theweeknd-osheaga-15

The Grammys eliminate nominating committees but The Weeknd is still boycotting

The Weeknd at Osheaga
The Weeknd at Osheaga (photo by Em Grey)

After not receiving a single nomination at the 2021 Grammys, The Weeknd announced that he would be boycotting the awards and not submitting his music going forward, citing the “corrupt” “secret committees” that have long been used to narrow down potential nominees. The committees, groups of 15-30 music industry “peers” that represent “genre communities,” have been used since 1989 and were originally intended, according to the academy, to maintain the integrity of The Grammys. However, they have been under fire in recent years for their anonymous nature and accusations of conflicting interests, with such artists as Kanye West, Jay-Z and Drake speaking out against them. The Grammys have announced that they will be doing away with nominating committees moving forward, but The Weeknd says he has no plans of ending his boycott.

“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,” The Weeknd told The New York Times in a statement.

The Recording Academy’s interim chief executive, Harvey Mason Jr., said in a statement that the decision to end nominating committees is part of “a year of unprecedented, transformational change,” adding, “This is a new academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community.”

Moving forward, nominations for nearly all Grammy Award categories will be decided by a majority of all Academy voting members. The New York Times does note that “review panels” will be kept in place for 11 “craft categories,” including awards for production, packaging, album notes and historical recordings.

Categories: