Legendary Artists Who’ve Never Won A Grammy

The Grammys, the awards for musical excellence, have been awarded every year since 1959. And through those fifty-two years, some of music’s most notable artists have never won a Grammy Award. Not one!

Katy Perry

She’s been nominated several times, but not once has she won. She did win a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Breakthrough Artist in 2010.

Abba

They did not need Grammy Awards because they had the public’s approval. The Swedish pop group won 10 of Sweden’s top music prizes before they conquered their homeland. Abba has sold an estimated 400 million records worldwide and made some of the most incredible music ever recorded. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 (the first year they were eligible). There are six genre-spanning box sets of Abba available, some featuring only their Swedish recordings, while some include all their English-language releases.

Jimi Hendrix

One of rock’s greatest guitarists, Jimi Hendrix, died at age 27 before earning his first Grammy Award. His career was too short of gaining the momentum needed to win Grammys, but he did receive several nominations.

Busta Rhymes

This rapper has had ten nominations for Best Rap Album, but he has never won one. He did win a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap/Hip Hop Single in 2006 for “Don’t Get Carried Away,” featuring Mary J. Blige.

The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur

They were both substantial hip-hop artists killed in the early 1990s, at ages 24 and 21, respectively. Big L and Nas were both nominated in 1996 for Best Rap Album, but they lost to Outkast for ATLiens.

Tupac Shakur won three Soul Train Music Awards (1995’s Best Male R&B/Soul Artist; 1996’s Best Album for All Eyez On Me; and 1997’s Soul Train Performance) but never managed to get any awards from the Grammys.

Sia

Sia Furler has been nominated for a Grammy in five categories: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2011, 2012, and 2013; Best Pop Vocal Album in 2012 and 2013; and Record of the Year (for Chandelier) in 2014. She has not won any of them yet.