When country singer Shelby Lynne won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2001 she had been making music for over a decade. "Thirteen years and six albums to get here," she said during her acceptance speech, acknowledging the irony of her win. By most accounts, the Grammy's have been notoriously behind the times, but nowhere is this more apparent than the in the Best New Artist category. While Shelby Lynne's win represents the most egregious example, there are many cases of experienced artists being heralded as the next big thing. Bon Iver had been performing small club gigs for years and was a darling in the indie scene prior to his 2012 win. Even fun. had two albums under their belt before getting the award.

The root cause for this delay lies in the eligibility guidelines which state that the award is based on "the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist." "Public identity" is a nebulous term at best, and an insult as worst, especially towards music lovers who actively seek out the latest artists, many of which remain unknown to the public at large for large swaths of their careers. In 2016 the rules were finally amended to exclude artists who've released 30 singles/tracks or three albums, a change that was long overdue.

This year's Best New Artist nominees, aren't exactly new either. Of course the Last.fm community has been listening to these artists for years now, and in one case for over a decade. Check out the list of nominees below as well the first time they were played by a user on this site.

Maren Morris - Walk On
First played: October 14, 2005

Country singer-songwriter Maren Morris released her debut album Walk On over a decade ago in 2005. She also spent several years in Nashville writing songs for other artists like Tim McGraw and Kelly Clarkson. She's nearly a veteran of Shelby Lynne proportions.

Chance the Rapper - Nostalgia
First played: October 16, 2011

Chicago native Chance the Rapper has released four mixtapes (plus a Christmas mix) since 2012, with singles that pre-date that. Plus he's collaborated with everyone from Kanye to Madonna. A big name in hip-hop that's only getting bigger.

Anderson .Paak - Blackbird
First Played: November 12, 2013

Anderson .Paak's another hip-hop act with a similar background. He's released two albums (and two more under the moniker Breezy Lovejoy). Plus has long list of guest appearances which date back to 2009.

The Chainsmokers - Essential Mix 04/06/09
First Played: April 17, 2009

Even the Chainsmokers released their EDM novelty hit Selfie back in 2014. Plus the duo had years of DJ-ing experience before that.

Kelsea Ballerini - I'm Coming Alive
First Played: September 17, 2010

Country singer Kelsea Ballerini is perhaps the least experienced of the group Her first and only album was released in 2015. However as our listening community attests, fans were listening to her web-released singles well before that.

Guess we'll have to wait until Sunday, February 12 to find out who wins.

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