NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist

Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American R&B singer and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta during its first two seasons, later returning to the show during its fifth season. She subsequently signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut studio album, Rebellious Soul, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the US Top R&B Albums charts. Her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? was released in 2014, debuting at number six on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B Albums chart selling 87,000 copies in its first week. It spawned three singles, the Platinum selling "Love 'Em All", Gold selling "Maybe I Should Call" and Gold selling "Hard to Do".

Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( NAHZ), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single "Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popularity in early 2019 before climbing music charts internationally and becoming diamond certified by November of that same year.

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat ( DOH-jə), is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song "So High" caught the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records, with which she signed a joint record deal before releasing her debut EP, Purrr!, in 2014.

Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper (born July 2, 1993), known professionally as Saweetie (also pronounced as simply "sweetie"), is an American rapper. Her 2017 debut single, "Icy Grl" received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and led her to sign with Warner Records in a joint venture with her then-manager, Max Gousse's record label, Artistry Worldwide.

Victoria Monét McCants (born May 1, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. First gaining recognition for her songwriting work, Monét pursued a recording career with the release of a series of extended plays (EPs); her fifth, Jaguar (2020) was met with critical acclaim. Her debut studio album, Jaguar II (2023) became her commercial breakthrough and was supported by the hit single, "On My Mama", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year. The nomination was among seven she received at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, from which she won Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( SIZ-ə), is an American singer. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the hip hop record label Top Dawg Entertainment, through which she released Z (2014), her third EP and first retail release. That same year, she co-wrote "Feeling Myself" with Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé. In 2016, she was featured on Rihanna's song "Consideration".

Gabrielle Serene Varner (born February 12, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Born into a musical family in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Los Angeles, Varner studied at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. In October 2009, she signed with RCA Records along with a co-publishing agreement with Sony Music.

Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American singer and television personality. She is best known for appearing as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta during its first two seasons, later returning to the show during its fifth season. Michelle subsequently signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut studio album, Rebellious Soul, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? was released on December 9, 2014. The album debuted at number six in the US and spawned three singles "Love 'Em All", "Maybe I Should Call" and "Hard to Do". The album sold 87,000 copies in its first week in sales.

Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress.

Jussie Smollett (, born June 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 debuting in The Mighty Ducks (1992). From 2015 to 2019, Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire.