The Recording Academy’s interim chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. responds after the ‘Blinding Lights’ singer said he will never submit his music to the Grammys again.
AceShowbiz -The Recording Academy isn’t all too pleased when it is at the receiving end of a snub. Following The Weeknd‘s decision to boycott the Grammys for good, the Academy’s boss has admitted that they’re “disappointed.”
“We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset,” interim Academy CEO Henry Mason Jr. said in a statement in response to The Weeknd’s eternal boycott. Vowing to make a change, he added, “But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees.”
On Thursday, March 11, just days ahead of the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, The Weeknd once again spoke of his disdain at the award show. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he told the New York Times.
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The Canadian artist was standing by his stance after he was understandably upset due to the Grammys snub. The 31-year-old received zero nominations at the upcoming ceremony, despite his single “Blinding Lights” being the biggest hit to date this year. “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency…,” he tweeted after the nominations were announced on November 24, 2020.
He also hinted that he had already been planning his Grammy performance for weeks until he learned of the nominations snub. “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!” he wrote in another tweet.
The Academy later responded to The Weeknd’s complaint, with Mason Jr. saying, “There were a record number of submissions in this unusual and competitive year. We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration.”
Addressing speculation that The Weeknd being snubbed had anything to do with his Super Bowl LV performance, Mason Jr. stated, “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. 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. All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”
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