Grammy Chief Responds To Backlash From The Weeknd, Justin Bieber

In spite of every curveball 2020 has thrown — one particularly tumultuous presidential election season, a disastrous pandemic of near-biblical proportions — the year has yielded some truly spectacular music. From Taylor Swift's new indie-folk sound on her surprise album, Folklore, to the first English-language drop from the global sensation BTS, musicians continued to do what they do best: filter the universal joy and pain, and the required for connection through it all, into sublime works of sound. Perhaps that's why, any time the Recording Academy reported the nominations for the 2021 Grammys on Tuesday (November 24), the list sent fans and artists reeling.


Several were quick to point out surprising, if not altogether glaring, holes in the nominations; one headline even described the list as "a total disaster." Notably absent from Album of the Year was Fetch the Bolt Cutters, the opening to receive a brilliant Pitchfork rating in almost a decade, along with anything from The Weeknd, who'd a banner 2020. The Academy's selection in this category has been widely scrutinized during the years. In 1985, as an example, Lionel Richie's Can't Slow Down beat out Prince's Purple Rain; in 2000, Outkast's Stankonia lost to the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.


Elsewhere, Justin Bieber expressed a mix of gratitude and confusion over Changes's nomination in The ideal Pop Vocal Album category over R&B. “I am very diligent and intentional about my music," he wrote on Instagram. "With that being mentioned I set out to create a R&B album. Changes was and is a R&B album. It isn't being acknowledged as a R&B album which is very unconventional to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to create an assignment that would embody that sound. For this not to be put into that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies to vocal fashion all of the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably a R&B album!"


Arguably most puzzling, and definitely the most widely publicized, was the case of The Weeknd. His chart-topping hit, "Blinding Lights," for which he won Best Video and Best R&B at the VMAs in August, was eligible, along with his latest album, After Hours. Nevertheless neither procured an individual nod, leading to speculation that the artist was intentionally snubbed over a rumored ultimatum given between performing at the Super Bowl or the awards themselves; he will headline the halftime show on February 7, just a week after the Grammys on January 31.


“The Grammys remain corrupt," The Weeknd tweeted a number of hours immediately following the nominations were reported. "You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.” In a subsequent tweet shared on Wednesday (November 25), he alluded to talks of an efficiency on the award show stage, writing, "Collaboratively planning an efficiency for weeks to not being invited? In my advice zero nominations = you're not invited!"


The backlash to the nominations arrived on the tail end of a particularly rocky year for the Recording Academy. In January, its former president and CEO Deborah Dugan, was placed on administrative leave five months immediately after taking over for Neil Portnow in August 2019, and 10 days ahead of the 2020 Grammys; in March, she was fired. In her place, Recording Academy Chair Harvey Mason, Jr., Became interim CEO on a volunteer basis, although the search for a new head was slowed because of the continuous coronavirus pandemic. In a statement after the release of the list, Mason responded to the backlash, and to The Weeknd's criticism in particular.


"We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was fantastic, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration," he wrote in a statement shared with Variety. He also addressed the rumor of the Super Bowl ultimatum. "To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before the Weeknd’s efficiency at the Super Bowl was reported, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process. All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all."


In an interview with Pitchfork published the following day, Mason also responded to Bieber's qualms. "We routinely aspire to respect the artist’s wishes. Art’s a funny thing because it’s so subjective, and at the Academy our aim is to honor excellence," he mentioned. "If he felt that was that kind of a record, then, you know… I’ll just leave it at that. We try really hard to prepare ensure people’s art is respected and evaluated in the correct category."


Though the nominations have left several sour, there have also been some highlights. This will be the opening Grammys since the word "urban" was dropped from several category titles, following widespread criticism for its lack of diversity. Megan Thee Stallion's star keeps it up and continues to rise in spite of the traumatic assault she suffered earlier this year, earning a nomination for Best New Artist. And leading the nominations, Beyoncé became the most-nominated female artist in the award ceremony's history with 62 overall.