The Weeknd has announced that he will boycott the Grammys in the future and will refuse to attend or submit his work for examination from now on. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he said in a statement to the New York Times.
Canadian singer’s most recent album, After Hours, was one of the biggest albums of 2020 and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart when it was released in March. It was widely considered the biggest nudge of the year when the Grammy nominations for 2021 were announced in November. After the nominations became known, the Weeknd tweeted: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency … “
Harvey Mason Jr., Chairman and Interim President / CEO of the Recording Academy, said in November, “You know, it really only comes down to the electoral board that makes the decisions.” In response to the Weeknd’s new statement, Mason told The Times, “We are all disappointed when someone is upset…. But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in previous years, we will be deeply focused on improving our award process, including the nomination review committees. “
The Weeknd now belongs to artists like Drake and Frank Ocean, who previously criticized and boycotted the award ceremony. Ocean specifically declined to submit Blonde and Endless in the year they were eligible.
Pitchfork has contacted Weeknd and Recording Academy representatives for comments and additional information.
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