protection of the ceremony, and discover the record of winners right here.
