Pop Icon The Weeknd Accuse Grammy Awards of Corruption Following Nomination List Snub
The Weeknd has reacted after not receiving any nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards which were announced on Tuesday afternoon, November 24th.
The Canadian singer, 30, leveled an accusation of corruption against the Recording Academy after he was snubbed for the 2021 Grammy Awards.
“The Grammys remain corrupt,” he wrote on social media. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
A source close to the situation alleges that the Grammys and The Weeknd’s team were at odds over him playing at the January 31 Grammy ceremony and the Super Bowl halftime show, which occurs a week later.
“There were many conversations between the Grammys and the Weeknd team about his performance slated for the 2021 Grammys,” the source says. “There was an ultimatum given resulting in a struggle over him also playing the Super Bowl that went on for some time and was eventually agreed upon that he would perform at both events… [The Recording Academy] had all these convos with the Weeknd team in the past month, and today on November 24th, the Weeknd had not one nomination and is now completely ignored by the Grammys.”
The source added: “This was the year that they were supposed to rise up. What is the process and where is the transparency?”
“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,” Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. tells Rolling Stone in a statement.
“We would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before [the Super Bowl],” he adds. “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,” Mason Jr says. “All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”
