This past Sunday, March 14th, marked one of the biggest nights of the year in the music world: the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Originally slated for its usual air date in January, the Recording Academy made the decision to reschedule to March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, with two more months to plan, the hype around this year’s Grammys couldn’t be higher. One of the most exciting storylines this year is the packed list of nominees for Best New Artist. The eight nominees for the award are some of the biggest names in music right now. Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion are two female rappers shaking up their genre with each new single. Kaytranada has been a fixture in club scenes worldwide for years and is now finally getting the recognition he deserves. Phoebe Bridgers and Noah Cyrus are both strong female presences in the indie-rock world who had two of the best projects of 2020.
The latter two artists, Bridgers and Cyrus, have both recently released Spotify exclusive covers paying homage to past Best New Artist Nominees. Earlier this week, Bridgers released a cover of 1972 nominee John Prine’s “Summer’s End” along with a rework of her 2020 single “Kyoto” that featured Jackson Browne. Cyrus followed suit with a rework of her hit song “July” and a cover of “Re: Stacks” by Bon Iver, who won the award for Best New Artist back in 2012.
Listen to Phoebe Bridgers’ rendition of “Summer’s End” and Noah Cyrus’ cover of “Re: Stacks” on Spotify.
