The Weeknd‘s feud with the Grammy Awards took another turn this week when the artist announced that he will boycott the event, a protest which comes after the academy failed to give the 31-year-old recognition despite one of his most successful years.
“I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” the singer said in a statement to The New York Times.
The “Blinding Lights” artist, who received no nominations for After Hours, is one of the many artists bashing the Recording Academy which organizes the event. The list of artists who have called out the Grammys in recent years includes Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Drake. Former One Direction member Zayn Malik blasted the process last week, saying musicians are expected to “shake hands and send gifts” to get nominations. The celebrities are particularly frustrated with the voting system, which they describe as outdated and lacking in transparency, Yahoo Finance reported.
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Under the process, anonymous expert committees make the final say on Grammy nominations after reviewing submissions from thousands of voting members who make up the Recording Academy.
Harvey Mason Jr., the interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said the awards ceremony is “constantly evolving.”
“And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees,” the CEO said.
To improve the process last year, the academy invited more than 2,300 music professionals to join its 2020 new member class. The group’s demographic included 48% female, 21% African American/African descent and 8% Hispanic, as well as 3% Asian American and Pacific Islander.
“We are proud of the strides we’ve made toward ensuring our membership is diverse and inclusive, which is reflected within this new pool of invitees,” Mason Jr. said in a statement last year. “While this progress signifies meaningful impact, there’s still more work to be done. We’ll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community.”
Source: The Weeknd Says He Will No Longer Submit His Music To The Grammys
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