The Weeknd, snubbed by the Grammys, accuses the awards show of being 'corrupt'
Despite having perhaps one of the best years in his career, The Weeknd was snubbed when it came to Grammy Award nominations, which were announced Tuesday.
Many found the omission puzzling, given that The Weeknd's album "After Hours" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the hit single "Blinding Lights," which rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a record-breaking 40 weeks in the top 10.
However, perhaps nobody was as frustrated as the singer himself, who shared an angry message to Instagram Tuesday evening, accusing the awards show of being "corrupt."
"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency," he wrote.
Previously, the Weeknd, who was announced earlier this month as the next Super Bowl halftime show performer, won best urban contemporary album for "Beauty Behind the Madness" and best R&B performance for "Earned It" in 2016. He took home the Grammy for best urban contemporary album again in 2018 with "Starboy."
The Recording Academy's chief, producer-songwriter Harvey Mason Jr., told ABC News in a statement that he was "surprised" that the Weeknd received zero nominations and "can empathize with what he's feeling." However, he added, the snub had nothing to do with the singer's Super Bowl performance, despite a report to the contrary.
"We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists," Mason Jr. said. "But as the only peer-voted music award, we will continue to recognize and celebrate excellence in music while shining a light on the many amazing artists that make up our global community. 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.”
Along with The Weeknd, other noticeable snubs included Halsey, R&B star Summer Walker, Alicia Keys, Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, the Jonas Brothers and country acts Blake Shelton, Gabby Barrett and The Chicks. Some noted that Fiona Apple, who was nominated for two Grammys, deserved a nod in the album of the year category, too.
And while Justin Bieber scored four Grammy nominations Tuesday, he was confused as to why he wasn't included in the R&B category. Instead, "Changes" was nominated in the best pop vocal albums of the year category.
"I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry. I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. 'Changes' was and is an R&B album," Bieber wrote on Instagram. "It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound."
The 2021 Grammys will take place Sunday, Jan. 31.
