Best Acts Nominated for the "Best New Artist" Grammy Award that Didn't Win
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, pianist and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has... read more He was nominated in 1971 but lost to The Carpenters. By then, he had scored a hit with "Your Song," which became his first of many classics. I don't know The Carpenters very well but still feel like he would have deserved it more than them.
Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He sang songs such as The A team and Shape of You. He was born in Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk. One of the many cases of the Grammys deciding someone is a new artist years after they first release music commercially and gain some following.
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Swift is best known for writing personal songs and has won 13 Grammy Awards... read more Although she is one of my favorite music artists, her self-titled album isn't exactly a significant reason why. I would say Amy Winehouse deserved to win that year.
Linkin Park is an American alternative rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The current members include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ), Emily Armstrong (vocals), and Colin Brittain (drums). Linkin... read more
Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted... read more They were nominated in 1970 but lost to Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro.
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian–French singer-songwriter and actress. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $2 million.
Eurythmics were a British music duo consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart. Stewart and Lennox were both previously in the band The Tourists, who split up in 1980; Eurythmics were formed that year in London. They lost to Culture Club in 1984. Although both groups were becoming household names, I still feel like Eurythmics would have deserved it more since their music was more groundbreaking.
Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their... read more
Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead singer Florence Welch, Isabella Summers, and a collaboration of other artists. Lost to Esperanza Spalding in 2011. I can't really judge because I don't know her music but still think other nominees, including Florence and the Machine, deserved it more.
The Newcomers
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, that formed in 1986. Since 1994, the group has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, bassist and keyboardist Tony Kanal, guitarist and keyboardist Tom Dumont, and drummer Adrian Young.
The Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the new wave scene in the late 1970s. The band originated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976, with singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Ric Ocasek, singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, lead guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer... read more
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg... read more Macklemore and Ryan Lewis infamously stunned Kendrick in 2014, not only for Best New Artist, but also for Best Rap Album and two other categories. As Macklemore stated, Kendrick got robbed that year, and he wasn't wrong. Macklemore's success sharply declined while Kendrick became one of the greatest rappers of his generation.
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American alternative rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Lost to Hootie and The Blowfish in 1996. Even though Hootie's smash success in the mid-90s was undeniable, they were quickly forgotten. Meanwhile, Alanis Morissette became known as the Queen of Alt-Rock Angst, and either she or Shania Twain would have deserved the award more.
Shania Twain is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and among the best-selling music artists of all time. Lost to Hootie & The Blowfish in 1996. Shania Twain was already becoming a superstar at the time, while Hootie & The Blowfish's success sharply declined after the mid-90s.
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. Lost to America in 1973. Considering the legends the Eagles later became, it seems unfair.
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper.
Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential, as well as controversial, artists of the 21st century... read more Lost to Maroon 5 in 2005. In retrospect, Ye deserved it more, although Maroon 5 were still a good band back then.
Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California by two musicians from Mississippi and one from Indiana.
Lost to Paula Cole in 1998. Fiona Apple would have deserved it way more considering her precocious talent and her subsequent artistic evolution.
Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation". Lost to Esperanza Spalding in 2011.
Counting Crows is an American rock band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1991. The band consists of Adam Duritz, David Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Dan Vickrey, David Immerglück, Jim Bogios and Millard Powers.
MGMT is an American rock band formed in 2002 by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio.
Foreigner is a British-American arena rock band, originally formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran English musician Mick Jones and fellow Briton and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm. Lost to Debby Boone ("You Light Up My Life") in 1978. Considering Debby was presumably a one-hit wonder, it seems unfair to Foreigner, who have become legends and a rock-radio staple.
Declan Patrick MacManus, better known by his stage name Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, author, television presenter, and occasional actor. Lost to A Taste of Honey in 1979. Either he or Toto would have deserved it way more.
Toto is an American rock band formed in 1977 in Van Nuys in Los Angeles. The band's current lineup consists of Joseph Williams, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, plus touring members Leland Sklar and Shannon Forrest. Lost to A Taste of Honey in 1979, which is unfair because A Taste of Honey are pretty much one-hit wonders while Toto became a household name in the 1980s.