​ Star slams ‘corrupt’ Grammys: ‘You owe me’ ​

The Weeknd has absolutely blasted the Grammys after being pretty decently snubbed.

The nominations for the awards were revealed on Wednesday morning, with the rapper getting no nominations, despite releasing the hit song Blinding Lights in 2020 and having one of the highest selling and critically acclaimed albums of the year After Hours.

The monumental snub caused uproar with the rapper making his feelings known with an Instagram and tweet, accusing the Grammys of being “corrupt”.

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“The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency …”

As Variety has reported, the nominations are a two-step process which involves a panel of industry people and experts who listen to, rate and make a shortlist.

The final list comes from hundreds of submissions that are put together by a selection committee.

Everyone involved in the process is anonymous.

In the past, the committees have nominated The Weeknd in the past, receiving 10 nominations over three separate years. He has even won three awards.

The publication went on to dissect why the snubs could have come about.

Recording must be officially submitted for consideration, and since The Weeknd’s label Republic also handle Taylor Swift and Drake (who are up for nominations), it’s unlikely that they didn’t submit The Weeknd’s work.

Another theory is whether or not The Weeknd is considered pop or R&B.

However, that wouldn’t have affected him being left off the three main categories including Album, Song and Record of the Year.

It’s possible that the screening committees may have decided that he doesn’t fit into the categories.

Meaning, the pop committee may have considered him R&B whereas the R&B team could have considered him as pop.
 

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Recording Academy interim president/CEO Harvey Mason, jr. told Variety that, “I don’t think [the Weeknd’s claims calls the nominations] process into question, honestly,” he said.

“The process is there so we can continue to monitor excellence. I was in the ‘core room’ this year [which decides the main categories] and I observed, and the people in it are music professionals, at the top of their craft in songwriting and producing and there are a lot of artists.

“And they were critically listening to every song that came across their desks – or virtual desks – so I don’t think it shows a flaw in the process. It’s a long, arduous process and people take pride in it.

“The people in that room care: there are no agendas in there, there’s no ‘let’s snub this person’ or that person. It’s about, ‘Let’s try and find excellence.’”

The Weeknd isn’t the only artist who has made strong claims about the nominations.

Justin Bieber has taken issue with how the committee have categorised his music. He claims he was wrongfully nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Bieber snagged four nominations, three of which were under the pop category.

The 26-year-old singer who has been classified as a pop artist for a long time, took to Instagram to explain why he felt like he should have been recognised as an R&B artist.

“I am very meticulous and intentional about my music,” the star wrote.

“With that being said I set out to make an R&B album … it is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me.

“For this not to be put in that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies, to the vocal style all the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B album!”

The singer got a nod for best pop solo performance for his single Yummy, as well as a nomination in the best pop duo/group performance category for his collaboration with Quavo on the single Intentions.

His album Changes was nominated in the pop album category.