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The Weeknd Claims The Grammys Are 'Corrupt' After Being Snubbed

"You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency,” he told the Recording Academy.

The Weeknd has branded the Grammys “corrupt” after he was completely snubbed from this year’s nominees, despite a hugely successful year.

In the last year, the Canadian singer’s hit “Blinding Lights” broke records for most weeks spent on the Billboard Top 10, and his album “After Hours” was met with positive reviews and reached number one in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

However, despite all of this, The Weeknd — real name Abel Tesfaye — failed to scoop a single nod when the nominees for the upcoming Grammys were announced on Tuesday.

The Weeknd at the "Uncut Gems" premiere in 2019.
Rachel Luna via Getty Images
The Weeknd at the "Uncut Gems" premiere in 2019.

The snub did not go unnoticed by the man himself, either, who had some choice words for the Recording Academy on Twitter.

The Grammys remain corrupt,” he wrote, adding: “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”

According to TMZ, the singer was given the option to either perform at the Grammys or the Super Bowl, which air within a week of one another. The Weeknd announced in mid-November that he’ll be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. TMZ alleges that his team suspects that decision cost him the Grammy nominations.

The gossip website isn’t always a reliable source, although it has been the first outlet to report some stories that turn out to be true, like Kobe Bryant’s death earlier this year.

Canadian artists who did receive Grammy nominations include Drake, Kaytranada, and Lido Pimiento. Alex Trebek, the beloved host of “Jeopardy!” who recently died of pancreatic cancer, was nominated in the best spoken word album category for his audiobook, “The Answer Is... Reflections of My Life.” Justin Bieber was also nominated, although not in the category he hoped for.

Although she has not released an album in 2020, Beyoncé received the most Grammy nominations this year, largely due to her visual album “Black Is King” and the remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s Savage which she was featured on.

Her surprise single “Black Parade,” released over the summer, also received four nominations, including nods for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

Her nine nominations have also made her the second most-nominated artist in Grammys history, only one behind music producer Quincy Jones.

Beyoncé
Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images
Beyoncé

Next year’s Grammys will be hosted by talk show host Trevor Noah, taking over from Alicia Keys, who hosted the previous two ceremonies.

While a number of next year’s big awards ceremonies have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Grammys are currently still scheduled to go ahead on Jan. 31, 2021.

With files from Maija Kappler

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