The Weeknd Slams Grammys For Remaining ‘Corrupt’
You better save your tears, Grammys!
The Weeknd stayed rock-solid in his response to the recent change in Grammy Award’s rules as he confirmed on Monday that he still would not be submitting in the nearest future.
The Canadian singer reaffirmed his position after the Recording Academy announced on Friday that it got rid of the secret committees who have been blamed for shutting the singer out of this year’s nominations.
We made significant changes to our GRAMMY Awards process that reflect our ongoing commitment to evolve with the musical landscape and to ensure that the #GRAMMYs rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable.
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) April 30, 2021
More details. ⬇️https://t.co/I8xM2wbjNT
“The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag,” he told Variety and added he will not submit his work for the Awards in the foreseeable future.
“I think the industry and public alike need to see the transparent system truly at play for the win to be celebrated, but it’s an important start,” he continued. “I remain uninterested in being a part of the Grammys, especially with their own admission of corruption for all these decades. I will not be submitting in the future.”
Despite the huge success of his album 'After Hours', including the most-streamed single of the year 'Blinding Lights', the ‘Starboy’ singer could not make it to 63rd Grammy Awards nominations, surprisingly. His manager, Wassim Slaiby, also shared his shock over the situation and praised the artist for ‘standing up for what he believes in’.
“I was in a shock when all this happened but now, I see it clearly, and I’m glad we stood for our beliefs,” said Slaiby.
In reaction to the Weeknd’s and Slaiby’s statements, Harvey Mason Jr. also commented on the exaggerated situation. The Recording Academy’s chairman and interim chief executive spoke to Los Angeles Times on Sunday and stressed the Grammy Awards team closely reviewed the nominations to make sure all the records got ‘the fairest of fair shakes’. He described the process as ‘long’ and ‘arduous’, aiming to ‘find excellence’. When asking about the elimination of the secret committees, Mason pointed out the changes had been in the works for the past few months before the Weeknd’s snub and so they weren’t directly related to him.
The singer later explained his decision as ‘an important start’ and said there are more important issues for the music industry to be worried about.
“I care about making music that people love and helping where I can,” the Weeknd said. “Right now, my concern is what’s happening in my home country of Ethiopia and encourage people to be aware of what is happening and donate where they can.”
I am extremely pleased to announce a generous donation from @TheWeeknd for our work in #Tigray #Ethiopia. His $1 million-dollar gift provides immediate lifesaving food for those who urgently need it and sends an important message about the importance of giving back. Many thanks. https://t.co/QEUsAUglwE
— Barron Segar (@WFPUSA_CEO) April 4, 2021
Next Up, Machine Gun Kelly Earns First Number One On The Billboard 200
Connect with Facebook