The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will air live from the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday night, and one of the music's most ubiquitous artists will not care.
Thursday, the Weeknd provided an exclusive statement to The New York Times' announcing his decision to boycott the Grammys from this point forward: "Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys."
The 31-year-old Canadian hitmaker was one of the more blatant snubs this year, as he did not receive a single nomination despite the record-breaking success of his latest album After Hours and its singles "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights."
.@theweeknd's "Blinding Lights" has now spent 52 total weeks in the top 10 of the #Hot100.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) March 8, 2021
It's the first song in history to spend a full year in the top 10.
When nominations were unveiled last November, The Weeknd made his displeasure known:
The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency...
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020
The Weeknd is far from the only artist to push back against the Recording Academy, as Zayn Malik also took to Twitter this week to express his dissatisfaction.
In 2019, Drake was awarded best rap song for "God's Plan," and his acceptance speech was seemingly cut short after he made it clear he gets his validation from his fans rather than winning a Grammy:
The Weeknd is a three-time Grammy winner—most recently in 2017—and 10-time nominee. For those who do decide to tune in to the show at 8 p.m. EST Sunday, Harry Styles is reportedly opening the show with a hyped performance. Those siding with The Weeknd can instead re-watch his Super Bowl LV Halftime Show below.
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