By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:20am PDT, Apr 3, 2022
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In honor of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at some past best new artist winners and checking in on what they're up to now. Let's start with this guy. The Justin Vernon-fronted indie folk band Bon Iver won the award for best new artist at the 2012 Grammys.
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Justin Vernon's Bon Iver scored another Grammy nomination for their third album, 2016's "22, A Million." Their fourth album, 2019's "I, I," fared even better, scoring three more Grammy nominations. But the biggest hit was still to come… Bon Iver collaborated with Taylor Swift on tracks for her back-to-back 2020 masterpieces "folklore" and "evermore." Their song "exile" from "folklore" scored a Grammy nomination, and "evermore" is currently up for album of the year in 2022.
Keep reading to find out what he's doing these days…
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Since her big Grammy win, "I Don't Want to Wait" chart-topper Paula Cole has released eight more studio albums including 2021's "American Quilt." In 2013, she joined the faculty at her alma mater, Berklee College of Music, as a visiting scholar in performance studies in the voice department. She reportedly married musician Hassan Hakmoun in 2002 — a year after they welcomed daughter Sky — but it wasn't meant to be: They divorced in 2007.
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Former Fugees member Lauryn Hill hasn't released another true solo album since 1998's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," which helped her win the best new artist Grammy the following year. So much time has passed that her son Zion — the baby she famously sang about on the introspective album track "To Zion" — graduated from high school in 2015 and welcomed a baby himself in 2017! Lauryn — who released a handful of mostly forgettable songs in recent years — dealt with personal drama as the world awaited new music: The mother of six got herself into such serious financial trouble that in 2013, she served three months in prison for tax evasion, doing her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut — the same facility where reality TV star Teresa Giudice served time for fraud in 2015 and where the hit Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black" is set. In 2018, she hit the road for a "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 20th anniversary tour. Three years later, she reunited with the Fugees for the first time in 15 years. (Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the group canceled their planned international tour in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their hit sophomore album, "The Score.")
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Norah Jones won the award for best new artist at the 2003 Grammys.
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Norah Jones — who now has nine Grammys to her name — released her seventh studio album, "Pick Me Up Off the Floor," in 2020 and a holiday album, "I Dream of Christmas," in 2021. She's also known for her collaborations with other artists: She released "Foreverly" with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong in 2013, dropped "Rome" with Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi and Jack White in 2011 and performs as part of the country trio Puss n Boots, which released their second album, "Sister," in 2020. On top of all that, she's dabbled in acting, making her feature film debut in Kar-Wai Wong's 2008 drama "My Blueberry Nights" and portraying a version of herself in the 2012 comedy "Ted." As for her personal life, the ultra-private star welcomed a son in 2014 and a daughter in 2016 with musician Pete Remm, whom she's since reportedly married.
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The Darius Rucker-fronted rock band Hootie & the Blowfish won the best new artist prize at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
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Darius Rucker broke out as a solo artist after Hootie & the Blowfish — which includes Mark Bryan, Jim Sonefeld and Dean Felber — went on hiatus in 2008. Although he released his first album as a solo artist, 2002's "Back to Then," in the R&B genre, it wasn't until he went country that he found his true calling. He released his fifth country album, "When Was the Last Time," in 2017. Two years later, Hootie reunited for their sixth studio album — and their first in 14 years — 2019's "Imperfect Circle." Darius has three kids: two with ex-wife Beth Rucker, from whom he split in 2020, and an older child from a previous relationship. Following the breakup, he briefly romanced comedian Kate Quigley.
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Sheryl Crow won the award for best new artist at the 1995 Grammys.
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In the decade following her best new artist Grammy win, Sheryl Crow released hit after hit and made headlines for her high-profile romances with actor Owen Wilson and cyclist Lance Armstrong. But in more recent years, she's been happily raising her two adopted sons, Wyatt and Levi, as a single parent. The nine-time Grammy winner has had her fair share of health problems too: She underwent a lumpectomy after discovering breast cancer in 2006 and was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor called a meningioma in 2011. She released her 11th studio album, "Threads" — which features collaborations with many of her friends in the industry — in 2019.
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Mariah Carey won the award for best new artist at the 1991 Grammys.
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Mariah Carey is now a true icon with 15 studio albums, countless chart-topping hits and five Grammys to her name… She also made her acting debut in 1999's "The Bachelor," starred in 2001's "Glitter," earned raves for her work in 2009's "Precious," served as a judge on the 12th season of "American Idol" in 2013 and headlined the short-lived 2016 E! reality show "Mariah's World," which chronicled her attempts to plan a wedding with then-fiancé James Packer while simultaneously gearing up for a European tour… and falling for her current love, backup dancer Bryan Tanaka. Mariah and the Australian billionaire got engaged in early 2016 — less than two years after she separated from second husband Nick Cannon, the father of her twins Moroccan and Monroe. She and James split in late 2016, and she's been going strong with Bryan ever since!
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Cyndi Lauper was named best new artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards.
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Cyndi Lauper released her 11th studio album, "Detour," in 2016. The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer has been nominated for a ton of Grammys over the years but only won her second in 2014: best musical theater album for "Kinky Boots." She wrote the music and lyrics for the hit musical — and won the Tony Award for best original score for her efforts! She scored another Tony nomination in 2018 for her contributions to the "SpongeBob SquarePants" musical's original score. The eccentric singer and LGBTQ+ rights activist has been married to actor David Thornton since 1991 and has one son, Declyn. She might be in her 60s now, but she shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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Toni Braxton won the best new artist prize at the 1994 Grammy Awards.
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Seven-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton has released a new album every few years since the early '90s. Her ninth studio album, "Spell My Name," debuted in 2020 — the same year her long-running reality show, WE tv's "Braxton Family Values," came to an end after seven seasons and nearly a decade on the air. The series — which chronicled her relationships with her sisters and struggles with lupus, which has affected her career for years — wasn't her only stab at reality TV: She also competed on season 7 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2008 and briefly appeared on season 6 of "The Masked Singer" in 2021. Toni was married to Keri Lewis, with whom she shares two sons, from 2001 to 2014. In recent years, she's been romantically involved with longtime pal Birdman, who proposed in late 2017 or early 2018.
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Christina Aguilera became a pop superstar after winning big at the Grammys in 2000. Though she's taken some time away from the spotlight since then, the past few years have been quite busy for her: In 2018, she dropped her eighth studio album, "Liberation," which spurred her first tour in a decade. In 2020, she contributed two songs to the soundtrack for Disney's live-action remake of "Mulan" — "Loyal Brave True" and an updated version of "Reflection" from the 1998 cartoon version. And in 2022, she released a Spanish-language EP, "La Fuerza." She also served as a coach on "The Voice" off and on between 2011 and 2016, made her feature film debut in the 2010 musical "Burlesque" and raised two children: son Max from her marriage to music exec Jordan Bratman, which came to an end in 2010, and Summer Rain, her daughter with fiancé Matt Rutler.
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Carrie Underwood, who shot into the spotlight after winning "American Idol" in 2005, dropped her eighth studio album, "My Savior" — which is also her first gospel album — in 2021. Outside of the music business, the seven-time Grammy winner made her feature film debut in 2011's "Soul Surfer" and infamously portrayed Maria in 2013's "The Sound of Music Live!" The country music superstar married professional hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010. They've since welcomed two boys: Isaiah in 2015 and Jacob in 2019.
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John Legend won best new artist at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
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John Legend now has 12 Grammys to his name. He's also one of just 16 EGOT winners. In addition to his Grammys, he won an Emmy in 2018 for producing "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert." (He also starred as Jesus.) In 2015, he won the Oscar for best original song for "Glory" from the movie "Selma." And in 2017, he won a Tony for best revival of a play for "Jitney," which he co-produced. And that was just the beginning! In 2016, he appeared in the hit musical "La La Land" and launched his career as a judge on "The Voice." He also dropped his seventh studio album, "Bigger Love," in 2020 and continues to work as a producer in music, film and television. People magazine's 2019 Sexiest Man Alive married model-turned-cookbook author Chrissy Teigen in 2013. They've since welcomed daughter Luna and son Miles.
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Alicia Keys won the award for best new artist at the 2002 Grammys.
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Alicia Keys, who's won 15 Grammys over the years, dropped her eighth studio album, "Keys," in 2021. She also served as a coach on "The Voice" for several seasons between 2016 and 2018 and appeared in the films "Smokin' Aces," "The Nanny Diaries" and "The Secret Life of Bees." In 2010, she married hip-hop artist and producer Swizz Beatz. They've since welcomed two sons: Egypt and Genesis.
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LeAnn Rimes has dropped a new album every few years since the early '90s. Most recently, she released "Chant: The Human & the Holy" in 2020. Although the two-time Grammy winner continues to make music, her career has been overshadowed by practically ancient drama in her personal life: She infamously married Eddie Cibrian in 2011 after meeting and falling in love on the set of the Lifetime movie "Northern Lights" while she was married to dancer-turned-chef Dean Sheremet and he was married to model-turned-reality star Brandi Glanville, who's publicly bashed LeAnn countless times over the years, though they're currently on good terms. In 2012, LeAnn sought treatment for anxiety issues in the wake of the scandal, and in 2014, she and Eddie starred on a VH1 reality show, "LeAnn & Eddie." In 2018, she returned to acting for the first time in five years with the Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie "It's Christmas, Eve." Two years later, she won the fourth season of "The Masked Singer" as the Sun.
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The Amy Lee-fronted rock band Evanescence won the best new artist Grammy in 2004.
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Amy Lee became a first-time mom to son Jack Lion in 2014, seven years after marrying therapist Josh Hartzler. When Evanescence went on a brief hiatus amid a dispute with their record label over royalties, Amy started dabbling in film scores, composing music for "War Story" and "Blind." She also released her debut album as a solo artist, the 2016 children's album "Dream Too Much." In 2017, Evanescence dropped "Synthesis," their fourth studio album and their first since their 2011 self-titled album. Their fifth album, "The Bitter Truth," landed in 2021.
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Ryan Dusick, Mickey Madden, Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael and James Valentine — who together make up Maroon 5 — won best new artist at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
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Maroon 5 dropped their seventh studio album, "Jordi," in 2021. As for breakout star Adam Levine, the singer served as a coach on "The Voice" from 2011 to 2019. He also had a three-episode stint on "American Horror Story: Asylum" and made his feature film debut in the 2013 romantic dramedy "Begin Again." In 2014, he married model Behati Prinsloo. They've since welcomed two daughters: Dusty Rose in 2016 and Gio Grace in 2017.
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Esperanza Spalding's surprising best new artist Grammy win ensured that her 2010 album, "Chamber Music Society," was the bestselling contemporary jazz album that year. She's since released several more albums — including 2021's "Songwrights Apothecary Lab" — and added three more Grammys to her collection. In 2017, she joined the faculty of Harvard University as a professor of the practice of music in the music department.
