Who is the youngest musician to win a Grammy as a lead artist?
For most American artists, winning a Grammy is a dream that is unlikely to ever come to fruition. Although you’ll rarely hear a musician publically admit their desire to emerge as the big victor at award ceremonies, secretly, most seek affirmation and take pride in receiving accolades.
Only one artist has ever won the prized Grammy for ‘Album of the Year’ as the lead while still a teenager, and her name is Billie Eilish. In 2020, her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, won the prize of the night and made Eilish a history maker. Despite not even turning 20, Eilish was the only artist that the music world was discussing at the end of the evening.
On top of winning ‘Album of the Year’, Eilish also won ‘Best New Artist’, ‘Best Song’, and ‘Best Record’. Reflecting on a whirlwind evening, Eilish said: “Mainly I think the fans deserve everything. I feel like they have not been talked about enough tonight, because they’re the only reason any of us are here at all,” the young singer told the crowd while accepting her award. “So, thank you to the fans. You guys make this worth it.”
However, Eilish’s haul in 2020 only makes her the ninth youngest person to be celebrated by the Grammys. While other artists who feature in the top ten have gone on to have wonderful careers, such as Lorde and Stephen Marley, the same can be said for the youngest-ever Grammy winner as a lead artist.
After earning a name for herself as a child actor on Broadway, LeAnn Rimes secured a record deal in 1996, and the following year she was crowned ‘Best New Artist’ at the Grammys, aged 14. At the time, everything happened too fast to soak up and enjoy, which is a regret for Rimes in adulthood.
In 2014, Rimes recalled the historic evening to People: “I had the flu that night. I had a 104 [degree] fever and did not want to go,” she said. Rimes also explained that she almost didn’t attend the ceremony because everybody kept telling her she didn’t have a chance of winning. Fortunately, she attended and was there to collect her two awards.
“I’m in the car with my head up against the window of the limo because it was cold outside and I was trying to cool myself off,” she remembers, “And I go, ‘Do I need to write a speech or anything?’ And they’re like, ‘Nah!’ So we got there and I won an award in the pre-show and they’re like ‘Maybe you should think about it a little bit.'”
Rimes also said she doesn’t “even remember what was going through my head”. The singer-songwriter added: “I wish someone would have told me back then to pause and enjoy this, but looking back on it when I watch video of it, I see this girl who was wide-eyed and so excited. It was a great moment.”
Watch the footage of Rimes winning ‘Best New Artist’ in 1997 below.
