Grammy nominations have arrived, and the list is filled with some of the most deserving artists that 2018 had to offer. What's always exciting come Grammy season is to see which newcomers get recognition from the Recording Academy, and this year people like Dua Lipa, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., and Bebe Rexha were given nods for bursting onto the scene, but another artist's nomination, Margo Price, has fans confused.
Fans of Price know that the country singer has been on the scene for a while, thanks to her EP Hurtin' (On The Bottle) which was released in 2015, and her first album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, which came out the following year. She's also collaborated with bonafide legends like Willie Nelson — so why, for the 2019 Grammys, is she classified as a "new" artist? Turns out, the rules are a little tricky.
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How is Margo Price considered a best new artist? Girl has been going strong for years now. https://t.co/yqOb9uGilW
— SarahThurmond (@SarahThurmond) December 7, 2018
"Essentially, a 'new artist' is defined for the GRAMMY process as any performing artist or established performing group who releases, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer," the Academy wrote in a blog post.
So to figure out why Price is on the list, we have to do some math.
The eligibility period for this year's awards is between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018, which just qualifies Price's most recent album, All American Made, was released on October 20, 2017. Despite what longtime fans think, it's this album that the Grammys feel really put Price on the map, and now they've honored her "introduction" with a Best New Artist nom.
This eligibility period is the reason behind other perplexing Grammy decisions, like the absence of "Thank U, Next," which was released too late.
New or not, Price has long been worthy of academy attention. Winners will be announced during the Grammys ceremony on February 10, 2019.