From viral sensations to emerging singer-songwriters, these Grammy-nominated artists are a must-listen before awards' night.

In November, The Recording Academy <a href="https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-grammys-complete-nominees-list" target="_blank">announced the 63rd annual Grammy nominees</a>&mdash;not without <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/weeknd-grammys-snub-1094457/" target="_blank">controversy and drama</a>, of course. Some nominations were expected (superstar <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/richest-singers-music-artists-net-worth" target="_blank">Beyonc&eacute;</a> took the lead with nine nominations)&nbsp;and some were less so, with&nbsp;newer or previously unrecognized artists claiming their space on&nbsp;the coveted list.&nbsp;

As we approach the Grammy date (currently recheduled for March 14 due to&nbsp;to <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/news/grammy-awards-postponed-1234878942/" target="_blank">coronavirus-related concerns</a>), we look accross genres to find some of our new favorite artists.&nbsp;From viral rap sensations and iconic singer-songwriters to trailblazing Latin musicians&nbsp;and genre-bending rockers, these are some of the 2021 Grammy nominees who should be on your radar.

Black Pumas - Colors (Official Live Session)

Last year, the Texas-based psychedelic soul duo were first-time nominees for Best New Artist, alongside the likes of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/billie-eilish-isn-t-your-pretty-little-pop-star" target="_blank">Billie Eilish</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/instagram-runway-to-the-polls-challenge-celebrity-lizzo-vote-song" target="_blank">Lizzo</a>. It was an accomplishment that <a href="https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/meet-first-time-grammy-nominee-black-pumas-their-breakout-year-creative-process-and-new" target="_blank">caught everyone off guard</a>&mdash;from industry heads to the band themselves. A year later, Black Pumas make the list again, this time with <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-12-11/la-et-ms-black-pumas-grammys-2021" target="_blank">three nominations</a>: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and&nbsp;Best American Roots Performance. With a captivating combination of R&amp;B, soul, and blues the band&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=billboard+plack+pumas&amp;oq=billboard+plack+pumas&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0i13i457.3298j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">new album</a> and their song &ldquo;Colors&rdquo; is a must listen.

CHIKA - FWB [Official Audio]

In 2018, Alabama born Jane Chika Oranika (or Chika) called out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop%20culture/kim-kardashian-kanye-relationship-timeline-divorce" target="_blank">Kanye West</a> by posting a freestyle rap on <a href="https://twitter.com/oranicuhh/status/989550438038097921?lang=en" target="_blank">Twitter</a> where she reprimanded Kanye&rsquo;s political antics (over Kanye&#39;s own song, nonetheless). The video blew up, racking up&nbsp;millions of views and grabbing the attention of famous fans like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpc8jBtBfdd/" target="_blank">Cardi B</a>. Her music is catchy and insightful, as she describes on her own experiences growing up in the South as a Black, queer woman with Nigerian immigrant parents&nbsp;and uses her clever bars to take on <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8512859/chika-debuts-richey-v-alabama-jimmy-kimmel-live-watch" target="_blank">pertinent political issues</a>. This year, she receives a Grammy nomination for&nbsp;Best New Artist.

Fiona Apple - Shameika (Official Audio)

Since the &#39;90s, Fiona Apple has been a standout act with few comparisons. Her latest record, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is everything Apple is&mdash;it&rsquo;s an inventive, biting, and relentlessly unique symphony, an experience that&rsquo;s unlike any other. It received <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/22/841401198/fetch-your-tool-of-liberation-fiona-apple-on-setting-herself-free" target="_blank">wide critical acclaim</a>&nbsp;(even receiving a coveted 10 stars on <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fiona-apple-fetch-the-bolt-cutters/" target="_blank">Pitchfork</a>), and now three Grammy nominations.

KAYTRANADA - 10% (Official Video) ft. Kali Uchis

Nominated for Best New Artist and for his songs &ldquo;10%&rdquo; and &ldquo;Bubba&rdquo; under the Dance/Electronic category, Kaytranada is truly a one-of-a-kind artist. His sound is a masterful mix of electronic dance synths, groovy house beats, and Afro-inspired instrumentation, and his <a href="https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2015/04/kaytranada-best-rap-collaborations/" target="_blank">long list of collaborators</a> are A-list: from <a href="https://lofficielbaltics.com/en/lhommes/pharrell-williams-buys-a-luxury-property" target="_blank">Pharrell</a> and Tinashe to Kali Uchis and Vic Mensa.

Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex (Official Video)

By the recent release of her second album Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers had already solidified her status as a class&nbsp;act. In songs doused in melancholy, her lyrics are hauntingly self-aware and profound, the kind that make you question your own existence. She&rsquo;s captivated a cult following, from her <a href="https://www.thefader.com/2020/03/19/hayley-williams-boygenius-collab-phoebe-lucy-julien-petals-for-armor" target="_blank">many music collaborations</a> to her hilarious <a href="https://twitter.com/phoebe_bridgers?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and has earned four nods from the Grammys this year.

Lido Pimienta "Eso Que Tu Haces"

Colombian-Canadian musician Lido Pimienta is a hybrid&mdash;of cultures, influences, instruments, and genres; a striking combination that landed her a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album this year. As the mainstream music world turns its eyes towards Latin artists, Pimienta stands out as a unique and complex force, calling <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/lido-pimienta-halifax-festival-1.4375115" target="_blank">&ldquo;brown girls to the front&rdquo;</a> and changing the definition of what a Latin artist can be. Her Grammy-nominated album <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lido-pimienta-miss-colombia-review-984306/" target="_blank">Miss Colombia tackles issues</a> like racism, misogyny,&nbsp;sexuality, and the concept of home in an introspective, seductive, and ever-catchy way.

Marcus King - The Well (Official Music Video)

Singer&nbsp;and guitarist Marcus King brings&nbsp;Southern Rock into the new age with Grammy-nominated debut solo record El Dorado, produced by The Black Keys legend and producer extraordinaire&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/18/797100626/raised-in-rock-marcus-king-releases-first-solo-album-el-dorado" target="_blank">Dan Auerbach</a>. With crunchy electric guitars and bluesy vocals, the album is organic and soulful to its core.

Roddy Ricch - The Box [Official Music Video]

If you&rsquo;re on TikTok, chances are you&rsquo;ve had <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/biggest-fashion-moments-2020-harry-styles-telfar-strawberry-dress" target="_blank">Roddy Ricch</a>&rsquo;s songs stuck in your head for prolonged periods of time. The Compton-born rapper broke into the scene in 2018 and has continued rising since, peaking at <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8548117/roddy-ricch-the-box-no-1-hot-100-songwriters-chart" target="_blank">Billboard #1</a> for his song &ldquo;The Box,&rdquo; and scoring six Grammy nominations this year, including a nod for his feature on fellow Grammy-nominated rapper <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9445740/dababy-rockstar-no-1-song-of-the-summer-2020" target="_blank">DaBaby&rsquo;s song of the summer</a>, &ldquo;Rockstar.&rdquo;

Big Thief - Not (Official Audio)

Since 2016, the Brooklyn indie rock quartet has cultivated a following with <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768211891/two-hands-captures-big-thief-s-force-and-intimacy" target="_blank">albums</a> that halt you in your tracks.&nbsp;Lead singer Adrienne Lenker&rsquo;s songwriting chops and piercing&nbsp;vocals are not something to be looked over&mdash;and this year, they won&#39;t be.&nbsp;The band&#39;s song &ldquo;Not&rdquo; off its latest album Two Hands&nbsp;is nominated for two Grammys. With Lenker&rsquo;s wailing vocals, the track is gritty and beautiful, the kind of song you can&rsquo;t help but scream-cry along to.

Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now (Official Music Video)

One of this year&rsquo;s major nominees is <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/dua-lipa-new-ruler-reign-music" target="_blank">Dua Lipa</a>, with six nominations for her album&nbsp;Future Nostalgia. The pop star&rsquo;s second album features&nbsp;retro-inspired pop and funky bass lines that you can&rsquo;t help but dance to, preferably under a disco ball in an &#39;80s inspired outfit.

Brittany Howard - Stay High (Official Video)

The lead singer of Grammy Award-winning roots-rock band Alabama Shakes <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/brittany-howard-alabama-shakes-solo-album-851672/" target="_blank">ventured into solo territory</a> last year. The result was her album Jaime, a soulful showcase of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/new-music-june-2020" target="_blank">Howard&rsquo;s</a> talent, with songs that are fearlessly personal and defiantly political, confronting Southern bigotry in a voice that makes the heart ache. Howard landed five Grammy nominations for her solo debut across genres of Rock, Alternative, Roots, and R&amp;B.

Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter (Official Video)

The singer-songwriter&rsquo;s seventh album,&nbsp;Songs for Our Daughter, is nominated for Best Folk Album. At times quiet and sad, and at others up-beat and full of folk-rock influence, the album&rsquo;s songs are rooted in the raw intimacy of the ever-present acoustic guitar, dynamic narratives, and Marling&rsquo;s entrancing vocals.

12 Nominated Artists You Should Listen to Before the 2021 Grammys

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