If you missed the Grammy nominations last night, you may be wondering why everybody is criticizing the list of nominees, on which The Weeknd is not present. Lots of fans and followers failed to see justice in the awards, and the musician himself publicly voiced his frustrations with the Recording Academy following the news that After Hours received zero nominations for the 2021 event.
“The Grammys remain corrupt,” The Weeknd wrote on Twitter. “You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency…”
The XO Records head’s brief statement arrives after Recording Academy interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “explained” why After Hours went home with no nods. “Y’know, it really just comes down to the voting body that decides,” Mason Jr. said in an interview. “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. It’s really interesting, though.”
The committee listens to all the music, as the Recording Academy chief explained, but reminds everyone that the committee is not allowed to vote on a project that’s not included in the top 20 (voted by the general voting field). Mason Jr. then declined to reveal if The Weeknd made the shortlist.