The Weeknd has accused the Grammys of being corrupt, after failing to receive any nominations for the 2021 awards.
The Canadian star had been expected to perform strongly, thanks to his number one album After Hours and the hit single Blinding Lights.
“The Grammys remain corrupt,” he wrote on Twitter. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”
The Grammys said they “empathised” with his disappointment but that some “deserving” acts missed out every year.
After Hours is the biggest-selling album of the year so far in the US, while Blinding Lights is the longest-running top 10 hit in US chart history.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, recently won major prizes at the MTV VMAs and the American Music Awards, and will perform at the Super Bowl half-time show next February.
Several US media reports suggested he was locked out of the Grammys after weeks of discussions over a possible appearance at next January’s ceremony.
“There was an ultimatum given, resulting in a struggle over him also playing the Super Bowl, that went on for some time,” an unnamed source told Rolling Stone magazine. “[It] was eventually agreed upon that he would perform at both events.”
The head of the Recording Academy, which organises the awards, dismissed any suggestion that the star’s award nominations had been cancelled as a result of these negotiations.
“We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling,” said Harvey Mason Jr.
“Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.”
Several artists sided with The Weeknd, including Sir Elton John, who wrote on Instagram: “In my humble opinion, Blinding Lights [is] song of the year.”
The musician, whose 1970 classic Your Song is sampled on After Hours, tagged his post #GrammySnub.
“Abel was robbed,” agreed rapper Kid Cudi, while R&B singer Tinashe simply responded to the nominations with a series of dustbin emojis.
Source: Graphic Showbiz
