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On Sunday, February 2, Harvey Mason Jr. welcomed The Weeknd back on the stage at the 67th Grammys Awards. The Canadian artist, who had boycotted the award show in 2021, calling the Recording Academy "corrupt," made his return and performed his new song, Cry For Me, for the audience.
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As per Celebrity Net Worth, Harvey Mason Jr.'s net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. Mason Jr. is the son of the renowned drummer Harvey Mason Sr., which provided him with early musical influence. In his Grammys speech on Sunday, Mason invited The Weeknd on stage by saying:
"On a truly special night, what better way to bring us together than this next artist? Someone who has seen the work the Academy has put in. I'm so honored to leave you with a sense that I wasn't sure would ever be said on the Grammys stage again."
He continued:
"My friends, my fellow music-makers, please join me in welcoming back none other than four-time Grammy-winning artist and global superstar, The Weeknd."
Harvey Mason Jr. has written and produced songs for many celebrity artists
Harvey Mason Jr. was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship after completing his schooling.
As a songwriter and record producer, Mason has written and produced songs for artists like Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Brandy, and Mary J. Blige.
In 2008, Harvey Mason Jr. founded his company, Harvey Mason Media, which produced the LeBron James movie, More Than a Game. He also served as a mentor and producer on The X Factor USA in 2013.
Mason was part of the R&B/pop production duo, known as The Underdogs, alongside Damon Thomas. The duo produced soundtracks for films such as Dreamgirls, The Help, Pitch Perfect, Get on Up (a James Brown biopic), and Straight Outta Compton.
Harvey Mason Jr. was first elected to the board of directors at the LA chapter of the Recording Academy in 2008. Two years later, he joined the National Board of Trustees. In May 2021, Harvey was appointed the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Recording Academy.
Harvey Mason Jr. said he wanted to modernize the Recording Academy from the beginning
As Harvey Mason Jr. took the stage at the Grammys on Sunday, he began by thanking everyone who attended and helped make the event a success. He then said:
"This is the power of music and what I always knew this Academy could do. 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."
Mason then addressed the challenges and "real criticism" The Academy faced from the music community under his leadership. Bringing up The Weeknd's 2021 statement, the CEO said:
"I remember waking up to the headlines that The Weeknd called out the Academy for a lack of transparency in our awards. He went so far as to announce that he was boycotting the Grammys. That made for some interesting reading over breakfast. But you know what? Criticism is okay. I heard him, I felt his conviction."
Mason also talked about the changes he had brought to the Academy in recent years, mentioning initiatives like the Black Music Collective+, Women in the Mix, Academy Proud, and others.
"We've completely remade our membership, adding more than 3000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger; nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation."
Harvey continued:
"This year, the 13,000 voting members of the Academy nominated their peers and voted for the winners that you're seeing on this stage tonight. It's a system rooted in fairness, integrity, and the principle that every voice in our community matters."
Harvey Mason Jr. ended his speech by saying that while charting a new course was never easy, he firmly believed that they were on the right path.
