14 surprising artists who've never won a Grammy Award

Queen: Led by the late Freddie Mercury, Queen have already gone down in history as trendsetters, record breakers and hit makers. But not Grammy Award winners. With legendary tracks like ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, it’s no wonder the British rockers are one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In 2018 they even received a lifetime achievement recognition from the Grammys. Here’s what’s crazier — Metallica won their second Grammy for their cover of Queen’s ‘Stone Cold Crazy’.

Diana Ross: From being the lead singer of The Supremes — the best-charting female group in American history — to an epic solo career, which gave us all the opportunity to butcher ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ at a shady karaoke spot on a Friday night, Ross has both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her acting performance in ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ (1972). But no Grammy, despite the fact that the 76-year-old icon has a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nicki Minaj: You know her songs, her accents and her wigs as much as you know her constant hustle. Considered one of the most influential and globally recognised rap artists of all time, Nicki Minaj has 11 BET Awards, six AMAs, four MTV VMAs and a whopping 10 Grammy Award nominations. Yet, the 37-year-old hit-maker has yet to walk away with a single golden gramophone for her glass cabinet.

Sia: You might know her for wearing oversized wigs that cover her face or performing backwards. But it’s Sia’s musical contributions that are undeniable. Whether it’s tracks like ‘Chandelier’ or ‘Titanium’, or her songwriting powers utilised by artists like Rihanna and Beyonce, Sia has been a force to be reckoned with. But, despite nine Grammy nominations to date, Sia has won none.

Tupac: Despite dying at the young age of 25, Tupac Shakur has left an unforgettable mark on the rap and music world, loved by generation after generation for his wisdom, lyricism and a little rivalry with the Notorious B.I.G. But, despite being a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee and being one of the best-selling artists in history, Shakur never won a Grammy.

The Notorious B.I.G.: The world lost Biggie when he was only 24, his potential cut short and his brilliance snuffed out, but Biggie still managed to become a name on everyone’s mind until today. With his distinct delivery and forthright lyrics, Biggie earned the name of “greatest rapper that ever lived” from Rolling Stone, and this year was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite four Grammy nominations in 1998 ­— including for ‘Big Poppa’, ‘Hypnotize’ and ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ — Biggie never won.

Bob Marley: Bob Marley has shaped a generation with his music and state of mind. Considered to be a pioneer of reggae, he’s given us unforgettable soul-soothing hits like ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘One Love’ and ‘Three Little Birds’. But even though Marley — who died in 1981 at only 36 — was posthumously recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Awards in 2001, he has no Grammy wins.

Jimi Hendrix: Not only is he considered by many to be the greatest guitarist of all time, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame referred to him as “the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music”. Hendrix’s style — which fearlessly utilised gain, distortion and overdrive as well as pedal effects — has been hugely influential on modern rock music, despite the artist’s early death at only 27. Despite two Hall of Fame Grammy recognitions and a Lifetime Achievement win in 1992, Hendrix never received any Grammys.

Abba: We know what you’re thinking — you would totally give Abba a Grammy Award for ‘Dancing Queen’. They’re the reason the musical ‘Mamma Mia!’ exists and they have sold more than 300 million records. But, despite ‘Dancing Queen’ being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, they never actually won a Grammy Award.

Guns N Roses: They were nominated in 1990, 1992, 1993 and even 2019 — but Guns N Roses can’t add “Grammy-winning act” to their impressive rock ‘n roll resume. The band is in the top 50 selling artists of all time, but the ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine' rockers haven’t managed this accolade yet.

Brian McKnight: Does he ever cross your mind… any time? If he does, here’s something else to think about: Brian McKnight holds second place for the record of most Grammy nominations without a win. The ‘Back at One’ R’n’B star was never awarded a Grammy despite 17 nominations.

Snoop Dogg: Snoop Dogg has the third highest amount of Grammy Award nominations with no wins. Since 1994, Snoop has racked up 16 nominations, including for his hit collaborations ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ (ft Pharrell and Charlie Wilson) and ‘Young, Wild & Free’ (with Wiz Khalifa and Bruno Mars). His most recent nomination was in 2016 as a featured artist on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ in the category of Album of the Year.

Bjork: Eclectic and avant-garde, Bjork’s style — both musically and visually — is impossible to ignore. And it earned her 15 Grammy Award nominations over the past 30 years. Despite this, the Icelandic artist never won any of those nominations.

Janis Joplin: She electrified any stage she stepped foot on. Janis Joplin’s boundless energy lent itself fully to rock ‘n roll. One of America’s best-selling artists, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and given the Lifetime Achievement accolade by the Grammys. But Joplin, who died aged 27, never won a Grammy Award.