Weeknd is taking a stand.
The 31-year-old singer-songwriter announced that he plans to boycott the upcoming Grammy Awards after his latest album, “After Hours”, has been completely excluded from this year’s nominations.
“Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my record company to send my music to the Grammy,” the star said in a statement to the New York Times.
Grammys are not run by “secret committees” per se, but according to the Times, committees of anonymous experts review the initial nomination choices made by thousands of voting members.
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“After Hours” was one of the best selling albums of 2020, according to Rolling Stone, and the single “Blinding Lights” was one of the biggest hymns of the year.
The Weeknd announced that it will no longer send songs to the Recording Academy for consideration at the Grammy Awards. (Photo by Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)
Not to mention that he was in talks to perform at the Grammy before the nominations were announced before taking the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show.
In a statement to the Times, Acting Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. replied, “We are all disappointed when someone gets upset. But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in previous years, we are going to take a look at how to improve our award process, including nomination review committees. “
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Representatives of the star and the Academy did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment.
This is not the first time The Weeknd – born Abel Tesfaye – has talked about his lack of notable nominations.
“The Grammy is still corrupt,” he tweeted in November, when the nominations were announced. You owe me, my fans and the transparency of the industry … “
At the time, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber also expressed frustration with the nomination process.
He has won three Grammys: best contemporary urban album for “Starboy” in 2017, and in 2015 he won best R&B performance for the song “Earned It” and best contemporary urban album for “Beauty Behind The Madness”.
He won a total of 10 nominations.
Before his performance in the Super Bowl, the star talked to Billboard and discussed the controversy.
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“If you said, ‘Do you think the Grammys are racist?’ I think the only real answer is that in the past 61 years of the Grammy, only 10 black artists have won the album of the year, “he told the outlet.” I don’t want to do that about myself. That is just a fact. “
He continued, “Look, I personally don’t care anymore. I have three Grammy Awards, which means nothing to me right now, obviously. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want the Grammy!’ It just happened, and I’m ready to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again. I suck at giving speeches anyway. Forget award shows. “
The Weeknd, who recently performed during the Super Bowl halftime show, received no nomination for their hit album ‘After Hours’.
(Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
A few days ago, Zayn Malik, also a pop star for The Weeknd, recently also spoke out against the Recording Academy.
“F — the grammys and all the associates,” Malik wrote in a scathing tweet on Tuesday.
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He then claimed, “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there are no naming considerations.”
“Next year I will send you a basket of pastries,” Malik added with the back of his hand.
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Malik’s latest releases came after the eligibility window closed, so he received no nominations this year.
Andy Sahadeo of Fox News contributed to this report