The Weeknd Says He Will Boycott The Grammys Going Forward

The Weeknd announced that he would continue to boycott the Grammy Awards after slamming them for a lack of transparency when picking nominees.

“Because of the secret committees,” the Weeknd told The New York Times. “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

The secret committees are the obscure and anonymous nomination committees that review nominees chosen by the Recording Academy’s membership.

Frank Ocean took similar action to The Weeknd by opting to not submit his music for nomination consideration.

In November, The Weeknd noted his lack of nominations for his album After Hours, even though the album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. He tweeted, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”

The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…

— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020

“We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated,” Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy Chief, said in a statement at the time of the nominations being released. “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.”

The Weeknd is not the only artist to criticize the Grammys for their lack of transparency this year and in the past. Nicki Minaj, Drake, Halsey and Elton John all commented similar sentiments about the Grammy nominations process. 

The Grammys have been criticized in the past for having a bias against black artists and women specifically.

The Recording Academy said they have taken steps in the past year to diversify its membership, including bringing in 2,000 new members.

“The changes have been transformative,” Mason told The New York Times.

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards air Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS.