Is that really a best new artist? The long and complex tale of a controversial Grammy category

When is something old considered new? If you’re talking about the Grammy Awards, that’s often whoever lands in the best new artist category, easily the weirdest of the races. Take Sabrina Carpenter, who finds herself nominated for best new artist this year — on her sixth full-length release. The category of new artist is constantly evolving, trying to capture the zeitgeist each year as the process of categorizing fame gets more complicated, from LP sales in the 1970s to the TikTok videos of today.