Sienna Spiro’s VMA Best New Artist win strengthens her 2027 Grammy case against Ella Langley, whose “Choosin’ Texas” owns Billboard Hot 100 history. LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 22: Sienna Spiro performs during All Points East 2026 at Victoria Park on August 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
WireImage
Sienna Spiro’s recent triumph may mix things up when it comes to the 2027 Grammy race for Best New Artist. The rising British singer won the same prize at the MTV Video Music Awards, only weeks before Recording Academy members begin voting.
That prize does not suddenly make Spiro the obvious Grammy favorite for the only honor that a musician can be nominated for once. Ella Langley still lays claim to a resume that no other eligible newcomer can come close to touching. As of less than a month ago, the country singer owns the longest-running No. 1 hit in Billboard Hot 100 history with the unstoppable “Choosin’ Texas” – but what may have looked like Langley’s race to lose only a short time ago now includes a very credible challenger.
Sienna Spiro Just Won Best New Artist at the VMAs
Spiro beat Bella Kay, Cortis, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith and Stella Lefty for Best New Artist at this year’s VMAs. Langley was not among them, though that distinction needs to come with an asterisk: MTV already nominated the country star for Best New Artist one year ago, when Alex Warren won. This time around, “Choosin’ Texas” competed for Song of the Year and won the Best Country field.
Spiro did not defeat Langley head-to-head. She did, however, enjoy exactly the kind of award show moment that can change how an artist is perceived by the public and the music industry heading into another important voting period.
Ella Langley Claims the Bigger Chart Records
Spiro is hardly an obscure critical darling, either, and her win wasn’t shocking. The singer’s debut album Visitor launched inside the Billboard 200’s top 10, while “Die on This Hill” reached as high as No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. She has already placed four songs on the competitive ranking, meaning she isn’t a one-hit wonder in America, either.
When the comparison between the two likely nominees focuses entirely on sheer commercial power, however, Langley is in a league all her own. Her sophomore album Dandelion debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and it’s managed more than one turn at the summit.
“Choosin’ Texas” has now spent 24 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, the longest reign in the chart’s history by several frames. Follow-up single “Be Her” climbed to No. 2 – blocked only by Langley’s own smash – while her Morgan Wallen duet “I Can’t Love You Anymore” reached No. 4. At points this summer, Langley occupied three of the top five spaces on the Billboard Hot 100 at once, which is all but unheard of when looking at country acts.
Both Women Could Compete In Multiple Categories
Both Langley and Spiro may compete for Best New Artist, but both could also land in several other categories as well. “Choosin’ Texas” seems like a safe bet for Record and Song of the Year, and both that hit as well as Dandelion may bring her to the several country verticals for the first time as well.
Spiro may have a tougher battle when it comes to appearing in any of the other major categories, but the various pop fields may not be out of reach. Langley may enter the 2027 race with better odds at scoring more nods, but that doesn’t guarantee her the Best New Artist honor.
Sienna Spiro Sounds Like the Type of Artist Grammy Voters Love
LONDON – JUNE 27: Amy Winehouse performs during the 46664 concert in celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life at Hyde Park on June 27, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Spiro’s sound is very different from Langley’s, and that may help her chances. Her music blends soul, jazz and pop, and comparisons have already been made to singers including Amy Winehouse, Adele (who beat the then-sonically-similar Duffy) and Olivia Dean. That lineage should sound familiar to Grammy voters: Winehouse and Adele both won Best New Artist, while Dean is the reigning champion in the category. One of the most shocking winners in the field, jazz musician Samara Joy, claimed the trophy only a few years ago, while Raye, yet another singer working across jazz, soul and pop, competed in the category recently as well and might snag an Album of the Year nod this time around.
None of that means the Recording Academy has a predetermined “type,” but Spiro’s old-school approach is clearly beloved by voters.
Best New Artist has also gone to a solo woman nine years in a row, and following Spiro’s performance of “Great Expectation” that earned her a standing ovation at the VMAs, the music industry is paying even closer attention than before.
Winning The VMA Does Not Always Translate to a Grammy
LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 4: Billie Eilish in the press room at The 66th Annual Grammy Awards, airing live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, Feb. 4 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network. (Photo by Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images)
CBS via Getty Images
The VMA victory is useful evidence that Spiro’s profile has grown, but history suggests it should not be treated like a preview of what’s to come at the Grammys. Only three of the past 20 VMA Best New Artist winners went on to claim the corresponding Grammy: Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan. The overlap is much stronger when looking at nominations — seven of the past 10 VMA winners later appeared in the same Grammy arena — but actually winning both remains unusual.
It also must be stated that there’s a major difference when it comes to how the winners are chosen for each honor. MTV’s Best New Artist prize is fan-voted, while who takes home a Grammy is selected by Recording Academy members. One measures public enthusiasm, and the other reflects what the music industry is thinking and feeling.
Langley has the blockbuster numbers, and Spiro now has the televised award season moment and the momentum. She’s developed a recognizable and beloved musical identity and enough commercial success that her candidacy cannot be brushed aside. Spiro’s VMA win did not prove that she will beat Langley for this Grammy, but it may have done something more interesting: turned what looked like a runaway certainty into an actual race.
Leave a comment