The nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Wednesday afternoon, with expected favorites like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Post Malone snagging nominations in their categories, however, a surprising exclusion from this list was The Weeknd.
The pop star’s After Hours, released in March, was one of 2020’s biggest commercial successes, with 1.8 billion streams to date, according to Alpha Data. Its second single, “Blinding Lights,” became a blockbuster with help from a popular TikTok dance trend, with 882 million streams. Despite these metrics and a high level of visibility on other awards shows, he was omitted from the list of Grammy Award nominees.
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The star took to social media a few hours after the list was revealed to slam the Recording Academy for the snub and he tweeted.
The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…
READ ALSO: Euro 2016 - All Monday's Build-up LIVE!— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020
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In reaction to The Weeknd’s tweet, interim boss of the Awards, Harvey Mason cited growing competition in all genres, as the major factor for the artiste been snubbed.
“We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling,” Mason said.
He showered praises on the artiste’s genius and had this to say, “His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration.”
Despite the nomination snub, the star will headline the 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show on February 7 in Tampa Bay, Florida.