Samara Joy Joins Historic List of Black Female Best New Artist GRAMMY Winners Thanks to 2023 Victory

One of the “Big 4” trophies handed out every GRAMMY Awards, Best New Artist stands as the ultimate testament to the impact a rising star had on the music industry in the nomination eligibility year.

Known by many as the “kiss of death” because many of its recipients over the years went on to see their careers stall or derail after capturing the award, former winners like Mariah Carey, Sade, Toni Braxton, and Alicia Keys went on to defy those odds after respectively taking the award home.

Undoubtedly hoping to keep the latter tradition going, Anitta, Wet Leg, Molly Tuttle, Tobe Nwigwe, Domi & JD Beck, Omar Apollo, Maneskin, Latto, Muni Long, and Samara Joy went head-to-head at the 2023 GRAMMYS on Sunday (February 5) to see who would be named the category’s victor.

See how Joy’s emergence as winner entered her in a unique class.

Of the 55 winners who have landed a Best New Artist win since the award’s inception, 27 have been women (a number that previously included 9 Black women).

With her win at the 2023 ceremony, Samara Joy became the 10th Black woman to claim the honor – a triumph that puts her in a class with Natalie Cole, Jody Watley, Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Esperanza Spalding, and Megan Thee Stallion.

The victory also continues a unique winning streak as every winner of Best New Artist since 2018 has been a woman.

Click here to see the full list of winners.