Grammy analysis: New-artist field is the most on point in years

Featuring two rising female country stars and two hip-hop upstarts, the 2017 Grammys' best-new-artist field actually lives up to its name.

In recent years, the nominees have been a homogenous group of mostly pop, mostly white artists. But 2017's nominees are a welcome change, the first new-artist pool with two non-white faces since 2013.

In his first year nominated, Chance the Rapper and his triumphant Coloring Book are a Grammys success story, his nomination made possible by the Recording Academy’s rules change that allows mixtapes to be eligible for Grammys. The Chicago rapper picked up seven nominations, and while the list of rappers who have won best new artist is short (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Lauryn Hill and Arrested Development), Chance has a slight edge in the category.

Voters seemed to have enjoyed 2016's proliferation of colorful, melodic rap; alongside Chance in the best-new-artist category is rapper Anderson .Paak, known for his similarly energetic, jazz-influenced productions.

Chance's biggest competition in the category comes from electronic duo The Chainsmokers. Compared with the two nominated rappers, who had made music for years before winning the attention of the Recording Academy, Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall linked up only in the past few years. But their swift rise made them an obvious inclusion in the category,  thanks to their charts domination with hits including Roses, Don’t Let Me Down and Closer, the latter of which spent 12 weeks at No. 1.

Rounding out the category are Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris, two of country music's most exciting names, both young women with huge potential for crossover success. Morris' debut, Hero, has been a critical favorite, boosting her to a new-artist-of-the-year win at last month's Country Music Association Awards  and earning her accolades for her honest, witty songwriting. Meanwhile, Nashville darling Kelsea Ballerini has broken records with her infectious chart-topping hits, earning her the reputation as a successor to Taylor Swift.

Regardless of who wins the category, this year's best-new-artist field is a hopeful sign in favor of the Grammys recognizing the changing face of the music industry.