Lost Grammy Nominees: Toni Childs

She was almost best new artist, but who is she?

Welcome to the second write-up in my Lost Grammy Nominees series. Once a month or so, I’ll write a bonus post for paid subscribers that looks at an obscure nominee in one of three major Grammy categories: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, or Song of the Year. Previously, I wrote about Timi Yuro.

If you’re from Australia or New Zealand, then you might think this post’s headline is ridiculous. After all, Toni Childs has been a pop star Down Under for over 30 years, selling millions of records and racking up multiple hits. As I write this, she’s touring both countries right damn now, and it’s one of those retrospective tours that you can only pull off if you’ve had a long career. Kiwis and Ozzies never lost her at all.

But here in America — where Childs is actually from, by the way — Toni Childs is basically unknown. Her long and winding creative life is filled with quirky facts like that, along with a robust list of major awards and nominations.