Khruangbin should have been nominated for Best New Artist Grammy years earlier

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As a devoted music enthusiast, I’ve always found the “Best New Artist” category at the Grammys a bit puzzling. It seems like every time the nominees are announced, there’s an immediate wave of surprise and disbelief across social media, with fans exclaiming, “But this band has been around for over a decade! They’re hardly new!” The same conversation unfolded when the potential winners for 2025 were revealed, leaving many scratching their heads.

Supporters of pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, who’s part of the nominated group, have been tracking her music journey since her first album dropped in 2015. Interestingly, even Victoria Monét, last year’s winner, had already been putting out tunes for nine years before being recognized with her nomination.

However, the group that left me most puzzled was Khruangbin, a band that blends indie and psychedelic music into a fusion style, creating soft yet impactful dubby and ethereal tunes for about a decade. All I could wonder was, “Why is it only now that the Recording Academy seems to be discovering them?

Khruangbin has been great for a lot longer than one year

As a gamer, I can’t hide my joy that Khruangbin has finally gotten the recognition they’ve long deserved over the past few years. Yet, I find myself questioning their inclusion in a category that seems to undermine their established presence in the music industry. Based on the Grammys’ own criteria, an artist is eligible for “Best New Artist” nomination if they’ve made a significant breakthrough and influenced the musical landscape within the given year. However, considering Khruangbin’s extensive body of work spanning more than half a decade, I can’t help but feel that this recognition might be somewhat misplaced.

In this context, artists such as Chappell Roan, the current winner, and Sabrina Carpenter significantly contributed to the pop culture discourse of 2024. Both have been in the music industry for some time, but their standout festival performances, hit singles that topped charts, and unmissable viral moments, like Roan’s TikTok expression about being mistreated and harassed by her own fans, made them impossible to ignore in the cultural conversation of last year.

This year saw Khruangbin releasing an album, titled “A La Sala“, that garnered significant success, reaching number 38 on the Billboard charts. However, one might question whether this was their breakthrough year, catapulting them into widespread public recognition as a “Best New Artist” typically does. Upon reflection of their past and some of their pivotal years in their career, it appears that they should have been acclaimed in this category much earlier if this had been the standard.

Established in Houston, Texas back in 2010, Khurangbin comprises of three members: Laura Lee on vocals and bass, Mark Speer handling both vocals and guitar, and DJ Johnson on the drums. Their first album, titled “The Universe Smiles Upon You“, was released five years later, offering a captivating musical journey with 10 tracks featuring mesmerizing rhythms, cosmic vocal explorations, and dreamy sessions.

The music seamlessly combined their Latin inspirations with intense psychedelic tones and sensitive indie rock, catching the eye of popular artists such as Father John Misty and Massive Attack. These renowned acts extended an invitation for them to join as opening acts on tour the very next year.

From the late 2010s up until 2024, Khruangbin gradually expanded their musical portfolio, attracting a devoted fanbase characterized by quiet intensity. The group produced three additional full-length albums before releasing A La Sala, and teamed up with Texas soul singer Leon Bridges for two EPs, Texas Sun and Texas Moon, which captivated me and deepened my affection for the band.

The track “Texas Sun” by them is their most-played song on Spotify, with over 300 million streams; this number far surpasses that of their second most popular song, “People Everywhere (Still Alive),” which has approximately 136 million plays. Their collaboration with Bridges, who was experiencing success after his 2016 debut album Coming Home, helped propel the trio into mainstream popularity. The work they did on “Texas Sun” earned them the top spot on Billboard’s “Emerging Artists” chart in 2020.

If a band or artist were “emerging” five years ago, one might expect them to have already “broken through” by 2025. But if they’re still being recognized as “breaking through,” it raises the question of what else they need to achieve before they can be considered on par with established indie rock artists who consistently win awards like “Best Alternative Music Album” and “Alternative Music Performance.” In other words, how much more do they need to add to their body of work before they can stand alongside these established artists?

If asked to pick an up-and-coming indie rock group to replace Khruangbin with, I’d opt for Fontaines D.C., the Irish band that has been garnering attention in the Rock category since their second album “A Hero’s Death” secured them a “Best Rock Album” nomination in 2021. This group has been consistently producing successful albums, but it was their 2024 release “Romance” that catapulted them to fame and earned them some of the highest chart positions they’ve ever achieved.

For a band that burst onto the scene in the 2020s and is currently experiencing its most successful album release phase, it was more fitting for Fontaines D.C. to be nominated within their career timeline, given the category’s definition. In the “Best New Artists” category, where Khruangbin were competing against acts that seemed distinctly “2024,” there was a sense of foreboding that they might be overlooked right from the start.

If they had been part of the 2021 lineup, given their notable accomplishments over the past year that could significantly impact cultural discourse, they might have had a stronger opportunity.

From a more positive perspective, Khruangbin isn’t typically associated with mainstream recognition. Instead, they deliberately keep their personal lives private and rely solely on their music to convey their message. During performances and public appearances, band members Lee and Speer often wear long, black wigs, as demonstrated during their brief set at the Grammys live event.

In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, Lee mentioned that she’s seldom recognized in public, such as when an older couple in a Madrid restaurant noticed her due to a small tattoo on her finger. I can’t help but ponder if this high-profile moment would end their anonymity, and perhaps the decision not to accept the award brought a sense of relief from a group that values their privacy deeply.

I’d be thrilled if Khruangbin won a Grammy, but at the end of the day, getting nominated is still an honor, regardless of the category. I’m overjoyed that the Recording Academy is finally recognizing the extraordinary talent of Khruangbin’s unique sound. Perhaps one day they will revise the criteria for the “Best New Artist” category, as many listeners found the qualifications perplexing this year.

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2025-02-10 22:31