The BNA is giving LGBTQ+.
(L-R) Tracy Chapman; Sam Smith; Chappell Roan
Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Gina Wetzler/Redferns; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyOne of the biggest stories at the 67th Grammy Awards was Chappell Roan winning the Grammy for Best New Artist as one final victory lap in this first phase of her mainstream career.
The out singer performed her hit song "Pink Pony Club" as a tribute to Los Angeles, and made an impassioned speech about fair pay and healthcare for emerging artists, delivering some of the night's biggest highlights.
Roan's Best New Artist victory was also a big win for the lesbian and queer communities, who were delighted to see that a vocally lesbian singer — whose songs are explicitly about being gay — still won this coveted award that is as well-regarded as categories like Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.
With that said, Roan isn't the first, the second, or even the third singer to snatch the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. In fact, it's time to acknowledge that the BNA has been giving big LGBTQ+ energy for a few decades now... as it should!
Keep scrolling to time-travel between 1989 and 2025 — and discover the eight LGBTQ+ artists who won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Tracy Chapman — 1989 Grammy for Best New Artist
Canadian singer Tracy Chapman won Best New Artist in 1989, along with Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), and Best Contemporary Folk Recording for her song "Fast Car" off her self-titled album, Tracy Chapman. With a total of 13 nominations, Chapman has won four Grammys over the years.
Paula Cole – 1998 Grammy for Best New Artist
Paula Cole, who is bisexual, won the Best New Artist award in 1998. She was also nominated for six other awards that year, such as Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone," Album of the Year for This Fire, and Producer of the Year (Non-Classical).
Shelby Lynne — 2001 Grammy for Best New Artist
Gay singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2001 after releasing her sixth studio album, I Am Shelby Lynne.
Sam Smith — 2015 Grammy for Best New Artist
Nonbinary singer Sam Smith has a total of seven nominations and five wins in their Grammys career. These awards include the 2015 Grammy for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (for In the Lonely Hour), not to mention both Song of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Stay With Me") that same year.
Billie Eilish — 2020 Grammy for Best New Artist
While she didn't officially come out for a few more years, Billie Eilish winning the 2020 Best New Artist award at the Grammys did set off a rainbow-coded domino effect as she became the first (of four!) queer women to win this category in the 2020s decade so far.
That same year, the singer also won Album of The Year (for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?) as well as Song of the Year and Record of The Year (for "Bad Guy"). Eilish has earned a whopping 32 Grammy nominations and won nine trophies in just a few years.
Megan Thee Stallion — 2021 Grammy for Best New Artist
We know that's right: Megan Thee Stallion took home a few Grammy Awards in 2021 for Best New Artist, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance for "Savage." In total, Stallion has had six nominations and three wins at the award show.
Victoria Monét — 2024 Grammy for Best New Artist
Victoria Monét had previously been nominated for three Grammys for her songwriting work in Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next album, as well as the Chloe x Halle bop "Do It." In 2024, Monét earned seven nominations as a solo artist and won the trophy for Best New Artist.
During the same ceremony, Monét also won Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) for Jaguar II. So far, this superstar in the making has earned 10 nominations and three wins at the Grammys.
Chappell Roan — 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist
The latest queer singer to take home the Grammy for Best New Artist is the 2025 winner Chappell Roan. With this win, the "Pink Pony Club" and "Good Luck, Babe!" singer became the fourth queer woman since 2020 to win in this category. As a first-time Grammy nominee, Roan attended the ceremony with an impressive total of six nominations.
