Alessia Cara says she didn’t log onto grammy.com and submit herself as a nominee for Best New Artist. Saying “That’s not how it works. I didn’t ask to be submitted either because there are other artists that deserve the acknowledgment. But I was nominated and won and I am not going to be upset about something I’ve wanted since I was kid, not to mention have worked really hard for.” Cara also addressed criticism she’s been around too long to win the new artist category. “I’m aware that, yes, my music has become fairly popular in the last year,” she noted. “But I’m trying very hard to use the platform I’ve been given [to] talk about these things and bring light to issues that aren’t fair.” Artists who qualify for Best New Artist include those who “[release], during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer.”
Cardi B says she was happier before “Bodak Yellow” made her a household name. “Even though I’m happy, I feel like I was a little bit happier two or three years ago when I had less money. I had less people who had opinions about my life. I felt like my life was mine. Now I feel like I don’t even own my life. I feel like the world owns me.” On the plus side, she adds, “My family, whatever they want, they get. Everything that I want to buy, I can get. I don’t have to worry so much about my future.”
*photo courtesy of Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images