Grammys’ best new artists nominees and those who flopped after winning award

MEET the Grammys’ best new artist nominees and those past winners who the award turned out to be the kiss of death for their careers.

Singer Alessia Cara is one of the favourites to win the Best New Artist Grammy. Picture: Chris Pavlich

HERE is a guide to the hot up-and-comers nominated for Best New Artist award at tomorrow’s Grammys ... and those whose careers went nowhere after winning the award.

SZA, 27

Hometown: Maplewood, NJ

The hits: The Weekend, What Lovers Do (as a guest of Maroon 5)

The sound: Gorgeously sung, exquisitely produced R&B, from a bracingly honest Jersey girl.

Fun fact: Frustrated by her management continually pushing the release of her debut album back, she announced on Twitter that she was quitting music in late 2016. Luckily, she had a change of heart and CTRL ended up being a smash.

ALESSIA CARA, 21

Hometown: Brampton, Canada

The hits: Here, Scars to Your Beautiful

The sound: Introspective and articulate alt-pop.

Fun fact: Cara’s secret talent is impressions. Her uncanny imitations of Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Lorde on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon became a viral hit in 2017.

JULIA MICHAELS, 24

Hometown: Los Angeles

The hit: Issues

The sound: Emotionally bruised pop, with lyrics that sound like they’re culled from a therapy session.

Fun fact: Michaels has co-written numerous hits, including Justin Bieber’s Sorry and Selena Gomez’s Bad Liar.

LIL UZI VERT, 23

Hometown: Philadelphia

The hit: XO Tour Llif3

The sound: Catchy hooks, trap beats and tales of hedonism blended into an arresting whole.

Fun fact: You can’t tell from his work, but Vert (real name Symere Woods) cites Marilyn Manson as one of his biggest influences and is often spotted wearing the shock-rocker’s image on T-shirts and even jewellery.

KHALID, 19

Hometown: El Paso, Texas

The hit: Location

The sound: Frank Ocean but with catchier songs.

Fun fact: Haters be damned, because Khalid owes part of his rise to Kylie Jenner. The reality TV star Snapchatted footage of herself while Location was playing in the background in 2016, giving the singer a spike in attention.

IS THERE A BEST NEW ARTIST CURSE?

The award has been won over the years by huge names like The Beatles (1965), The Carpenters (1971), Bette Midler (1974), Mariah Carey (1991), Christina Aguilera (2000) Alicia Keys (2002), Adele (2009) and Sam Smith (2015).

But for every superstar to use the award as a career boost there have been many who saw their careers sink.

FUN (2013 — Beating out Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes, Frank Ocean and The Lumineers)

Thanks to massive chart success with the No. 1 smash We Are Young featuring Janelle Monáe, the indie-pop trio picked up the Best New Artist nod. Almost exactly a year after their win, they announced a hiatus that continues to this day.

Since then, guitarist Jack Antonoff has found fame and success as a songwriter for the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift, as well as the singer of his own group, Bleachers. But aside from his guest vocals on Pink’s 2013 No. 1 hit Just Give Me a Reason, former frontman Nate Ruess has struggled with his solo career.

LAURYN HILL (1999 — Beating out Andrea Bocelli, Backstreet Boys, Dixie Chicks and Natalie Imbruglia)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) remains a modern R&B classic, and the former Fugee deservedly won a total of five Grammys for it in 1999.

Twenty years later, Hill has developed a reputation as a famously unreliable touring act (cancelled shows and tardy appearances are the norm), and she still has yet to release another solo album.

PAULA COLE (1998 — Beating out Erykah Badu, Fiona Apple, Hanson and Puff Daddy)

The Massachusetts-born singer will always have a place in the hearts of ’90s teens thanks to her earnest, soft-pop hit Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? and I Don’t Want to Wait, which was famously the Dawson’s Creek theme.

Despite continuing to release music for hardcore fans — her latest album, Ballads, dropped last August — Cole’s chart successes have been non-existent since winning Best New Artist.

HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (1996 — Beating out Alanis Morissette, Brandy, Joan Osborne and Shania Twain)

Their debut album Cracked Rear View is still the 14th-best-selling album of all time in the United States, and was certified platinum 16 times. While they stayed together until 2008, it was hard to replicate the success of that first album and lead singer Darius Rucker announced the band would go on a hiatus as he launched a solo career

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (1993 — Beating out Billy Ray Cyrus, Jon Secada, Kris Kross and Sophie B. Hawkins)

Arrested Development is an American alternative hip hop group that formed in Atlanta in 1988. It was founded by Speech and his ex-best friend Headliner. The group’s debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of ... was a huge hit. Their infectious songs like People Everyday and Mr Wendel helped catapult them to the big time ... if only for a hot second.

MARC COHN (1992 — Beating out Boyz II Men, C+C Music Factory, Color Me Bad, Seal)

The singer-songwriter became famous for the modestly successful Walking in Memphis, a vivid recollection of a visit to the home of the blues. But his Best New Artist win in 1992 was controversial: He beat the already way more popular Boyz II Men! Since then, the only real chart success he has had was thanks to Cher’s 1995 cover of the same song.

MILLI VANILLI (1990 — Beating out Indigo Girls, Neneh Cherry, Soul II Soul and Tone Loc)

Even as the German soul duo racked up hits during 1989, questions were being asked about their artistry: backing tracks would skip at their performances, and many were perplexed by their poor English skills in interviews.

They still won the Best New Artist award, but at the end of 1990, the group’s mastermind, Frank Farian, confessed that neither Rob Pilatus nor Fab Morvan actually sang their hits, and the Grammy was promptly rescinded. Shame and obscurity followed, but if we’re being honest here, we all secretly love Girl You Know It’s True.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is republished here with permission