19 Famous Musicians Who Don’t Have a Grammy
The Grammy Awards are supposed to be music’s biggest night, the ultimate stamp of approval from the industry. But somehow, some of the most legendary, influential, and downright famous musicians in history have never taken home one of those golden gramophones.
We’re talking about artists who’ve sold millions of albums, changed entire genres, and inspired countless other musicians – yet they’re still waiting for their Grammy moment. Here’s a list of 19 famous musicians who don’t have a Grammy, and honestly, it’s pretty shocking who made this list.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg holds the record for third most Grammy nominations without a win, with 16 nominations and zero victories. The ‘Gin and Juice’ rapper has been nominated for legendary tracks like ‘Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,’ ‘Still D.R.E.,’ ‘Beautiful,’ and ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot,’ but somehow never managed to beat the competition.
In 2024, Snoop even called out the Grammys on Instagram, posting ‘Snoop dogg. 20 nominations. 0 wins.’
Tupac Shakur
As one the most revered and iconic artists in modern music history, the rationale behind Tupac Shakur never receiving a Grammy is quite puzzling. During his lifetime, he was only nominated twice for a Grammy — both in 1996 — for best rap solo performance (‘Dear Mama,’ losing to Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’) and best rap album (Me Against The World).
Posthumously, Shakur would be nominated four more times, but his name was never called as the winner.
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The Notorious B.I.G.
It’s unbelievable that Biggie Smalls never received a Grammy despite being one of hip-hop’s greatest artists. The New York native had one Grammy nomination before he was killed in 1997 and three posthumously in 1998.
His hits such as ‘Big Poppa,’ ‘Hypnotize,’ and ‘Mo Money Mo Problems,’ have earned nominations but never a golden gramophone.
Katy Perry
She’s been nominated 13 times, including Album of the Year for 2010’s Teenage Dream, but Katy Perry has never won a Grammy. The pop star first broke onto the Grammy scene in 2009 when ‘I Kissed a Girl’ lost Best Female Pop Vocal Performance to Adele’s ‘Chasing Pavements.’
Her 2024 album 143 didn’t even get a single nomination.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is now 0-for-12 in her Grammy career after her latest nominations in 2024. She first earned a Grammy nomination at the 2011 ceremony but has consistently lost to artists including Bon Iver, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar.
Minaj once wrote on Instagram about the Grammys, ‘They don’t want the people who they have in the industry to have to go up against me.’
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Diana Ross
Despite more than 50 years in the entertainment industry and 13 nominations, Diana Ross never won any competitive Grammy for her solo work. Ross was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of legendary R&B group The Supremes, and was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
She did receive two Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards, but never won a competitive category.
Queen
Perhaps the most surprising entry on any Grammy snub list, Queen has never won a competitive Grammy Award despite being one of the most influential rock bands ever. The British rock band was nominated twice at the Grammys for two of their biggest hits: ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
They received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, but Freddie Mercury never lived to see even that recognition.
Bob Marley
He may be remembered the world over as a trailblazer in the world of reggae music, but Bob Marley was never even nominated for a Grammy in his lifetime. One love, no Grammy nominations for the revered Jamaican artist who cranked out countless worthy tunes before his untimely death in 1981 at age 36.
The specific Best Reggae Album award was introduced at the Grammys in 1985, four years after his death.
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NSYNC
NSYNC never won a Grammy despite nine nominations and being one of the biggest pop acts of the late ’90s and early 2000s. The Orlando-based boy band, which included Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass, lost out consistently to other artists.
Justin Timberlake himself has since nabbed 10 Grammys as a solo artist.
Backstreet Boys
The Recording Academy kept on playing games with the Backstreet Boys’ hearts, leaving them 0-for-9 between 1999 and 2019. They lost Best New Artist in 1999 to Lauryn Hill, which was probably fair, but their streak of losses continued throughout their career.
They do have two diamond records under their belt, though, which is more than most Grammy winners can say.
ABBA
Mamma Mia! The cheery Swedish pop group ABBA racked up hits in the 1970s, but the Recording Academy didn’t even take a chance on ABBA until 2022 when they received their first nomination, Record of the Year for ‘I Still Have Faith in You.’
They’ve been nominated for four more Grammys since then, but still haven’t won one.
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Björk
Known for her unique and avant-garde approach to music, Björk has a hefty 16 Grammy nominations under her belt, placing her high up on the list of musicians who’ve received the most recognition without an actual win. Nine of her nominations have come in the Best Alternative Music Album category, but apparently she’s a little too alternative even for the alternative crowd.
Lana Del Rey
Spread out over a decade, Lana Del Rey has a total of 11 Grammy nominations, five of which came in 2024 alone. However, it wasn’t to be for Lana, although she was dragged up on stage by Taylor Swift when her album Midnights won Album of the Year.
Surely Lana would rather have made the trip to accept one of her own Grammys.
Chuck Berry
The rock pioneer introduced elements of rhythm and blues to the music of the 1950s, creating a new and exciting rock sound in hits like ‘Maybellene’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode.’ Chuck Berry was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, but despite having zero Grammy nominations to his name, he did receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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The Beach Boys
Brian Wilson has two Grammys, but wouldn’t it be nice if The Beach Boys had ridden one of their four nominations to a win? The signature SoCal group was nominated three times for 1966’s ‘Good Vibrations’ and once for 1988’s ‘Kokomo’ from the Cocktail soundtrack.
They were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.
Journey
Remember when the cast of Glee earned a Grammy nomination for their version of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin” in 2011? It’s fair that you don’t recall that moment – but guess who never earned a nomination for ‘Don’t Stop Believin”? Journey.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have only been nominated once in their entire career.
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton’s got armloads of country-specific awards, but the Grammys have left him hanging nine times. Much to Kelly Clarkson’s surprise during her talk show, the country superstar and former Voice coach has never managed to win music’s biggest prize despite his massive success in country music.
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Jennifer Lopez
Maybe that look on Ben Affleck’s face at the 2023 Grammys was from finding out Jennifer Lopez didn’t win either of the Grammys she was nominated for in 2000 and 2001. J.Lo has been a massive pop culture figure for decades, but Grammy recognition has eluded her throughout her music career.
The Who
While they’re Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, The Who only have two Grammy nominations to the group’s name and no wins. One of the most influential rock bands in history, known for classics like ‘My Generation’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ has somehow never impressed the Grammy voters enough to take home the big prize.
When Fame Doesn’t Equal Grammy Gold
These 19 musicians prove that Grammy success doesn’t always match real-world impact or cultural influence. From Snoop Dogg’s 16 nominations without a win to Bob Marley never even getting nominated, the Recording Academy’s choices sometimes seem completely disconnected from musical history and popular opinion.
Many of these artists have received Lifetime Achievement Awards years or decades later, which feels like the Grammys admitting they messed up the first time around. Whether it’s bias, bad timing, or just tough competition, these legendary musicians show that you don’t need a Grammy to change the world – but it’s still pretty weird that they don’t have one.
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