A year ago, when the golden-voiced Canadian-born singer The Weeknd didn’t earn a Grammy nomination for 2020 LP, After Hours, the singer (born Abel Tesfaye) pledged he would permanently boycott the awards show.
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Well, he’s sticking to that now, in the wake of his 2022 LP release, Dawn FM.
Previously, the artist said, “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”
Now, the Los Angeles Times has reported that The Weeknd did not submit Dawn FM for Grammy consideration, despite both critical and fan acclaim.
The hit song from After Hours, “Blinding Lights,” did not earn a Grammy nomination in the 2021 ceremony, despite its wide praise and it being the most successful single in Billboard Hot 100 history.
But The Weeknd is not alone in his Grammy ire. Frank Ocean also declined to submit any music following his losses for his acclaimed album, Channel Orange. Drake, too, a fellow Canadian, has withdrawn himself from consideration last year after he’d been nominated twice for his record, Certified Lover Boy.
This comes in the constant wake of many artists and fans feeling the Recording Academy is out of touch with modern artists and tastes. In the award show’s big four categories, for example, they’ve often overlooked rap and hip-hop, with just a few exceptions like Lauryn Hill, Outkast, and Childish Gambino.
Strangely, after announcing his boycott, The Weeknd did win a Grammy for a song he was featured on. He received dual Album of the Year nominations as a featured artist on Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Kanye West’s Donda. And he won Best Melodic Rap Performance as a featured artist on West’s track, “Hurricane.”
Check out “Blinding Lights,” which has over 600 million views on YouTube alone, from After Hours below.
What do you think? Does The Weeknd have a case? Or should he submit his work? Comment below.
Photo Credit: Theo Wargo, Getty Images/Live Nation Concerts
