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 more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine number ones in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", rewritten in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time. According to Billboard ...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 I still feel like he would've 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 case of the Grammy's 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. She is best known for writing personal songs and for having won 11 Grammys. She became interested in country music when she was around 9 years old, and after watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt that she should go to Nashville to begin a country music career. She then signed a contract with RCA Records and began to write songs. Although she is one of course one of my favorite music artists her self titled album isn't exactly a significant reason why. I would say Amy Winehouse deserved winning that year.
Linkin Park is an American rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The members currently include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ) and Rob Bourdon (drums). Linkin Park are associated with a mixture of Alternative Rock, Hip Hop and Techno. Some of their influences include Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, The Roots and Aphex Twin. ...read more. Lost to Alicia Keys in 2002.
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. Lost to Amy Winehouse in 2008.
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 some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more. They were nominated in 1970 but lost to Crosby, Stills & Nash.
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. Lost to Norah Jones in 2003.
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've 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 influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more. Lost to Sheryl Crow in 1995.
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 I still think other nominees including Florence and the Machine deserved it more.
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American alternative rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Lost to Hootie & The Blowfish in 1996. Even though Hootie's smash success in the mid-90s was undeniable, they were quickly forgotten while Alanis Morissette became known as the Queen of Alt-Rock Angst. Either her or Shania Twain would've deserved the award more.
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton.
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.
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 Entertainment (TDE). Macklemore & 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 it, Kendrick got robbed this year and he wasn't wrong because Macklemore's success sharply declined while Kendrick became one of the greatest rappers of his generation.
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 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. Lost to Norah Jones in 2003.
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 Toni Braxton in 1994.
Lost to Paula Cole in 1998. Fiona Apple would've 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. Lost to Sheryl Crow in 1995.
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've 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.