The Weeknd Will Continue to Boycott GRAMMYs Despite Recording Academy's New Rules

Despite the Recording Academy’s major change in disbanding its “secret” nomination-review committees, The Weeknd will continue with his boycott of the GRAMMY Awards.

In a statement to Variety, the artist went as far as calling the Academy’s move an “admission of corruption” and reaffirmed his stance in withdrawing his music from consideration. “The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag,” The Weeknd explained. Although he acknowledges the committees’ elimination as “an important start,” he still calls for transparency from the Academy. “I think the industry and public alike need to see the transparent system truly at play for the win to be celebrated, but it’s an important start,” he said, continuing, “I remain uninterested in being a part of the Grammys, especially with their own admission of corruption for all these decades. I will not be submitting in the future.”

The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby added, “No change comes without a voice heard. I’m just proud of Abel for standing up for what he believes in. I was in a shock when all this happened but now I see it clearly, and I’m glad we stood for our beliefs.”

Although there was no “admission of corruption” from the Academy, GRAMMY chief Harvey Mason Jr. confirmed that the disbandment of the committees have been in the works for some time now. He shared that while the move was not a “direct ‘reaction’” to The Weeknd’s allegations, the Academy was “affected” by the statements. “That said, any time an artist, especially one of that stature, calls our process into question or thinks something is unfair… the Academy is of course going to be affected by that, and want to work to make things better. I think the sentiment around the Academy has been evolving over the last 12 months, I think momentum has been picking up from the end of last year’s show, and we’ve been changing so much,” he stated.

In related news, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande earned their sixth No. 1 each with the remix of “Save Your Tears.”