Lady Gaga’s biggest and breakout year was indeed in 2009, with the release of her first full length studio album, “The Fame”.  This would have earned her a Best New Artist nod and perhaps, a win in last year’s Grammy Awards, but as we have seen, this was not the case and country act Zac Brown Band took home the honor instead.

That controversy lead to a further scrutiny of the rules governing the Grammy’s especially for the Best New Artist category where, according to the old rules, a new artist is qualified for the category unless he or she has released a single, an album, has appeared as a featured artist on someone else’s single, or has won a Grammy in the past.  Lady Gaga released “Just Dance”, her breakout and debut single in 2008, making her technically ineligible for the Best New Artist race the following year.

The organization recognizes the new trend for new artists who are trying to break out in the music scene in a non-traditional manner.  Nowadays, new artists would either appear as a collaborator on someone else’s single or would release his or her own single, similar to Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance”, before releasing a full length album.

This resulted in a change of eligibility qualifications for new artists vying for the prestigious Grammy honor.  The new rule, where new artists even if they have appeared as a guest on another artist’s single, or have released their own single as long as it is not a full length album or LP in the past, will be eligible to compete in the category, will take effect on the next Grammy Awards in 2011.

What may be too late for the eccentric pop artist may come just in time for Atlanta-based Janelle Monae who released her first LP “The ArchAndroid” this year, as she could still compete in the Best New Artist category in the next Grammy Awards even if she has released a single, “Many Moons”, in 2009 which earned a Grammy nod in the 2009 Grammy Awards.