The Weeknd has had an undeniably impressive year since releasing his most recent album After Hours. He even set a new Billboard chart record this week when his single “Blinding Lights'' became the first song to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Despite his undeniable success, the singer received zero Grammy nominations, and yesterday, The Weeknd revealed his intention to boycott the Recording Academy in 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,” he shared.
Another one of The Weeknd's 2020 successes was performing the Superbowl Halftime show, an event that some believed contributed to the Grammy snub. Those who believe that it was deliberate retaliation allege that the Recording Academy made the decision thinking that the performance would take away from his Grammy appearance in the same year.
The Recording Academy’s interim president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. also spoke to the New York Times. “We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset,” he shared. “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.”
This is only the most recent in a laundry list of complaints about corruption within the Recording Academy. We've seen many changes surrounding the operation Grammys in the past few years, and there are clearly many more to come.
