Who are The Marías? Meet the Grammys best new artist nominees with the best breakup songs
- - Who are The Marías? Meet the Grammys best new artist nominees with the best breakup songs
Pamela Avila, USA TODAYJanuary 30, 2026 at 4:21 AM
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A decade after two band members of The Marías crossed paths at a local Los Angeles joint, the psychedelic pop group can now call themselves a 2026 Grammy nominee for best new artist.
The year was 2016, and the now-lead vocalist María Zardoya was performing at The Kibitz Room, a low-key cocktail lounge attached to the iconic Canter's Deli, while drummer/producer Josh Conway filled in as sound engineer for her set, the duo said in a 2017 interview with Remezcla.
The musical chemistry was instant between the Puerto Rican-born, Atlanta-raised singer and the Los Angeles native producer. "We started writing songs like right after we met. After we had written a few songs, we realized that we wanted to do this together," Zardoya told Remezla.
The Marías attend Variety's 9th annual Hitmakers Brunch at Nya Studios in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2025.
They started dating and making music together, and built a band alongside Conway’s childhood friends guitarist Jesse Perlman and keyboardist Edward James. The band released two EPs, "Superclean Vol. I" and "Superclean Vol. II," in 2017 and 2018, and dropped a debut studio album, "Cinema," 2021.
But it wasn't until they signed with Atlantic Records and their single "Hush" topped the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay in 2021 that they began their ascent. Deservedly so.
In 2022, "Cinema" nabbed them a Grammy nomination for best engineered album, nonclassical, but lost to Harry Styles' "Harry's House." After Zardoya lent her buttery vocals on "Otro Atardecer," a track oozing nostalgia and yearning, from Bad Bunny's 2022 album "Un Verano Sin Ti," The Marías was nominated along with him for the album of the year Grammy in 2023 (And again, it went to "Harry's House").
Then after about eight years together, Zardoya and Conway ended their romantic relationship. While that could've been the end of The Marías, it was the catalyst for their breakthrough, 2024's "Submarine," a heartbreak album that was critically and commercially successful and led to a best new artist Grammys 2026 nomination.
"When Josh and I were together, I was like, 'I'm in a band with my partner and his best friends'" Zardoya told USA TODAY in 2024. "Now that we're all individuals, I see it more like I'm in a band with three of my best friends."
Meet The Marías: The bilingual band thriving after romantic breakup, singing with Bad Bunny
At the Feb. 1 Grammys, they will compete against the viral and sultry Olivia Dean, Bruno Mars tour opener Leon Thomas, catchy girl group KATSEYE, 20-year-old singer-songwriter sombr, and three breakout TikTok musicians that have made a name for themselves in the industry, including Addison Rae, Lola Young and Alex Warren.
The Marías explode with Coachella set, feature on Bad Bunny album
From left: Jesse Perlman, Josh Conway, María Zardoya and Edward James of The Marías attend the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Since their humble beginnings in the alternative music scene of LA, The Marías have gone from performing at Highland Park's LodgeRoom, a local venue with a capacity of about 500, to performing with one of the world's most popular artists, Bad Bunny, at Puerto Rico's El Choli coliseum, which seats nearly 20,000 people.
"Being a part of Bad Bunny’s album, which was a love letter to Puerto Rico, was so special to me. I had my whole family in Puerto Rico feeling really, really proud," Zardoya told USA TODAY in 2024. "I just felt even more proud to be Puerto Rican."
"Being a part of Bad Bunny’s album, which was a love letter to Puerto Rico, was so special to me. I had my whole family in Puerto Rico feeling really, really proud," María Zardoya told USA TODAY in a 2024 interview. "I just felt even more proud to be Puerto Rican."
The band has sold out multiple venues, graced the stage twice at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and when "Cinema" was released, they went on tour as openers for Halsey.
"I haven't reached a limit yet," Zardoya told Coveteur. "I think with this rollout (of 'Submarine'), I definitely tested my physical endurance and my emotional endurance. I think it's been one of the hardest rollouts. I mean, granted we've only put out one album before this and a couple of EPs, but it was definitely the hardest thing that we've done and that I've done, for sure."
María Zardoya with and beyond The Marías
At 31, Zardoya has spent the entirety of her 20s surrounded by The Marías, creating music and reaching new heights as a band. So it's no surprise that at their current peak, Zardoya recently branched out for a solo project called Not for Radio and released her debut album "Melt" in October. "Don't worry, the band will be here forever," she wrote on Instagram.
She wanted to challenge herself and make something that "resonated with me in a different way, because "there are layers to who we all are as individuals," she added.
"I haven't reached a limit yet," Zardoya told Coveteur. "I think with this rollout (of 'Submarine'), I definitely tested my physical endurance and my emotional endurance. I think it's been one of the hardest rollouts. I mean, granted we've only put out one album before this and a couple of EPs, but it was definitely the hardest thing that we've done and that I've done, for sure."
Not for Radio is Zardoya's "alternate reality," she wrote on social media in August. And maybe a way to process the success of The Marías on her own, onstage solo and in the studio − before they possibly take the golden gramophone home.
Whatever the future might bring for Zardoya and The Marías beyond the Grammys, the four friends who started with a humble LA dream have won big already.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are The Marias? From local gigs to Grammy best new artist nominees
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
