The Weeknd has declared he will boycott the Grammys going forward, and will not allow his label to submit his music for awards consideration.
This news comes after the Canadian singer’s absence from this year’s nominations. The nominations for this year’s awards were announced back in November, with Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Beyoncé leading the list.
The Weeknd, who released his latest album ‘After Hours’ in 2020, was not nominated. In response, the musician – real name Abel Tesfaye – tweeted that the Grammys “remain corrupt”, and said its organisers “owe me, my fans and the industry transparency”.
Now, in a statement to the New York Times, Tesfaye said he will no longer permit his label to submit his music for consideration in eligible Grammys categories. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he commented.
In response to Tesfaye’s statement, the Recording Academy’s interim chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. told the Times, “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’s accusation that the Grammys “remain corrupt” set off a media storm, with several artists – including Elton John and Mabel – weighing in on the awards show and some expressing support for Tesfaye.
Drake chimed in on Instagram, saying he thinks “we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards”.
“The other day I said The Weeknd was a lock for either album or song of the year along with countless other reasonable assumptions and it just never goes that way.”
Earlier this week, the Weeknd’s ‘After Hours’ hit ‘Blinding Lights’ became the first song to ever spend an entire year in the Top 10 of the US Hot 100 singles chart. In the latest Hot 100 chart, published on March 9, ‘Blinding Lights’ appeared in the top 10 for its 52nd consecutive week.
Last month, US network Showtime confirmed that a documentary about the singer’s recent Super Bowl half-time performance was in the works.
The Grammys take place this Sunday (March 15), with the likes of BTS, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion slated to perform. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak will also debut their new band Silk Sonic at the ceremony.
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