Who was the first artist to win both Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the same Grammys?

Christopher Cross was the first artist to win both Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the same Grammys. He achieved the feat at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981, when his self-titled debut album won Album of the Year.

Cross had an extraordinary night, also winning Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Sailing.” That made him the first artist to win all four general-field Grammy categories in one ceremony: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

His debut album, released in 1979, also produced hits including “Ride Like the Wind” and “Never Be the Same.” The achievement stood for nearly four decades until Billie Eilish matched the four-award sweep at the 2020 Grammys. Cross later won an Academy Award for co-writing “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do).”