Sam Smith’s soul anthems and Iggy Azalea’s booty-shaking hip-hop owned the charts in 2014, and there aren’t many people who would bet against one of them taking home the prestigious Best New Artist award at Sunday night’s Grammys. But there are three other acts lurking behind them, looking for a taste of glory. Here’s our guide to the dark horses.
HAIM
It’s good to have friends in high places. After impressing critics with their R&B-tinged girl-pop, the Haim sisters (Este, 28, Danielle, 25, and Alana, 23) also attracted the attention of Taylor Swift. She met the band at the filming of VH-1’s “You Oughta Know” in 2013, where Haim was performing with Swift’s other bestie, Lorde. They hit it off instantly, and now the LA trio have become so tight with T-Swift that they were guests of honor at her 25th birthday bash in New York in December and vacationed with her in Hawaii last month. Just this week, Swift announced them as openers on select dates of her upcoming 1989 World Tour. Compared to all that, their Best New Artist nomination probably feels like icing on the cake.
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It’s not just music they bond over. “[Taylor is] the funniest person I’ve met in a really long time,” Alana recently told USA Today. “She made me almost piss my pants, and it’s really hard to make me laugh, and she totally did it.” Swift has posted plenty of pictures of their japes and adventures on Instagram — but thankfully, Alana almost losing control of her bladder isn’t featured.
Brandy Clark
Brandy Clark has turned the country music industry on its head, but the newcomer says that wasn’t what she meant to do.
“My goal was never to shake it up — it was to be included,” Clark tells The Post. “[But] being who I am and writing the songs I am does shake it up a little bit.”
With bro-country and a hip-hop influence dominating the genre, Clark’s traditional sound and refreshing lyrical approach feel novel.
Her dark humor shines through on songs like “Stripes,” from her 2013 debut album, “12 Stories,” in which the woman in the song decides not to kill her man because “I don’t look good in orange and I hate stripes.”
She was also a co-writer on Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” — which implores listeners to “kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into.”
Clark’s made positive waves in the industry by being open about being a lesbian from the get-go. It’s a move that’s relegated her sexuality to a footnote in her story, rather than the narrative.
“I’m a singer-songwriter who also happens to be gay,” says Clark, 39, who is also up for Best Country Album. “I feel like my music is great, and I don’t feel like I need to be a ‘lesbian country singer’ for it to get noticed.”
–Gregory E. Miller
Bastille
The British group (fronted by Dan Smith) hit the Top 5 with the electro-indie “Pompeii,” but have yet to score again. If they win, Bastille would join the ranks of these one-hit wonders — all of whom won Best New Artist.
Paula Cole (1998)
“Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” asked the folksy singer. But it was her career that did the real disappearing act.
Marc Cohn (1992)
He went “Walking in Memphis” and never came back.
A Taste of Honey (1979)
The group beat out Elvis Costello to win in 1979 on the strength of their repetitive disco track “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” One taste of honey was all anyone wanted, though.
Bobbie Gentry (1968)
The lyrical inspiration behind her megahit “Ode to Billie Joe” remains a mystery — as does whatever happened to Gentry herself.
Starland Vocal Band (1977)
The group’s sappy soft rock hit “Afternoon Delight” lives on in movies like “Anchorman.” But not even Ron Burgundy would recognize the Starland Vocal Band if they popped up on the evening news.
And the Grammy goes too…Sam Smith
Who will take home the 4 main awards? The Post’s music critic Hardeep Phull makes his forecast for glory on pop’s biggest night.
Song of the Year
- “All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor
- “Chandelier,” Sia
- “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
- WINNER: “Stay With Me,” Sam Smith
- “Take Me to Church,” Hozier
“Take Me to Church” is moving, but Smith will collect. Still, this is a songwriting category – so Smith could be dinged for having reached a settlement with Tom Petty over how much his tune sounds like Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
Best New Artist
- Iggy Azalea
- Bastille
- Brandy Clark
- Haim
- WINNER: Sam Smith
Yup. You might be getting sick of Smith, but the industry players that decide the Grammy winners can’t get enough of him. He should just move his seat to the stage and stay there all night.
Album of the Year
- “Morning Phase,” Beck
- “Beyonce,” Beyonce
- “X,” Ed Sheeran
- WINNER: “In the Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith
- “Girl,” Pharrell Williams
Grammy voters love someone with big pipes, and the fact that Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour,” sold by the bucket won’t hurt his chances. Please God, just anyone except Ed Sheeran.
Record of the Year
- “Fancy,” Iggy Azalea
- WINNER: “Chandelier,” Sia
- “Stay With Me,” Sam Smith
- “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
- “All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor
Performance and production are key in this category, and that fact just might give Sia the edge. If Smith is going to be beaten in an category, it will hopefully be here; Sia manages to outsing him on her truly superb single.