How did Beck beat out Beyonce?

In Sunday night’s biggest surprise, Beck’s downbeat “Morning Phase” nabbed the Grammy for album of the yeareclipsing darling-of-the-moment Sam Smith, who collected four Grammys, and pop queen Beyonce, whose latest, self-titled album was a critical and commercial smash.

The announcement, by presenter Prince, seemed to stun the audience and even Beck himself. Kanye West briefly crashed the stage in what appeared to be mock protest but then said Beck “should’ve given his award to Beyonce.” Beck later said he expected Beyonce to win.

On social media, some younger people were even wondering aloud: Um, who is Beck?

Here’s why the scruffy singer-songwriter’s upset win was so surprising — and why it wasn’t:

Grammys 2015: The winners list

In 2005, they snubbed Kanye West’s “College Dropout” and Green Day’s “American Idiot” and handed album of the year to “Genius Loves Company,” a collection of duets between blues legend Ray Charles and other singers. It was a sentimental choice; Charles had died the previous year.

Three years later, they overlooked Kanye again, awarding the top-album prize to aging jazz-pop pioneer Herbie Hancock over West’s “Graduation” and Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”

So in that context, a Grammy for Beck, 44, over Beyonce, 33, and Smith, 22, isn’t a total shock.

CNN