With all the Grammy-centric controversies that ensued following the official nominations reveal, The Weeknd‘s myriad snubs were among the most controversial narratives. It was so glaring that the enigmatic Canadian artist actually took it upon himself to call out the longstanding institution, demanding that they own up to their behind-the-scenes machinations. “The Grammys remain corrupt,” he accused, in a recent tweet. “You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency…”
In a vain attempt to do some damage control, Recording Academy CEO offered up an explanation as to why After Hours didn’t make the cut, though fans were having none of it. “From year to year, it is really hard to predict who is going to be nominated and who’s not,” he explained. “I personally wish we could give everybody a nomination, but there are only a certain amount of slots. There were some amazing records that did not get nominated.”
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It wasn’t enough. In a collective act of defiance, many loyal Weeknd listeners quickly mobilized in response, angrily slamming play on “Blinding Lights” to the point where the single actually re-entered the Top 10 iTunes charts. Not too shabby, considering the single was originally released at the end of last year, November 2019 specifically. While it’s unlikely that this admirable act of protest will yield any concrete results, nor alter Abel’s Grammy fate in the slightest, but it’s still nice to see a fanbase banding together in a shared act of rage.
Were you among those who sought comfort in The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” following his big Grammy snub?
