The Weeknd. Photo by: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic.
After not receiving any nominations at the 2021 Grammys, The Weeknd vowed to boycott the awards by both refusing to make any appearances and not submitting his music for future consideration. In his statement, The Weekend cited what he viewed as "corruption" in the nominating process as well as the "secret committees" who make the final nominee decisions in the majority of Grammy categories.
Following the ensuing backlash, The Recording Academy announced last week they will be making changes to the nomination process for the 2022 Grammy Awards. This includes the removal of the small, anonymous committees of 15-30 music industry "peers" making final decisions about the nominees, opening the decision making to all Academy voting members in most categories.
Despite this, The Weeknd says he will not end his boycott in a statement to the New York Times. “Even though I won’t be submitting my music, the Grammys’ recent admission of corruption will hopefully be a positive move for the future of this plagued award and give the artist community the respect it deserves with a transparent voting process,” he said.
The FADER has reached out to representatives for both The Weeknd and The Recording Academy for comment.
