The Weeknd has attacked The Recording Academy over his shocking Grammy Awards snub, calling the members of the Recording Academy “corrupt”.
The “Blinding Lights” singer was completely shut out of the 2021 awards when the nominations were announced on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and many music experts agree that he was robbed.
The Weeknd (pictured in 2017) shared his outrage on social media, tweeting: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
Meanwhile, Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason, Jr. defended the Grammy voting process in an interview with Variety, insisting there’s nothing twisted or sinister about the The Weeknd’s snub – he was just unfortunate not to make the cut.
“It really just comes down to the voting body that decides,” he says. “We have eight nomination slots to fill (in the ‘Big Four’ categories: Best Album, Song, Record and New Artist), five in others, and the voters vote for their favorites.”
Mason explained the voting process that awards nominations to mediocre artists over established superstars such as The Weeknd.
“We look at it every year and make tweaks and revisions to the process; we did it this year, last year, we’ll do it next year. And I don’t think this calls it into question, honestly. The process is there so we can continue to monitor excellence…”
Mason (pictured in 2016) said the voters chose acts such as Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion over The Weeknd because they were “more deserving.”
“(The voters) are music professionals – they are excellent, at the top of their craft in songwriting and producing, and there are a lot of artists. They were critically listening to every song that came across their desks – or virtual desks – so I don’t think it 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’re saying, ‘I really made it through a strenuous and thoughtful process’, to get to who are really the deserving nominees for that given year. All the records get the fairest of fair shakes.”
Question: Do you agree that nominated acts such as Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch and Jhene Aiko are more deserving than The Weeknd – or are the Grammys just a popularity contest?
