21 artists who never won a Grammy Award, including Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, and more
Some of the most popular musicians of all time have never won Grammy Awards.
Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and Blake Shelton have several nominations but no Grammys.
Rappers Busta Rhymes and Tupac both have at least one nomination but zero wins.
Brian McKnight has 17 nominations but no wins.
Nominated 17 times since 1993, singer-songwriter Brian McKnight has yet to win his first Grammy.
He lost his last nomination for best male R&B vocal performance to Prince in 2004.
Snoop Dogg has been nominated for 16 Grammys, but he has never taken home the prize.
At 16 nominations, the rapper only trails McKnight by one, but the two have even more in common.
Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Dogg, also received his first nod in 1993 and, like McKnight, is still awaiting his first Grammy win.
Bj?rk has been nominated 16 times.
The Icelandic singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and DJ has been nominated 16 times since 1993, but Bj?rk has never brought home a Grammy.
She was just nominated for best alternative music album for the 65th Grammys.
Dierks Bentley has earned 15 nominations.
His first nominations were in 2006 for the hit "Every Mile A Memory." But even after 15 nominations country singer Dierks Bentley hasn't won a Grammy.
Martina McBride has racked up 14 nominations since 1994.
She's racked up 14 nominations since 1994, but talented country singer Martina McBride has been beaten out each time.
She lost her latest nomination in 2011 to Taylor Swift.
Katy Perry has 13 nominations but no wins.
She's been nominated 13 times over the last 10 years, but current "American Idol" judge, Katy Perry, still doesn't have a Grammy award to adorn her mantle.
Nicki Minaj has 12 nominations but no wins.
From 2010 to 2015, Nicki Minaj was nominated for 10 Grammys. The rapper lost best new artist to Bon Iver in 2011, and to Kendrick Lamar in all three of her nominated categories in 2015.
This year, she snagged two more nominations for best rap song and best song written for visual media for "Barbie World" from the "Barbie" movie.
Diana Ross has won a lifetime achievement award, but no Grammys.
Believe it or not, the legendary Diana Ross has never won a Grammy.
Her first of 13 nominations was in 1964 for "Baby Love," and she was nominated nearly every year from 1970 to 1982 without a win.
That being said, the Recording Academy recognized the songstress with a lifetime achievement award in 2012.
Ross received a nomination for best traditional pop vocal album for "Thank You" in 2023, which is her first studio album in 15 years.
Busta Rhymes has been nominated 12 times.
Nominated 12 times since 1996, Trevor Smith Jr. aka Busta Rhymes hasn't yet won his first Grammy. His last two nominations were for best rap performance and best rap song in 2011.
He lost to Kanye West in both categories.
Sia has nine nominations but hasn't scored a win.
Sia's had nine nominations since 2012, but the singer-songwriter, record producer, and music video director has yet to win a Grammy.
She lost her 2017 nomination for best song written for visual media to Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Blake Shelton has been nominated eight times.
The country singer and judge on "The Voice" has been nominated eight times, but Blake Shelton has no Grammy wins. He most recently lost at the 62nd annuals awards.
Tupac earned six nominations including one after his death.
With six nominations, including one after his death, Tupac Shakur never won a Grammy. He lost his first nominations in 1995 to Coolio and Naughty by Nature and lost his posthumous nomination to Eminem.
It took ABBA nearly 50 years to snag their first Grammy nomination.
After nearly 50 years of making music, Swedish pop group ABBA landed their first Grammy nomination for their comeback record "I Still Have Faith In You."
The band lost to Silk Sonic's "Leave the Door Open."
Although the group has never won a Grammy, their hit song "Dancing Queen" was inducted into the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.
The band also earned four more nominations for their 2021 album "Voyage."
Queen has had four nominations but no wins.
Surprisingly, the band Queen received only four Grammy nominations and never had a win.
Even though their last nomination was in 1980, artists like Panic! At the Disco and the 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody" are helping to keep their iconic music alive by introducing Queen's music to younger generations around the world.
The Beach Boys have received a lifetime achievement award but no Grammy.
Another legendary band with only four nominations and zero Grammy wins is the Beach Boys.
They received three nominations in 1966 for their hit "Good Vibrations" and their last nod came in 1988 for "Kokomo."
Although they haven't received a Grammy, The Beach Boys earned a lifetime achievement award in 2001.
Sammy Davis Jr. has a lifetime achievement award but no Grammy.
Famous for his Las Vegas shows and for being a part of the infamous Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr. received three nominations but had no Grammy wins during his lifetime.
He died in 1990, but he earned a lifetime achievement award in 2001.
Jennifer Lopez has recieved two Grammy nominations over the years, but she's yet to win.
Jennifer Lopez racked up back-to-back nominations for best dance recording in 2000 and 2001.
But she lost to Cher's "Believe" and Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out."
Dean Martin has a lifetime achievement award but no Grammy.
Dean Martin, another Rat Pack crooner, only received one Grammy nomination.
He was nominated for his album "Everybody Loves Somebody" in 1964, but lost to Louis Armstrong.
Although Martin died in 1995, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2009.
Morrissey has one Grammy nomination but hasn't won yet.
It's hard to believe that the former Smiths front man who's released over 10 albums has only been nominated for one Grammy.
Morrissey lost out in his 1992 best alternative music album nomination to Tom Waits.
Run-D.M.C. scored a lifetime achievement award but the group never won a Grammy.
It's inconceivable that iconic hip-hop artists Run-D.M.C. have been nominated for just one Grammy.
In 1986 they lost out to Prince for best R&B performance by a duo or group — the hip-hop category wasn't added until 1989.
They finally received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2016.
Jimi Hendrix doesn't have a Grammy, but he does have a lifetime achievement award.
His only nomination was in 1970 for his rendition of "Star Spangled Banner," but sadly Jimi Hendrix died that same year without winning the Grammy.
In 1992, the Recording Academy gave Hendrix a lifetime achievement award.
This story was originally published in March 2018 and most recently updated on January 30, 2024.
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