Despite being one of the most revered honors an artist can receive, the Recording Committee has frequently faced backlash for never getting it right. We've seen plenty of artists voice their disapproval but it was The Weeknd who made the biggest statement. The Toronto singer vowed to boycott the award show due to the secret committees that decide the final ballot. After Hours was among the biggest albums of 2020 but still, The Weeknd wasn't included in any of the categories.
The Grammys stated that they'd be eliminating secret committees last week in an attempt to provide artists more transparency during the voting process. However, The Weeknd still won't be participating in the award show. In a statement to the New York Times, The Weeknd said, "Even though I won’t be submitting my music, the Grammys’ recent admission of corruption will hopefully be a positive move for the future of this plagued award and give the artist community the respect it deserves with a transparent voting process.”
He elaborated even further in a statement to Variety where he commended the move as an "important start" but he added that it's too early to celebrate. "The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag," he said.
“I think the industry and public alike need to see the transparent system truly at play for the win to be celebrated, but it’s an important start,” he added. “I remain uninterested in being a part of the Grammys, especially with their own admission of corruption for all these decades. I will not be submitting in the future."
Can the Grammys earn the trust of artists back with the elimination of secret committees? Sound off in the comments.