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What's The Deal With The Grammys' Best New Artist Category?

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon bites one of his two Grammy Awards, for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in February 2012.
Lucy Nicholson
/
Reuters/Corbis
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon bites one of his two Grammy Awards, for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in February 2012.

There are many interests World Cafe doesn't have in common with this Sunday's Grammy Awards-- golden gramophones, red-carpet couture and sappy speeches among them. But there's one interest we do share: We're always on the hunt for the "best new artist."

Before making our predictions for this year's Best New Artist, we took a deep dive into the category's history to see how some past winners fared in their subsequent careers. Turns out this is an award full of scandal, surprise and many questions. Is winning Best New Artist at the Grammys the kiss of death for a musical career, as 1977's winner, Starland Vocal Band, or 1998's, Paula Cole, might have you believe? What happened to Milli Vanilli's 1990 trophy after Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus were outed as phonies and stripped of their title? And this year, does World Cafe favorite Chance the Rapper have a chance? Or will he be smoked by a band that Esquire recently called the Nickelback of EDM?

Listen above as we attempt to answer these questions. Below, enjoy a Spotify playlist featuring all the Best New Artist winners since 1959. And on Sunday, root for whoever you like — or don't like.

Copyright 2017 XPN

David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.
Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.