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The Weeknd ended his years-long Grammy boycott this year with his Sunday performance at the 67th Grammy Awards. He performed two songs, Cry For Me and Timeless, from his Hurry Up Tomorrow album.
In 2020, The Weeknd spoke up against The Recording Academy's "secret" committees after his After Hours album and hit single Blinding Lights received zero nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards. In a now-deleted tweet posted on November 24, 2020, The Weeknd wrote:
"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…"
In a statement to The New York Times in March 2021, the singer announced he will boycott the Grammys:
"Because of the secret committees. I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys."
As per CBS, previously, the committees of industry experts and executives picked the final nominations.
The 67th Grammy Awards was held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS and is now available to stream on Paramount+.
What happened between The Weeknd and the Grammys?
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr responded to the singer's tweets on November 24, 2020. In a statement to Rolling Stone, the CEO praised his music and claimed that although the singer's tweet surprised him, he could empathize.
"We understand that the Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration."
Even after criticizing and boycotting the Recording Academy, the Weeknd won a Grammy in 2022 for his song with Kanye West, Hurricane, featuring Lil Baby. The song won in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category.
On Sunday night, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr introduced The Weeknd on stage. In his speech, Mason Jr. said he wanted to modernize the organization initially, but it was not easy. He said:
"When I took on this role back in 2020, I wanted the organization to change and modernize so we could be better and serve this dynamic and global music community. But my early days were not exactly straightforward."
The CEO shared how he felt the singer's conviction when he boycotted the Academy in 2020. Since then, the Recording Academy has tried to improve the music scene by launching initiatives like Black Music Collective, Academy Proud, and Women in The Mix.
"I heard him. I felt his conviction. What we all want is an organization dedicated to the wellbeing of all music makers and one that reflects the entire music community for now and for future generations. Over the past few years, we've listened, we've acted, we've changed."
In his speech, Mason Jr. also mentioned that they had added more than 3,000 female voting members, and 40 percent of the 13,000 members are now people of color for inclusivity.
The Weeknd dropped his album Hurry Up Tomorrow on January 30, 2025. It is the final album of the After Hours trilogy. The singer has collaborated with Florence + The Machine, Travis Scott, Lana Del Rey, Anitta, Giorgio Moroder, Playboi Carti, and Future on this album.
