The 2026 Grammy Awards delivered a crash course in the future of music with an ambitious medley starring its eight Best New Artist nominees.
The Marías delivered a tender, slow-burning performance of “No One Noticed,” with frontwoman María Zardoya dramatically framed against a shimmering ocean background, and a striking, tremolo-heavy guitar solo from Jesse Perlman. The Marías were previously nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2022 for Cinema, then again as featured artists on Bad Bunny’s Album of the Year-nominated record Un Verano Sin Ti in 2023.
Next up was former TikTok Addison Rae, who launched into “Fame is a Gun” from her debut Addison from the back of a truck outside the arena. The rest of the performance took place among shipping crates and ladders in the loading dock, complete with backup dancers, a wardrobe change, and full stage lighting. “It was a risk,” Rae told Rolling Stone of her pop career, “knowing that people don’t want to see somebody try something new.”
The most veteran artist in the bunch, Leon Thomas, emphasized live instruments in his guitar-heavy performance of “Mutt.” The R&B star — who cut his teeth as a songwriter and producer for artists such as Ariana Grande, Drake, Kehlani, and more following his stint as a Nickelodeon star in the early 2010s — reveled in his solo spotlight, even burning through an Eddie Hazel-style solo.
Thomas scored five additional nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album for Mutt. “A lot of people are hyperfocused on wins or losses, but I feel like being recognized is such a beautiful thing,” Thomas told Rolling Stone last year. “Not to be on some pageant-show shit, but like that’s really what it is. I’m genuinely excited to be a part of this community.”
Katseye continued where Rae left off in the loading dock, bringing girl groups back to the Grammys with the hypnotic viral hit “Gnarly.” The group — Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung — quickly made their way to the main stage for their choreo-heavy performance.
Katseye is the first girl group to perform at the awards ceremony since Destiny’s Child took the stage with “Independent Women Part I” and “Say My Name” in 2001. Katseye trained tirelessly to perfect their synergy onstage while competing on Pop Star Academy; tonight, they proved it was all worth it.
In addition to Rae, the Grammy Awards hosted a performance from another nominee who was once part of the TikTok collective known as the Hype House: Alex Warren, who emerged from what appeared to be the concession stands before walking down into the arena, and eventually ascending toward the ceiling on a platform. The singer took the stage with his inescapable single “Ordinary.” The record currently sits at Number Five on the Billboard Hot 100 in its 49th week on the chart, and previously spent 10 weeks at Number One. “I think it’s just important for me to keep reminding myself that I’m here for a reason,” Warren told Rolling Stone last year. “I deserve this, and I’m trying to figure it out.”
Lola Young made a triumphant return to the stage with a theatrical solo-piano performance of her breakthrough single “Messy,” which also scored her a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. In September, the British artist announced that she would be stepping away from music to prioritize her mental health and well-being after collapsing onstage at All Things Go in New York City. “I really hope you’ll give me a second chance once I’ve had some time to work on myself and come back stronger,” Young said at the time. Four months later, she’s back in the ring.
Olivia Dean, who took home the Best New Artist award, showed a veteran’s confidence in her performance of her throwback hit single “Man I Need.” The song currently sits at Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100. “Dean’s star power is radiant and fueled by more than just charisma,” Rolling Stone wrote in a review of her album, The Art of Loving. “She grooves in perfect time with an expertly assembled band, navigating through blaring trumpets, trombones, and saxophones with a delicate attention to detail and synchronicity.”
Sombr, the youngest solo artist in the Best New Artist category at age 20, hit the stage with “12 to 12,” in a memorable crop-top mirror-ball suit. The song is a highlight of his debut album I Barely Know Her, which arrived in August. “Sombr performs with a distinct internal confidence and external charm that has been notably absent in the withering releases from many of his male contemporaries in pop,” Rolling Stone wrote in a review of the album.
Last year’s Best New Artist medley featured hit-filled performances from Doechii, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, Raye, Teddy Swims, and Khruangbin. “We were literally punching the air, we’re hitting the walls,” Ben Winston, executive producer of the Grammy Awards, told Rolling Stone last year about the success of the new segment’s format. “It was without question the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do on the show.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rollingstone.com ’
