After not receiving a single nomination at the 2021 Grammys, The Weeknd announced that he would be boycotting the awards and not submitting his music going forward, citing the "corrupt" "secret committees" that have long been used to narrow down potential nominees. The committees, groups of 15-30 music industry "peers" that represent "genre communities," have been used since 1989 and were originally intended, according to the academy, to maintain the integrity of The Grammys. However, they have been under fire in recent years for their anonymous nature and accusations of conflicting interests, with such artists as Kanye West, Jay-Z and Drake speaking out against them. The Grammys have announced that they will be doing away with nominating committees moving forward, but The Weeknd says he has no plans of ending his boycott.
"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," The Weeknd told The New York Times in a statement.