Anderson .Paak 

Anderson .Paak might not have the same name recognition as fellow Best New Artist nominees Chance The Rapper and The Chainsmokers, but his artistry is just as — if not more — masterful.

His critically acclaimed 2016 effort Malibu, which is also nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album, hits all of the feels: the singer/rapper talks about enduring a trying childhood over a toe-tapping beat on "The Bird," an all-encompassing love interest on the visceral "Heart Don’t Stand A Chance" and dancing around the clock on the grooving "Am I Wrong" (feat. ScHoolboy Q).

Brandy Clark

An underdog in the Best Country Album category, Brandy Clark’s Big Day In A Small Town solidified the Nashville-based singer/songwriter as a country musician on the rise.

Clark’s vocals shine across the album, which tells tales of rural middle-aged women living ordinary lives. But that’s not to say that it’s boring: heart-on-your-sleeve tunes like the Best Country Solo Performance-nominated song "Love Can Go To Hell" as well as "Girl Next Door" and "Drinkin’ Smokin’ Cheatin’" can stand up next to any song on country radio.