The Weeknd has announced that he is “never” going to submit music to the Grammys ever again.
During an interview with GQ’s Mark Anthony Green, the 31-year-old artist revealed that he has “no interest” in officially sending his music to the recording academy for awards consideration.
Earlier this year, the “After Hours” singer said that he is boycotting the Grammys because of the “secret committees” that help decide the nominations.
He’s the latest star to skip out on the awards show, which has been criticised for overlooking Black and female artists.
“Everyone’s like ‘No, just do better next time,’ I will do better, but not for you,” the singer said in reference to his 2021 Grammys snub.
He added: “I’m going to do better for me.”
The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, is by many measures at the height of his career — earlier this year, he played the Super Bowl and broke the single-song record for longest time spent in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 — but failed to receive a single Grammy nomination.
Nonprofit organisation Recording Academy holds the Grammys each year, and anonymous expert committees review the initial choices from the thousands of music professionals who are academy members.
These committees have the final say on 61 of the show’s 84 categories, but aren’t involved in picking the winners of the four pop categories.
A number of other high-profile artists, including Beyoncé, Kanye West, Solange, and Frank Ocean, have skipped or criticised the Grammys in recent years for failing to honour artists of colour even though the genres they created — hip-hop, soul, reggaeton — dominate the global music conversation.
A Black artist hasn’t won Album of the Year since Herbie Hancock’s Joni Mitchell tribute in 2008, and a Black woman hasn’t won since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
