Grammys 2021: The Weeknd Surprisingly Absent From Nominations, Calls Grammys “Corrupt”
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During today’s 2021 Grammy nominations, the Weeknd and Bob Dylan were surprisingly missing from contention. The Weeknd’s smash hit “Blinding Lights” was eligible for nomination, as was his chart-topping album After Hours. Bob Dylan’s remarkable Rough and Rowdy Ways was also released during the eligibility period (September 1, 2019—August 31, 2020), with its first single “Murder Most Foul” reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart. Since the Grammy nominations require that an artist submit their work for consideration each year, it’s unclear whether either artist did so. For example, Frank Ocean, Drake, Cardi B, and Macklemore have all chosen to withhold music from Grammy consideration in recent years.
When asked about the Weeknd’s shutout in an interview with Jem Aswad for Variety, Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. said, “Y’know, it really just comes down to the voting body that decides.” Several hours after the Grammy nominations were announced, the Weeknd tweeted: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”
On Tuesday night, Mason shared a statement responding to the Weeknd, denying the rumor that the singer was snubbed as part of a Super Bowl–related ultimatum.
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. 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. 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. All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.
Sources close to the situation have said that there were conversations between the Grammys and the Weeknd’s team regarding a performance. The Weeknd alluded to the talks, tweeting, “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!”
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for the Weeknd, Bob Dylan, and the Recording Academy for comment and more information.
The Weeknd’s previous album, Starboy, won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. He’s been nominated for 10 Grammys in his career, winning three awards.
Bob Dylan has won 10 Grammy Awards and received 38 Grammy nominations. He was first nominated for the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording for Bob Dylan. A decade later, he won his first Grammy for his work on The Concert for Bangladesh, which won Album of the Year.
Dylan was last nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Triplicate. He most recently won Grammy Awards in 2007 for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance (“Someday Baby”) and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album (Modern Times).
This article was originally published on Tuesday, November 24 at 3:28 p.m. Eastern. It was last updated on Wednesday, November 25 at 1:39 p.m. Eastern.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
