There will be no more Grammys for The Weeknd.
The “Heartless” singer explained through a statement to The New York Times, “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”
For the information of everybody the Grammys are chosen by the Recording Academy which is composed of music professionals who vote on those who are worthy and most deserving of the nomination or award. According to The New York Times, there are anonymous expert committees in charge of reviewing the nominations and decide who’ll be nominated. Many in the music industry are sceptical regarding the procedure including former One Direction star, Zayn Malik. It seems that the award-giving body fails to honor artists of color properly.
The Weeknd’s statement came after his album After Hours was snubbed despite the fact that “Blinding Lights” from the said album topped the Billboard Hot 100 of 2020. Further, it holds the record of being the only song to spend a year in the top 10 list of the Hot 100. Not only that but he also performed at the 55th Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Recording Academy’s interim chief executive, Harvey Mason Jr., responded to the singer’s statement, “We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset. But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees.”
The Weeknd took to Twitter in November last year to express his thought regarding to the nominations. He wrote, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
He isn’t the only who’s disappointed with the Grammys. Zayn Malik shares his sentiments after his new album, Nobody is Listenting, also didn’t receive nominations. He took to Twitter on March 9 saying, “F–k the grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”
He followed it up with a comment stating, “My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and networking [sic] politics to influence the voting process.”
