The Weeknd says he'll boycott Grammys after 2021 nomination snub for Blinding Lights

As the 2021 Grammy night nears, the controversies, too, and this time it involves The Weeknd. The three-time winner has decided to boycott the prestigious award ceremony following the snub his hit single ‘Blinding Lights’ received. The song, which has been in the Top 10 for 52 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, hasn’t been nominated in any category, something that compelled the Canadian pop star to boycott the Grammys. This is not the first time when process and secretive voting for the award show have come under serious scrutiny. The organisers, even in the past, have been accused of bias against Black and female artists. In a statement to The New York Times, the 31-year-old said that he will no longer be allowing his label to submit music to the Grammys. The reason? “Because of the secret committees.” Earlier, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, had tweeted against the Recording Academy, saying, “The Grammys remain corrupt.” In his subsequent tweet, he expressed disappointment, saying he went from planning a Grammys performance to being “not invited.” With his decision to boycott the ceremony and future events, The Weeknd joins the list of Black stars such as Drake, Kanye West and Frank Ocean, who have all had similar views about Grammy Awards in the past. Reacting to The Weeknd’s statement, Harvey Mason Jr, Grammys’ interim president, said that we are all “disappointed” when anyone is “upset.” “But I will say that we are constantly evolving," he told the NYT. He further said this year, as in the past, the organisers will take a hard look at “how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees.” According to a report on Billboard, only 10 Black artists have won the album of the year as lead artists in the last 62 years of ceremony’s history. The Weeknd has previously won three trophies. In 2016, his album Behind the madness won the best urban contemporary album. In the last five years, he first won the R&B performance for ‘Earned It’ and best urban contemporary album for his third album Starboy. Among the top nominees, besides Beyonce and Taylor Swift, are Lipa with six nods, along with Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Coldplay, Haim and Jhené Aiko,  NYT reported.