Nominations Snub: The Weeknd Calls Grammys ‘Corrupt’
The Weeknd, a Canadian singer and songwriter, has accused the Grammys of being “corrupt” after he wasn’t nominated in any of the award’s categories.
The Grammys, a recording academy which recognizes achievements in the music industry, had announced its nominations for the 63rd annual awards scheduled to hold in 2021, with the likes of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch, and Brittany Howard emerging as top nominees.
The decision by the academy not to nominate the singer, despite the success recorded from ‘After Hours’, his fourth studio album; and ‘Blinding Lights‘, his hit single, had left many surprised.
The 30-year-old singer, however, took to his Twitter page on Wednesday to express his disappointment at the recording academy for not “being transparent”.
“The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, reacting to The Weeknd’s allegation, Harvey Mason, chairman of the recording academy, dismissed claims that the singer’s nomination was cancelled over previous negotiations with respect to his performance at the 2021 Grammys.
“We understand that the Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration,” he told Rolling stone.
“We would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before [the Super Bowl]. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.
“All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”
The Weeknd was one of the biggest winners at the 2020 American Music Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 22.