You didn’t see The Weeknd at this year’s Grammys, nor will you see him at the awards show in the future. In 2020 and years prior, the Grammys held secret voting committees composed of music industry executives and experts who decided upon the final nominations. 

Although the anonymity of these judges always held some controversy, they finally came under major heat in 2020 when The Weeknd’s famous “Blinding Lights” single and “After Hours” album did not receive a single nomination.

Because of this, The Weeknd decided to publicly boycott the Grammys.

In 2021, the Grammys announced its elimination of secret nomination parties in nearly all categories, including the “big four:” General field of Album, Song, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Instead, these nominees are now chosen by the general Academy electorate, 90% of which went through a requalification process at the end of 2021. These new public electorates are ensured to have active engagement in music creation.

Although The Weeknd claims this rule change is “an important start,” he stated that he will continue to withhold from submitting new music for Grammy consideration. Still advocating for a more “transparent system,” the Grammys’ admission of corruption for the past decades still leaves a bad taste in the artist’s mouth: “I will not be submitting in the future.”