Grammy Preview: Best New Artist

So it is time to start looking at this year's Grammy race, as the nominees will be announced in about a month. So the first category is Best New Artist

Contenders
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Emeli Sande
Kendrick Lamar
Imagine Dragons
Ariana Grande
Kacey Musgraves
Florida Georgia Line
Ellie Golding
Lorde
ASAP Rocky
Lana Del Rey
Phillip Phillips
The Weekend
Of Monsters and Men
Haim
Avicii
Icona Pop
Austin Mahone
The National
Karmin
Capital Cities
Labrinth
Zedd
Randy Houser

Commentary - Actually a lot of big names this year, it could be a race where contenders come out of nowhere. Of course there are always curveballs here. It looks like there could be some eligibility issues with Ellie Golding (Is she technically eligible?) If she is, then I will include her on final predictions, but for now I am leaving her off. Emeli Sande should probably not be eligible, but of course the Recording Academy always fudges the rules. That being said, she is immensly talented, and is probably has the classy aspect that goes over better with the music industry voters. Two hip-hop artist have a great shot here, as both sold well, and did well with music critics. If there is only one spot for rap artists then Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will probably be the frontrunners, but I think that Kendrick Lamar has a great shot too. Imagine Dragons did really well at this year's VMA's and would be a high profile choice. Country has several choices, lead by Kacey Musgraves and Florida Georgia Line, the former being much more deserving. Don't forget electronica either with Avicii and Zedd. Lana Del Rey has had a lot of success, but I don't think that her style (or her botched SNL performance) are palatable. also watch out for Lorde, Phillip Phillips, ASAP Rocky, Karmin and The Weekend, who all have decent exposure and buzz. Currently, here are my predictions:

Imagine Dragons
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Emeli Sande