
Jazmine Sullivan and SZA have learned to keep their expectations in check when they go to the Grammy Awards. Sullivan has been nominated 15 times without a win; SZA is just a beat behind with 14 nods without a win. Will this be the year that one or both artists finally goes home with a shiny golden gramophone?
Each artist has multiple chances to win on Jan. 31, 2022, when the 64th annual Grammy Awards are presented at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Sullivan has three nominations this year; SZA has five.
And they aren’t the only ones who are overdue for a win. Mastering engineer Chris Gehringer, nominated for both record and album of the year for his work with Lil Nas X, has amassed 17 nominations without a win. That puts him high on the list of Grammy bridesmaids, along with classical conductor Zubin Mehta, who has tallied 18 nods without a win; classical conductor Valery Gergiev, who has notched 17 nods without a win; and R&B star Brian McKnight, who has also gathered 17 nods without a win.
A fellow mastering engineer, Dave Kutch, has amassed 14 nominations without a win. Kutch is nominated for both record and album of the year for his work with Billie Eilish.
This year’s nominations leader, Jon Batiste, also has yet to win. Batiste has 14 career nominations, counting this year’s 11 nods. Producer/songwriter Benny Blanco, country singer Brandy Clark and contemporary Christian artist Tauren Wells are also in double digits in terms of nominations without a win.
Here are 18 artists and other recording pros who are vying for their first Grammy wins this year. Each name is followed by two numbers – that person’s number of career Grammy nominations to date, and their number of nods this year. Vote below: Which of these Grammy bridesmaids do you hope finally wins next month?