Why Some Top Artists Still Have Zero Grammys (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Is this the reason your favourite artist hasn't bagged a Grammy? Some of music's biggest names, Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, Snoop Dogg, have never won. Even these legends have never scooped a competitive Grammy. What's going on? So before we blame the Grammys for throwing out snubs, there's a few things to know. Artists or their recording labels have to actually submit the music and make sure it meets certain eligibility requirements. If they don't submit, it simply won't be considered for a nomination. Frank Ocean's Blonde is a classic example. It was regarded as one of the best albums of 2016, but he chose not to submit, partly as a protest against the Academy's voting system. Who are the voters? Well, it used to be small secret committees of about 15 to 30 insiders. But in 2021, those were scrapped after allegations of favouritism, rigging, and racism. This year, about 15,000 people are eligible to vote, including musicians, producers, lyricists, and even those who write album line and notes. The Academy said this shift made the process more transparent and put power back into the hands of its entire voting membership body. It's also previously called claims of rigging categorically false, has brought in new reforms, and publicly acknowledged its need to improve and evolve.