Best New Artist Nominees Have Tasted Success

This year's nominees for the best new artist Grammy Award represent acts ranging from rock and R&B to rap and country. In addition to the critical acclaim many of the acts have received, each has released a solid, commercially successful album, boding well for their continued careers, regardless of who takes home the trophy.

• Ciara

Ciara has quickly established herself as a go-to girl in the R&B/hip-hop community through high-profile collaborations and chart-topping dance hits. Her Sho'Nuff/LaFace debut, "Goodies," bowed at No. 3 on The Billboard 200, while the title track, featuring Petey Pablo, held the No. 1 spot on The Billboard Hot 100 for seven straight weeks. The album has sold 2.5 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As Ciara told Billboard last year, she is also very proud of her collaborations with Missy Elliott on "Lose Control" and "1, 2 Step."

"I turned around and did 'Lose Control' with Missy after we did '1, 2 Step.' With [her hit song] 'Oh,' I felt [Ludacris] would give it that hard feel that I needed," she says.

Gwen Stefani also hand-picked Ciara to open several dates on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers 2005 tour last winter.

• Fall Out Boy

Chicago pop-punk band Fall Out Boy made major noise this year with its major-label debut, "From Under the Cork Tree" (Fueled by Ramen/Island), which bowed at No. 9 on The Billboard 200. The disc has sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States. Lead single "Sugar, We're Going Down" peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100.

Bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz told Billboard last year of the group's top 10 debut, "I never would have expected us to be surrounded by the artists we're surrounded by."

The band headlined the third Nintendo Fusion tour, and will kick off its first headlining arena tour this year.

• Keane

With its debut, "Hopes and Fears" (Polydor/Interscope), bowing at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart, pop-rock trio Keane led a new wave of British acts looking to break into the U.S. market. One obvious difference from its compadres? Its guitar-free sound and lead vocalist Tom Chaplin's sweet vocals.

"Hopes and Fears" peaked at No. 45 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 820,000 copies in the United States. The album generated three top 10 U.K. chart hits: "Somewhere Only We Know" (No. 3), "Everybody's Changing" (No. 4) and "Bedshaped" (No. 10). The band played some dates on the North American leg of U2's 2005 Vertigo tour and performed at the Coachella festival.

• John Legend

With eight nods, John Legend joins Kanye West and Mariah Carey in leading this year's Grammy contenders. Legend's debut, "Get Lifted" (Getting Out Our Dreams/Columbia/Sony Urban), has sold more than 1.5 million copies in the United States.

Nominated for best male R&B vocal performance and best R&B song, "Ordinary People" peaked at No. 4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Legend told Billboard in 2005, "We had to spend a lot of time convincing people who didn't get it to get it, and then once we had a team of people who were ready to go . . . we put it out there, [and] it just did so well."

In support of the album, Legend toured primarily small venues in 2005, first with Alicia Keys, then as a headliner.

• Sugarland

Sugarland's debut, "Twice the Speed of Life" (Mercury), spent nine consecutive weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album peaked at No. 16 on The Billboard 200 and has sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States.

Lead single "Baby Girl" set a Billboard Hot Country Songs chart record (46 weeks) for longest chart run in the Nielsen BDS-monitored era. As frontwoman Jennifer Nettles told Billboard last year of her and bandmates Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush, "We've all been [separately] doing this for at least 10 years each. Don't get me wrong—it's fast and furious, but it feels right . . . The climate was right for a group like Sugarland to come onto the scene . . . People wanted something new and fresh." ••••