Winning the Grammy for Best New Artist seems like a great way to start a career, and for a select few artists, it has been. Artists such as the Beatles, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera have all won the award, and while the latter two are still making new records that could indeed signal the end of their respective careers, it's pretty safe to say that it certainly didn't hurt the Beatles. Still, the stigma remains that winning the Best New Artist award is a curse.
Several past winners of the award never quite managed to live up to their initial billing. This isn't necessarily surprising, considering how public opinion and fan loyalty can seemingly change overnight. But looking at it from another angle, it seems like the curse of the Best New Artist Grammy might have more to do with the sophomore slump and less to do with Grammy voodoo.
The sophomore slump, as it's called, is the tendency for an artist or group to come out of the gate strong and follow up their success with a substandard release. The difference between the Best New Artist curse and the sophomore slump, however, is that the sophomore slump has a basis in reality.
The reality is, many "new" artists have been working on the material for their debut album for a long time - writing, rewriting and polishing their songs until they are the best they can possibly be. Unfortunately, the second release is no longer on their time, but on record company time. Record companies like to strike while the iron (or platinum, in this case) is hot, asking their artist to begin work on new material as soon as the old material is no longer in the public eye, or rather ear. The sad reality is that public perception can often lead to sales, regardless of the quality of the record. In other words, if they remember you, they'll buy.
Not all artists are willing to work this way, and in truth, many are better off for it. Take Tracy Chapman, the 1989 Best New Artist winner. After her initial successful release and it's not so successful immediate follow up, she started releasing records every three years…not exactly a workaholic by the record industry standards of today. Still, this allowed her to concentrate on making better music, and she was rewarded in 1995 with the hit "Give Me One Reason".
Of course, what applies to one artist doesn't apply to all, so whether it's really the Grammy curse, the sophomore slump, or just bad luck, only one thing is certain. Some winners of this prestigious award will make the most of it, while others will fall by the wayside.