The last award ceremony Grammy awards left Jay-Z’s controversial words in the air in which, despite being recognized as one of the great gurus of American music, he complained bitterly about the volatility and capriciousness of some decisions of the members who choose the awards . What we usually know as “The Curse of the Grammys” and that for many mortals is beginning to be something more than a black hand.
And the example is very close. At home, specifically. Because the woman with whom she shares her life and has created a spectacular family, Beyoncé to be exact, has not won the Best Album of the Year award on any occasion until 2024. The top winner in awards has not yet been able to place on the shelves of her home the main award given to an album..
“I don’t want to embarrass this young woman (Beyoncé), but she has more Grammys than anyone and she’s never won Album of the Year. So even by her own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that, the most Grammys and she’s never won Album of the Year, that doesn’t work. Many of you will go home tonight and feel like you were robbed, some may have been robbed, some don’t deserve the nomination. When I’m nervous, I tell the truth,” Jay said in front of millions of people. -Z.
What the rapper came to put on the table are several social and racial factors that for years have penalized artists from the black community for being associated with genres such as RNB, rap, hip-hop… A kind of brake imposed on those artists who have been recognized in those categories but not beyond.
Digging and investigating a little more into “The Curse of the Grammys” for these reasons the list of artists is as huge as it is brilliant: Busta Rhymes, Tupac, Brian McKnight, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Sammy Davis Jr., Nas, Run DMC, Jimmy Hendrix or Diana Ross, among many others. Pure history of music on American soil, although to be fair we have to say that Run DMC and Diana Ross were recognized with recognition for their entire career.
The “cursed bands” of the Grammys
Special chapter in this report about big names in the music industry who have never won a gramophone, deserve those who have come to be called the “cursed bands” of the Grammy Awards. Names whose fame and identity marked a before and after in the future of their respective genres but who never saw their names recognized in the great festival of American music.
TO Abba It took him more than 50 years of experience and professional career to be recognized by the industry, not just with an award. Until the 21st century, the Swedish quartet had never been nominated. There have been many theories that indicate that part of the responsibility for this could have been their record label (remember that it is the artists themselves and the labels themselves who present their ‘candidates’, human beings or records, so that they can be valued by the judge).
However, five decades are many decades to have had special recognition for the group that marked a before and after in electronic music and pop of the 70s and 80s. If even in the 21st century artists like Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga…they keep sampling their sounds!
The curious thing about the matter is that once Abba was finally nominated with his albums I still have faith in you and Voyage They also failed to win the Grammy Award. And I think we can all agree that his contemporary albums may have less punch than that of another contemporary artist but Waterloo, Abba, Arrival, The Album…they didn’t have them either.
A case that is not identical but very similar is that of What in. The band led by Freddie Mercury He never won a gramophone. And on this occasion it cannot be said that hits like Bohemian Rhapsody or Another one bites the dust were not nominated. They were and surprisingly they lost. In 1977 she did it against If you leave me now of Chicago and in 1981 against against the wind of Bob Segger and the Silver Bullet Band. Best songs? Debatable to say the least.
And as always happens in these cases, the easy thing was to reward a posteriori with recognition for an entire career. 2018 was the year chosen for Grammy recognition for their entire career when, unfortunately, only half of the British band was able to enjoy it.
Those are two of the great examples but there are many more examples of groups that never won this award. The Beach Boys, Rush, The Doors, The Who, Guns N Roses, The Ramones, The Grateful Dead, Journey…
Other stars without Grammy (and the ‘damned’ Spanish artist)
In the gigantic list of artists who never managed to win a Grammy Award throughout their long careers, we find authentic music legends such as Morrisey, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly… but also current stars who have conquered sales charts around the world such as Sia, Katy Perry, Bjork, Jennifer Lopez…There are few who understand that luck has permanently eluded all of these great artists.
And until a few weeks ago it also appeared Miley Cyrus who finally broke the curse after more than a decade of intense work in which he shook the foundations of the pop industry.
And in the aspect that affects us most, that of our artists, we also find a harsh example that we hope will soon change. Because Pablo Alborán is our particular ‘cursed artist’ at the Grammy Awards. The man from Malaga has competed three times for the award in the category of Best Latin Pop Album with Terral, Prometo and The Fourth Leaf. In none of the 3 cases did he win.
There will be those who think that it is pure statistics and that 3 attempts are not too many, but if we take into account that the soloist has been nominated in 29 times in the Latin version of these awards and has never won it things change. Few performers in the world can say that they have won 32 awards between the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards and have never won. I’m sure Pablo has thought of Jay Z’s phrase more than once…
