Grammy Awards are the favorite night for every music enthusiast, as people still get excited over the nominations and the winners. However, the sad truth is that many great artists still don't have a Grammy under their belt. Even sadder reality is that they were nominated multiple times, and someone who didn't deserve the award got it instead of them! We've made a list of top ten times when Grammy snubs of the 10s were so obvious that the whole world got angry!
10. Frank Ocean losing the Best New Artist (2013) to Fun.
"Some Nights" is the best record by Fun. but Frank Ocean went way beyond them
Fun. is a band that had its brilliant moment, shining brighter than the most beloved alternative groups. When they released the album "Some Nights," including the smash hit "We Are Young," they owned the world. Grammys loved them too, and they won the Best New Artist award. Shortly after it, they disappeared, becoming a sort of a one-hit-wonder.
Meanwhile, Frank Ocean kept working on his career, with his debut album "Channel Orange" being perfectly unique. From his first record, it was obvious he would stay and lead a new wave that's pretty much in avant-garde style. But we guess the "Best New Artist curse" actually existed (until Billie Eilish ended it in 2020!)
9. Macklemore Winning Over Kendrick Lamar as the Best New Artist (2014)
We must confess Macklemore, and Ryan Lewis, owned the world in 2013 with this track
Macklemore was a huge favorite of the Recording Academy in 2014, sweeping many categories, not leaving anything to the other rappers! His album "The Heist" was the Best Rap Album, while the single "Thrift Shop" took home the Best Rap Song award. However, shortly after, people got angry for the Academy snubbing Kendrick Lamar.
The funniest part about Kendrick Lamar's snub at the Grammys is that Macklemore himself texted Lamar to apologize for his win! "You got robbed; I wanted you to win," wrote Macklemore as a humble colleague. We guess he's right, though, since Kendrick went way beyond!
8. Arcade Fire Winning Over Lady Gaga in the Category Album of the Year (2011)
How creepy it gets in Gaga's music videos? In this era, she hit her peak!
"The Fame Monster" is sort of Lady Gaga's career manifesto, and that's the album that portrayed her iconic, avant-garde figure. Still, it's so odd that Arcade Fire won in the most crucial Album of the Year category, over Lady Gaga's best work up to date.
The album's massive hit "Bad Romance" had more luck since it got two Grammys, including the Best Short Form Music Video. It's one of the most strange music videos ever made indeed, but where's the Grammy for "The Fame Monster" as a whole record? Little Monsters will never get over this!
7. "Love the Way You Lie" Had Five Nominations… And Zero Grammys (2011)
Not many people know that this song didn't get the biggest music award in the world
Rihanna and Eminem have not one but two immense hits, "The Monster" and "Love the Way You Lie." The younger one, "The Monster," got its Grammy in 2015 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Despite being a huge hit with a story that touched millions of hearts, "Love the Way You Lie" didn't get a Grammy!
"Love the Way You Lie" was indeed nominated for two major categories, Record and Song of the Year, but "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum took both awards home! Did "Need You Now" deserve both? Or did Eminem and Rihanna win the hearts of everyone instead?
6. "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande Not Being the Best Pop Solo Performance (2017)
Grande looked and sounded unbelievably gorgeous in this era
Did anyone ever forget the vocals she delivered every time she performed this sultry and empowering R&B track? The fact that this song didn't get a single Grammy is a bitter pill to swallow since it's her best performance ever, without any doubt.
2017 Grammys were that year when Adele swept all the categories and stole the show, and we completely agree with her winning all the major ones. No one did it like her that year (although Beyoncé's "Lemonade" was close to that, honestly). However, we believe this category should've been reserved for Grande's lavish vocal range in a song that is timeless.
5. Beyoncé's "Beyoncé" not Being the Album of the Year (2015)
"Drunk in Love" won the Best R&B Performance
It's not like Beyoncé lacks Grammys and appreciation from the whole world – she is considered one of the greatest, and she's constantly raising the bar. However, it wasn't fair that her highly-acclaimed, self-titled album didn't win Album of the Year in 2015, especially because the other albums were not even close to "Beyoncé!"
Even though "Drunk in Love" won separately, this album deserved an award because its hits are timeless, and the critics were obsessed with it. With an average score of 85, "Beyoncé" owned both the critics and the charts. "Pretty Hurts" told us the truth, "XO" made us happy and joyful… What else does it need for a Grammy?
4. "Reputation" by Taylor Swift not Winning the Best Pop Vocal Album (2019)
"Look What You Made Me Do" music video was a cultural reset
2019 was kind of odd when it comes to the major category Album of the Year since it excluded some of the biggest albums released at that time. However, the category Best Pop Vocal Album had the real dominant pop releases, with "Sweetener" by Ariana Grande taking the prize. "Sweetener" is not Grande's worst release, but definitely not her best, with "thank u, next" still holding the record with its Metacritic score. The irony is that "thank u, next" never got a Grammy!
Moreover, an even bigger absurdity is that Taylor Swift got only this nomination for her grand release of "Reputation," one of her most mature and quality albums ever. And she didn't even win! "Reputation," with its sonically cohesive sound, powerful messages, and one of the greatest pop world tours of all time, deserved a Grammy.
3. Bruno Mars Sweeping the Categories Album and Record of the Year (2018)
"Melodrama" is Lorde's best work, and "Perfect Places" is a song that never ages
"24K Magic" was evidently so magical that it put a spell on the jury and swept the two major categories, together with some other less important awards. The extremely catchy album made Bruno Mars one of the most prominent artists again. Still, we can't overlook the other songs and albums nominated at that time.
No one would get mad if "Humble." by Kendrick Lamar took the Record of the Year home, or even Childish Gambino. Moreover, should we even mention the importance of "Despacito" for the music industry? Snubbing this non-English smash was a huge mistake, just like snubbing Lorde's "Melodrama" and Lamar's "Damn" was criminally wrong!
2. Ed Sheeran Winning the Best Pop Solo Performance for "Shape of You" (2018)
Chills you feel all over your body when you hear this song are priceless
Don't get us wrong, Ed Sheeran has numerous Grammys, and many of them are deserved. Nonetheless, the one he got for his smash hit "Shape of You" was one of the greatest snubs of all time! The problem doesn't lie in this song's popularity since it's completely understandable that it owned the charts.
However, the real problem is that "Praying" by Kesha was nominated in the same category. Kesha opened up her heart to the fullest and put her whole energy and effort into "Praying," making it one of the most breathtaking ballads of the 10s. Sincerity and the power vocals had to win that time, to say the least!
1. "Red" by Taylor Swift not Getting the Album of the Year Award (2014)
Swift embodied art, emotions, and quality in this track only, and we shouldn't even mention the whole album
…Or "Red" not getting any Grammys. For years now, "Red deserved a Grammy" is the most mentioned sentence in the Swiftie fandom, and, to be honest, it's a popular opinion now. "Red" is Swift's magnum opus, with some of her most quality records of all time. Pouring your heart into songs like this is something that deserves all the awards of this world!
Unfortunately, the album that won that night instead was Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories." Daft Punk winning with the single "Get Lucky" is a good choice, but choosing this album over "All Too Well," an emotional rollercoaster like that, is a crime no one will forget.
Of course, there'll always be people who'll say that Grammys never snub artists and that the winners really deserved what they took home. Nevertheless, we believe the audience was right when they protested against these decisions on our top ten list. Sometimes it's about the quality and not the personal taste!
In your opinion, what's the worst Grammy snub we mentioned? Is there any other moment you will always be angry for?
Photo: YouTube Screenshot