Update: The Grammys has since responded to Abel's boycott in a statement via The New York Times. "We're all disappointed when anyone is upset," Recording Academy interim CEO Henry Mason Jr. said. "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."
The Weeknd is boycotting the Grammys.
As per his recent interview with The New York Times, the Canadian superstar has announced that he will boycott the award show from here on out after being shut out of the 2021 nominations. "Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys," he declared, in reference to the anonymous committees that review the initial nomination contenders after they are selected by the voting members of the Recording Academy.
He previously opened up about being his album, After Hours, being shut out of the award show, despite having his music submitted to six categories. "I use a sucker punch as an analogy," he told Billboard in January. "Because it just kind of hit me out of nowhere. I definitely felt … I felt things. I don’t know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion. I just wanted answers. Like, 'What happened?' We did everything right, I think. I'm not a cocky person. I'm not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me. Like,'‘This is it; this is your year.' We were all very confused."
Rumor has it the superstar was robbed of nominations because he decided to perform at this year's Pepsi Super Bowl LV halftime show instead of offer his loyalty to the Grammys for a performance number. He is just one of the many Black artists who have called out the Grammys, including Drake, Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean and more.
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