The Best New Artists nominees take over the Grammy Awards stage
All eight nominees for Best New Artist will perform at the 2026 Grammy Awards, continuing a format introduced during last year’s year ceremony. The Recording Academy confirmed that Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, sombr, and The Marías will all make an appearance during the show. This marks the second consecutive year that every nominee in this major category has been given stage time at the Grammy Awards.
A tradition that dates back to last year, with names like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan
The nominees/performers will join Sabrina Carpenter, who was announced as the first performer on January 20, 2026. Sabrina was a Best New Artist nominee at the 2025 Grammys and opened last year’s segment with a medley of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Other nominees were also spotlighted in the segment, including Khruangbin, Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey, Raye, and Chappell Roan (who ultimately won the award for Best New Artist). Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in an interview published on January 20, 2026, that the success of last year’s format encouraged producers to repeat the approach for the upcoming show.
“I know how much people enjoyed that last year, and I was really proud of how it came off, so we’ll see how that happens again this year,” he revealed.
When and where to watch the Grammy Awards
Among the nominees in the category, Leon Thomas leads with six nominations, including Album of the Year for “Mutt” and Best R&B Performance for the same title track. Meanwhile, Lola Young has an additional nomination in Best Pop Solo Performance thanks to “Messy,” and KATSEYE scored another one as well in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Gabriella.” The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will air live on February 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount Plus. Trevor Noah will host the ceremony for the sixth and final consecutive year.