Is Winning the Best New Artist Grammy Award a Curse? A Look at What Happened to the Past 11 Winners

January 31, 2012

Mariah Carey, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera and even the Beatles are all past winners of the coveted Grammy Award for Best New Artist—and with very good reason. But how about Milli Vanilli, Lauryn Hill and Arrested Development? They stood at that same podium, yet their resumes look a whole lot emptier. So, let's settle this once and for all: Is winning the Best New Artist Grammy really a curse?

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Grammy's Best New Artist 2002: Alicia Keys
Since Alicia Keys' win, the "Fallin'" singer has been anything but fallin'. In fact, Songs in A Minor, the album that snagged Alicia the Best New Artist Grammy (along with four more statues that year), was rereleased in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Yep, that means 10 years after her win, we're still all about Alicia. (And if you need extra proof, you might want to consult Glamour's October 2011 cover.)
Verdict: Not Cursed
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Grammy's Best New Artist 2003: Norah Jones
Norah Jones' Best New Artist award was one of five Grammys she won in 2003. No biggie for Norah, though: 2004's Feels Like Home sold 10 million copies worldwide, including 4 million in the U.S. alone—that's quadruple-platinum for those of you playing at home. Norah's other releases have both hit platinum or multiplatinum status in more than 21 countries, too.
Verdict: Not Cursed

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3/11
Grammy's Best New Artist 2004: Evanescence
At the height of Evanescence's popularity, "Bring Me to Life," the Goth-y rock song marked by Amy Lee's soaring voice, was nearly impossible to avoid. You knew the lyrics. Your grandma knew the lyrics. Your dog knew the lyrics. What you probably don't know is that since 2003's Falling, which secured their Best New Artist Grammy, Evanescence released another album in 2006. Then…well, not a whole lot. After some internal turmoil, Evanescence announced in 2011 that the band has another record on the way, but we're not holding our breath waiting.
Verdict: Cursed
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Grammy's Best New Artist 2005: Maroon 5
"Moves Like Jagger." "Makes Me Wonder." "Misery." "Won't Go Home Without You." No, we're not playing some weird free-association word game—these are all titles of mega-hits Maroon 5 has scored since the band's 2005 Best New Artist win with Songs About Jane. Gotta love Adam Levine.
Verdict: Not Cursed
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Grammy's Best New Artist 2006: John Legend
John Legend's Best New Artist Grammy seems to have been only one stop on his take-over-the-world mission. Since the win, he's been in films and commercials, led philanthropy campaigns and even been an Ivy League commencement speaker. The soul singer hasn't left music behind, though—his collaboration with the Roots scored him another three statues at 2011's Grammys, followed by two NAACP Image Awards a month later.
Verdict: Not Cursed

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Grammy's Best New Artist 2007: Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is fighting not one, but two jinxes: the Best New Artist curse and the American Idol winner hex. Not like either has exactly been a problem for Carrie: 2009's Play On is certified double-platinum. Since its release, Carrie has been named the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year and won its coveted Triple Crown Award. You may have seen her face on a tabloid cover or two—does her spot on People's 2010 100 Most Beautiful People List and mega-wedding to hockey beau Mike Fisher ring a bell? Thought so.
Verdict: Not Cursed
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7/11
Grammy's Best New Artist 2008: Amy Winehouse
We have to dry our eyes when we talk about Amy Winehouse, whose sing-big, live-bigger lifestyle led to her death in July 2011. Since Amy's win for Back to Black—she even beat out Taylor Swift for the Best New Artist title—the songstress made headlines for substance abuse, arrests and health issues more than she did for her music. In fact, she never released another studio album. We won't be quick to forget her—Back to Black jumped up to the number one spot on iTunes charts in multiple countries only 36 hours after her death.
Verdict: Cursed
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8/11
Grammy's Best New Artist 2009: Adele
We have a strange feeling we don't need to tell you what Adele's been up to since her 2009 win. But in case you've just arrived from a parallel universe (greetings, stranger!), Adele's 21, released in 2011, sold more than a combined 5.5 million copies in the U.S. and U.K. alone, and it earned Adele bragging rights to six Billboard Hot 100 singles, three American Music Awards, a sold-out North American tour and another six nods at this year's Grammys.
Verdict: Not Cursed

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9/11
Grammy's Best New Artist 2010: Zac Brown Band
Alt-country rockers Zac Brown Band beat out an eclectic mix of nominees, including Keri Hilson and MGMT, for the Best New Artist title. They've released only one new album since but have cleaned up just fine on the awards circuit as a result: The Zac Brown Band snagged another Grammy, a CMT Award and an ACM Award.
Verdict: Not Cursed…Probably
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Grammy's Best New Artist 2011: Esperanza Spalding
Even if you don't know Esperanza Spalding's music, you probably remember her for one big thing: The bassist-singer beat out Justin Bieber for 2011's Best New Artist Award. In March 2012, the first jazz artist to ever win the title released Radio Music Society. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Jazz charts again. Can't ask for more than that.
Verdict: Not Cursed
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Grammy's Best New Artist 2012: Bon Iver
When Wisconsin-based indie-folk band Bon Iver took the stage to accept their award over sure-to-win Nicki Minaj, you could hear the sound of jaws dropping across the country. Since the win, the guys have laid low; frontman, singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, has been engrossed in side projects, and Bon Iver hasn't released anything as a group. They also made an ominous announcement that they'd had their last performance as a band "at least for a while" so…you do the math.
Verdict: The Curse Looms…