It's the battle of the best new artist nominees!Iggy Azalea , Sam Smith , Haim, Bastille and Brandy Clark will go head to head Sunday evening, with only one of the stars taking home Grammy gold for best new artist. This is a category that is generally unpredictable, with better known music acts sometimes getting beaten out by those that are relatively unknown. Back in 2011, for example, jazz artist Esperanza Spalding beat out Drake and Justin Bieber for the award.
Check out the nominees for this year's best new artist and give us your prediction on who will walk away with the title.
1. Iggy Azalea: After releasing her debut album The New Classic last year, the "Fancy" rapper dominated music charts with hit songs like "Fancy," "Work," "Black Widow," "Beg for It," and "Booty." In her first year as a Grammy nominee, Iggy is also up for nods for best pop duo/group performance for "Fancy" with Charli XCX, record of the year for "Fancy," and best rap album (which made her the center of controversy).
2. Sam Smith: The British singer went from a relatively unknown name in the U.S. at the beginning of last year to a household name by the end of it. Catapulting to success with his smooth vocals and poignant lyrics, the "Stay" crooner stole our hearts with his debut album "In the Lonely Hour." Sam is tied with Beyoncé and Pharrell for the most Grammy nominations this year, with six nods including best pop vocal album, best pop solo performance for "Stay With Me", song of the year for "Stay With Me," album of the year and record of the year.
3. Bastille: Although they've received critical acclaim in the U.K., the rock group wasn't well known in the States until their hit song "Pompeii" rose to the top of Billboard charts last year. Following the release of the group's debut album Bad Blood, Bastille has sold over 5 million records in America as of November 2014.
4. Brandy Clark: The "Follow Your Arrow" crooner started off as a songwriter for huge country stars like Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves before her own career as a singer took off. After releasing her debut album 12 Stories in October 2013, Brandy went on to tour with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and is also nominated for best country album.
5: Haim: Sisters Danielle, Este and Alana Haim originally performed with their parents in the early 2000s under the name Rockinhaim. After their mom and dad dropped out of the band in 2006, the sisters went on to form Haim and release their debut album Days Are Gone. While their music project was eligible for Grammy nominations in 2013, the trio needed more time to make their mark. In the midst of performing at Coachella, touring with Rihanna and working with other artist like Calvin Harris, their album ended up rocking Billboard charts and scoring critical acclaim.POLL 90473184
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