The Weeknd Is Boycotting the Grammys: “I Will No Longer Allow My Label to Submit My Music”

The Weeknd is done with the Grammys. After getting snubbed by the Recording Academy this year, the 31-year-old singer told The New York Times that he is boycotting future ceremonies ahead of Sunday’s show. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” The Weeknd said in a statement.

Despite the fact that After Hours was one of the biggest albums of 2020 (“Blinding Lights” actually just made Billboard history), The Weeknd did not receive one single Grammy nomination, even though his music was submitted in six categories. The singer previously opened up about the “sucker punch” moment, telling Billboard magazine that it hit him “out of nowhere.” “I definitely felt . . . I felt things. I don’t know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion,” he explained. “I just wanted answers. Like, ‘What happened?’ We did everything right, I think. I’m not a cocky person. I’m not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me. Like, ‘This is it; this is your year.’ We were all very confused.”

The Weeknd also pointed out the Recording Academy’s history of racism, adding, “If you were like, ‘Do you think the Grammys are racist?’ I think the only real answer is that in the last 61 years of the Grammys, only 10 Black artists have won album of the year. I don’t want to make this about me. That’s just a fact.”

The Weeknd already has three Grammys. In 2016, he took home best R&B performance for “Earned It” and best urban contemporary album for Beauty Behind the Madness, and two years later, he won best urban contemporary album for Starboy. Perhaps if the Recording Academy improved its nomination process, The Weeknd might reconsider.