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Will The Weeknd attend Grammys 2021? Here's why singer boycotted award show as fans slam the 'archaic system'

Many took to Twitter to defend The Weeknd and also speak of other artists who have been snubbed by the academy before

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards is set to air this Sunday night with comedian Trevor Noah hosting along with performances by many artists such as Dua Lipa, Cardi B and BTS. As per reports, the ceremony will speak about how the pandemic has had a "painful impact" on music and there will also be an "in memoriam segment".

Considered to be one of the most prestigious award shows, the Grammy's has come under fire for its nominations list which seemingly seemed to be missing a well-deserved artist — Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd. It's not new news that the Grammy's have snubbed members of the music industry for years and also been accused of shading women and Black artists

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Will The Weeknd attend Grammys 2021?

With his recent works, The Weeknd has been climbing up the charts with his album 'After Hours'. The singer's 'Blinding Lights' is a major hit and has bagged American Music Awards and he has also performed at the recent Super Bowl halftime show. But while many fans expected the singer to be on the nominations list, they were incredibly disappointed. Many have considered this to be unfair, but the singer seems to be really hurt by the outcome.

In a statement to The New York Times, The Weeknd said that moving forward he would be boycotting the awards. "Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.” He will no longer be attending the ceremony either.

When the Grammy nominations were announced back in November, The Weeknd wasn't quiet about the snub. He took to Twitter writing, "The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency." He also added that he'd been planning a performance for the ceremony a while, writing, "Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!" While Beyoncé sits at nine nominations and Taylor Swift with five nominations for the 2021 Grammys, other artists such as Drake and Frank Ocean have already come out and spoken about the bias when it comes to the nominations. In fact, as per the NYT, the last Black artist who bagged Album of The Year was way back in 2008 with Herbie Hancock. 

The academy's interim chief executive, Harvey Mason Jr, responded to The Weeknd's statement saying, "We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset. 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.” He also revealed that the members of the committees are confidential for their own protection, but they are selected by the academy and are tasked to "review the music shortlisted by voters".

Why wasn't The Weeknd nominated?

As per Wassim Slaiby, his manager, things seem to be a bit hazy. "We were many weeks and dozens of calls in with the Grammy team around Abel’s performance right up to the day of nominations being announced. We were scratching our heads in confusion and wanted answers.” He added, “The Grammys should handle their legacy and clean it up to raise the bar to a level where everyone could be proud to hold up that award. This is Harvey’s chance to step up and have his legacy be the guy who got the Grammys finally right.”

Many took to Twitter to defend The Weeknd, but also speak of other artists who have been snubbed by the academy before. One user wrote, "The Weeknd not getting any grammy nods is just like Mariah not getting any wins for Daydream. Both eras produced record breaking hits, yet barely if any at all acknowledgement from the grammys. Grammys are a joke." Another added, "like them making bts perform. it’s a pr stunt for views. grammys has always been a scam, katy & nicki has no grammy, the weeknd snubbed this year, mariah with only few grammys when she deserves more, mustin nominated w his least creative album over the weeknd’s, the list goes on." Yet another added, "The Weeknd is too good for the Grammys. All black artists are. Y’all Should’ve been boycotted they ass since Macklemore. i can’t even tell you the last time I watched any award show." 

"and at this point we all know it is blatant racism. There is NO reason for the weeknd to not have been nominated. The grammys literally dont even care," wrote one user. Another added, "The Weeknd is being a bit extreme but one has to wonder when exactly #GRAMMYs will change its archaic system esp against black artists winning in major categories like Album of the Year..."

People encouraged The Weeknd in his decision to boycott the awards, with one user writing, "honestly more Black artists alongside the weeknd, drake, frank ocean etc should boycott the grammys. in the 63 years of the show only 10 Black artists have won album of the year. these artists are constantly pushing the boundaries and setting world records, yet nothing." Some chose to stick to facts rather than debate, as one fan tweeted, "There have been studies lately about the integrity of the Grammys, following The Weeknd losing an award he was projected to win. In the last 9 years, only 4 black artists have won a Grammy in any of the most prestigious, which is weird since black-made music always tops charts."

Like it is with anything remotely controversial, there were also those that didn't care much that The Weeknd was snubbed - one user wrote, "So if The Weeknd was nominated he’d be cool w the Grammys and the secret committees then?" There were also a few shots fired with the race card and rumors, with one user writing, "So the Weeknd technically wants to blame white people for his album not being nominated for the Grammys but word on the street is he is the same Dusty that kept black women from entering his performances in Canada before he became really famous. @theweeknd." One wrote, "The Grammys are about ART, they're not about sales. The Weeknd is being a little bitch about this. No one ever cries when the biggest blockbusters of the year don't win Oscars. That being said, the Grammys are largely bullshit awards awarded by a boring cabal of boring idiots."