The Weeknd says his three Grammy awards “mean nothing” to him now

He became famous for calling the Grammys ‘corrupt’ after learning that his critically acclaimed album, After Hours, had been scorned in all categories at the 2021 ceremony.

And The Weeknd recently stated that his previous victories mean nothing to [him]’while he spoke openly about his Grammy complaint in an interview with Billboard.

‘Look, I personally don’t care anymore. I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously, ‘began the 30-year-old singer and songwriter.

The Weeknd, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, first appeared on the 2016 Grammy Awards stage when he received the gong for Best Contemporary Urban Album for Beauty Behind The Madness, as well as the Best R&B Performance Award for Earned It.

After the successful release of his third studio album Starboy, he won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Urban Album for the second time during the 2017 ceremony.

In her discussion with Billboard, The Weeknd wanted to clarify that her Instagram post calling the Grammys was not a tantrum, but more of a cry for justice.

‘It’s not like,’ Oh, I want the Grammy! ”, He said. “It just happened, and I’m willing to stand in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again.

‘I suck at making speeches anyway. Forget the award shows. ‘

Reflecting on the months leading up to his now infamous contempt, The Weeknd insisted that he and his team ‘did everything right’ and that the critical and public reaction to After Hours suggested that he would be an obvious Grammy winner.

“We did everything right, I think. I am not an arrogant person. I’m not arrogant, ‘singer Starboy insisted.

“People told me that I would be nominated. The world told me. Like, “That’s it; this is your year.” We were all very confused. ‘

Weeknd used Instagram on the day of the 2021 Grammy nominations to claim that the Grammy is a ‘corrupt’ awards program, while encouraging them to be transparent with their nominees, honors and the public.

‘You owe me, my fans and the transparency of the industry …’ wrote the star, who shared the post with his 28.2 million followers on November 24.

Weeknd’s very public criticism also came amid reports that contentious negotiations with Grammy organizers may have excluded him from nominations.

The Toronto star was involved in negotiations over whether he could play in the next Super Bowl, sources told TMZ at the time.

Grammy organizers demanded that he stop taking the stage at the Super Bowl LV, before giving in and deciding he could do both.

Insiders said the artist’s team Can’t Feel My Face suspected that the lack of nominations was a response to the nasty comings and goings on whether he was going to perform at the Super Bowl.

The artist released the After Hours album in March, with strong sales and reviews, and won the Favorite Album – Soul / R & B honors at the American Music Awards last Sunday.

Harvey Mason, acting head of the Recording Academy, jr. responded to the singer’s public complaints in a statement to Rolling Stone.

“We understand that Weeknd is disappointed that he was not nominated,” he said. ‘I was surprised and I can empathize with what he is feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and the world at large are worthy of everyone’s admiration. ‘

Mason continued: ‘We would love to have you on the Grammy stage the weekend before’ the Super Bowl too.]Unfortunately, each year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists.

‘To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance 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. ‘

Asked by Variety about the weekend being excluded, Mason said on Tuesday: ‘In fact, it all depends on the voting body that decides.

‘We have eight appointment slots to fill [the Big Four categories: Best Album, Song, Record and New Artist], five in others, and voters vote for their favorites. It is very interesting, however. ‘

Mason opened up about the process that Grammy officials use to find out which artists are nominated and in which categories.

“We analyze every year and make adjustments and revisions in the process; we did this year, last year, we will do it next year. And I don’t think that calls it into question, honestly, ‘said Mason. ‘The process exists so that we can continue to monitor excellence.’

Mason said he oversaw the process and “the people in it are music professionals – they are excellent, they are at the height of their craft in composition and production, and there are a lot of artists.”

He continued: ‘They were listening critically to all the music that passed their desks – or virtual desks – so I don’t think that shows a flaw in the process.

‘I think it’s actually … as you get a nomination, you start to really appreciate the process, where you say,’ I really went through a hard and careful process’, to get to who are the nominees for that one given year. ‘

The Weeknd had already taken home the Best Contemporary Urban Album for Starboy in 2018.