Remarkably, 10 of those 14 artists are women.
Sabrina Carpenter & Chappell Roan Bryce Anderson; Ryan Clemens
Since 1959, when the Grammys introduced their best new artist category, just 14 artists have been nominated in each of the “Big Four” categories (album, record and song of the year plus best new artist) in the same year. Remarkably, 10 of those 14 artists are women.
And two more women, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, could join the list when the nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards are announced on Nov. 8. Roan is a strong bet for an album of the year nod for her first full-length album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and for record and song of the year nods for its breakout hit “Good Luck, Babe!.” Carpenter is sure to get a look for her upcoming album Short n’ Sweet and one or both of its smash singles, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”
The Recording Academy’s screening committee will have to decide whether to allow Carpenter to compete for best new artist. Short n’ Sweet, which is due Aug. 23, will be Carpenter’s sixth studio album. There is precedent for an artist on her sixth album being nominated: Shelby Lynne won in 2001 when she was on her sixth album, I Am Shelby Lynne. And this was the year Carpenter broke through to crossover prominence, which has long been the overriding Grammy criteria in this category. One illustration of that: Carpenter performed on the pre-show at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (held on Sept. 12, 2023). At this year’s VMAs, set for Sept. 11, she will perform on the main stage.
Here’s a complete list of artists who have been nominated in each of the top four Grammy categories in the same year. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.
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Bobbie Gentry (1968)
Image Credit: NBCUniversal/Getty Images Gentry, who was 25 at the time, was nominated for her debut album Ode to Billie Joe and the intriguing story song that was its title track. She won best new artist and in two other categories – best vocal performance, female and best contemporary female solo vocal performance. Gentry hasn’t won another Grammy since that night, though she was nominated for her 1970 album Fancy.
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Christopher Cross (1981)
Cross, then 29, was nominated for his eponymous debut album and his hypnotic ballad “Sailing.” He won in all four categories and for best arrangement accompanying vocalist(s). Cross received three more nominations the following year for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” though he hasn’t added to his trophy collection since his big night.
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Cyndi Lauper (1985)
Lauper, then 31, was nominated for her first solo album, She’s So Unusual — and, in a unique occurrence, two different works for record and song of the year, respectively. The zesty “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was nominated for record; the poignant “Time After Time,” which Lauper co-wrote with Rob Hyman, was nominated for song. She won best new artist. She won a second Grammy 29 years later – best musical theater album for Kinky Boots.
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Tracy Chapman (1989)
Chapman, then 24, was nominated for her eponymous debut album and her surprise hit, “Fast Car.” Chapman, the first Black artist to be nominated in each of the Big Four categories in one year, won best new artist and in two other categories – best pop vocal performance, female and best contemporary folk recording. She won a fourth Grammy eight years later for “Give Me One Reason.”
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Mariah Carey (1991)
Image Credit: Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images Carey, then 20, was nominated for her eponymous debut album and her sleek ballad “Vision of Love,” which she co-wrote with Ben Margulies. She won best new artist and best pop vocal performance, female. She has since won three additional Grammys.
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Paula Cole (1998)
Cole, then 29, was nominated for her debut album, This Fire, and her hit “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” She won best new artist. She had seven nominations that night, including producer of the year, non-classical, but hasn’t even been nominated since that night.
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India.Arie (2002)
The singer, then 26, was nominated for her debut album, Acoustic Soul, and her single, “Video.” She co-wrote the song with Carlos “Six July” Broady, Reginald Harris and Shannon Sanders. India.Arie was the first artist to receive nods in each of the Big Four categories but not win in any of them. She went 0-7 that year (though she came back to win two Grammys the following year and two more in the years since then).
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Amy Winehouse (2008)
Image Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Winehouse, then 24, was nominated for her second (and final) studio album Back to Black and her retro-sounding hit “Rehab.” Winehouse, the first English artist to be nominated in each of the Big Four categories in the same year, won for record and song of the year, best new artist and in two other categories – best pop vocal album and best female pop vocal performance. Winehouse won a sixth Grammy four years later for “Body and Soul,” a duet with Tony Bennett. Winehouse died in 2011 at age 27.
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fun. (2013)
The trio — the only group to be nominated in each of the Big Four categories in the same year — was nominated for its second (and still most recent) album, Some Nights, and its power ballad “We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monáe. The trio, consisting of Jack Antonoff, Andrew Dost and Nate Ruess, co-wrote the smash with its producer, Jeff Bhasker. fun. won song of the year and best new artist. Antonoff has since won nine additional Grammys.
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Sam Smith (2015)
Smith, then 22, was nominated for their debut album In the Lonely Hour and for the “Darkchild Version” of the smash hit “Stay with Me” (which Smith co-wrote with James Napier and William Phillips). Smith won record and song of the year, best new artist and best pop vocal album. Eight years later, they won a fifth Grammy for “Unholy,” a record-setting collab with Kim Petras.
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Billie Eilish (2020)
Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Eilish, then 17, was nominated for her first full-length album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and her quirky hit “bad guy” (which she co-wrote with her producer/brother, FINNEAS). Eilish was the youngest artist to receive nods in each of the Big Four categories in the same year. She won in all four categories, the first person to do so since Christopher Cross 39 years earlier. Eilish won a fifth Grammy that night, best pop vocal album, and has since won four additional Grammys.
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Lizzo (2020)
Lizzo, 31, was nominated for the deluxe edition of her third album, Cuz I Love You, and her genre-blending smash “Truth Hurts” (which she co-wrote with her producer Ricky Reed, Steven Cheung and Jesse Saint John). She lost in each of the Big Four categories to Eilish but still managed to win three awards that night – best pop solo performance (in which she managed to beat Eilish), best urban contemporary album and best traditional R&B performance. Three years later, she won record of the year for “About Damn Time.”
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Olivia Rodrigo (2022)
Rodrigo, then 18, was nominated for her debut album Sour and its smash hit “Driver’s License.” She won for best new artist, as well as best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance.
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Finneas (2022)
FINNEAS, then 24, was nominated as a writer and producer on Eilish’s sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, and its title track and also for his work on the deluxe “Triple Chucks” edition of Justin Bieber’s Justice. He was nominated for best new artist for work on his debut studio album Optimist and its lead single “What They’ll Say About Us.” He didn’t win in any of the Big Four categories that year, but not to worry: He has amassed 10 Grammys, one more even than his superstar sister.
