Cheers to The Weeknd… But Not from the Academy!
For over 50 years, The Grammys have been known for its prestigious award winners and, in recent years, it’s somewhat questionable taste. This year’s Grammy snub has people turning their heads more than usual.
In 2020, three time Grammy winner The Weeknd, had one of this year’s most viral songs, “Blinding Lights” off his new album “After Hours”.
Social Media Outrage
“Blinding Lights” earned The Weeknd a spot at Super Bowl LV and was in Billboard’s Hot Top Ten for over 40 weeks. No surprise that many expected him to lead the pack in nominations this year. Instead, The Weeknd and his fans took to social media to express their disappointment.
During the social uproar, the Recording Academy Chief, Harvey Mason, Jr. expressed his surprise of the notable snub. He even confirmed reports of the artist scheduled to perform at this year’s Grammys as well.
Mason went on to support the decision-making process that The Academy has for picking the nominees. He explained that the nomination process is there to “continue to monitor excellence”.
Academy members go through a multi-step process to choose nominees. Then multiple committees carefully review thousands of submissions and categorize them by genre.
Many suspect The Weeknd’s snub the result of the Pop committee thinking his album to be more R&B, while the R&B committee considering it to be Pop.
“Integrity” over Popularity
The Grammys seem to be choosing integrity and “excellence” over popularity. But it is still difficult to think that there is no bias behind the scenes. Nominees like Beyoncé, who only dropped one song this year, is up for nine nominations (The most for any artist this year).
Heavy hitters like Drake and Elton John also took to their social media to back up The Weeknd and his work.
Other Grammy Snubs
Other predicted artists that were snubbed include R&B singers Summer Walker and Alicia Keys, country artists Luke Combs and Blake Shelton. In addition, pop acts Blackpink, Charli XCX, and the Jonas Brothers are on the list.
Many people have seen the Grammys as the height of musical genius. As the times change and the taste of a new generation becomes more prevalent.
Voting Members of the Academy have to be performers, songwriters, producers, or engineers currently working in the recording industry. Potential members must have two strong recommendations from industry peers and at least six published song contributions.
These types of requirements could explain the divide in the Grammy’s younger audience who control the charts, and the more seasoned voters who control the nominations.It may be time for a the shift to newer members.
