The Weeknd has taken to Twitter to criticise the Grammy Awards for corruption after his name was notably missing from the list of 2021 nominees.
The Weeknd — real name Abel Tesfaye — didn’t receive a single nomination despite releasing his critically-acclaimed record After Hours and chart-dominating single ‘Blinding Lights.’ The latter of which broke the record for the most weeks spent atop Billboard‘s Radio Songs airplay chart.
Tesfaye took to Twitter to condemn the ceremony, simply writing: “The Grammys remain corrupt,” he wrote. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
There are a number of theories simmering as to why The Weeknd was not nominated. As Variety report, it is impossible that the musicians label, Republic Records, did not nominate him. This theory has been written off as unlikely considering Republic nominated other acts on their roster, like Taylor Swift.
It has also been proposed that the chameleon-like nature of The Weeknd’s music — whether he operates in the pop or R&B fields — may have split the committee vote, resulting in no nominations.
TMZ has put forward a more sinister theory. The publication claims that The Weeknd was recently given an ultimatum in which he would have to choose between performing at the ceremony or performing at the 2021 Superbowl Half Time Show. We’re taking this one with a grain of salt, but we’re also not putting it past the entertainment industry to do something so petty.
It’s bizarre that The Grammy’s would omit The Weeknd from the list of nominees considering he’s received ten nods and won three awards over the course of his career.
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At least he can rest easy knowing that he wrote the line “She like my futuristic sounds in the new spaceship/Futuristic sex give her Philip K. dick.” May not be the king of some pony award, but he remains the king of my heart.
Check out ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd:
