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Lady Gaga not eligible for Best New Artist Grammy

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-20 07:54

The 2010 race for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards was blown wide open this week, as the recording academy announced that the sure lock to win the award, dance chanteuse Lady Gaga, would not be eligible.

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Lady Gaga is not eligible for Best New Artist because she earned a Grammy nomination last year, when "Just Dance" appeared in the Dance Song category. That nomination was a bit suspect, because the song didn't become a hit until January of 2009, and the cutoff for the 2009 Grammy Awards was September of 2008.

Nonetheless, by Grammy rules, Lady Gaga can no longer be considered a new artist for the 2010 awards.

The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has often been a head-scratcher over the years, as artists have routinely been nominated years after their first album. Shelby Lynne was famously honored with the Best New Artist Grammy in 2001, thirteen years after her first hit single. Two years after she won multiple Grammy Awards with the Fugees, Lauryn Hill was somehow chosen as Best New Artist in 1999, stealing away an award that should've rightfully gone to the Dixie Chicks or Backstreet Boys.

Thus, it seems odd that the academy would exclude Lady Gaga from the category, especially in a year in which the rest of the potential Best New Artist field is remarkably weak. The next most logical choice, rapper Kid Cudi, is also reportedly ineligible.

We'll find out who gets a 2010 Best New Artist nod when the Grammy nominations are announced in December. Lady Gaga will no doubt be nominated for several other awards, thanks to her numerous hit singles in 2009, like “Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi."