The Weeknd makes surprise Grammys return 4 years after boycott
The Weeknd is back — at the Grammys.
Four years after saying he was boycotting the Grammys after receiving zero nominations for his smash album After Hours, the singer was the highly promoted “surprise superstar performance” on Sunday’s 67th Annual Grammy Awards. The Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) performed two tracks from his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, “Cry for Me” and “Timeless,” the latter with Playboi Carti.
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The four-time Grammy winner was introduced by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who recapped the singer’s beef with the awards show as headlines flashed onstage. When After Hours and the smash single “Blinding Lights” were snubbed in November 2020, The Weeknd tweeted, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…” As the ceremony approached in March 2021, The Weeknd announced a boycott. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he said in a statement, referring to the nomination review committees that decided many categories at the time.
“The Academy faced some real criticism from many in our music community. Some artists were pretty vocal with their complaints. I remember waking up to the headlines that The Weeknd called out the Academy for a lack of transparency in our awards,” Mason said in his intro. “He went so far as to announce he was boycotting the Grammys. That made for some interesting reading over breakfast.”
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Mason said the Recording Academy felt The Weekend’s conviction and has “listened, we’ve acted, and we’ve changed” over the past few years, pointing to new initiatives that have launched, including Black Music Collective+, Academy Proud, and Women in the Mix.
“We’ve completely remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40 percent people of color. And 66 percent of our members are new as we started our transformation,” Mason said. “This year, the 13,000 members of the Academy nominated their peers and voted for the winners that you’re seeing on this stage tonight. It’s a system rooted in fairness, integrity, and the principle that every voice in our community matters. Now charting a new course is never easy. There’s still work to be done, but I firmly believe we’re on the right path.”
Referring to the L.A. wildfires and music’s power to heal and unite, he continued, “With that in mind, on a truly special night, what better way to bring us together than this next artist, someone who has seen the work the Academy has put in.” Mason said he wasn’t sure if the surprise guest would ever be on the Grammy stage again. “My friends, my fellow music-makers, please join me in welcoming back none other than four-time Grammy winning artist and music superstar The Weeknd.”
Watch part of The Weeknd’s performance below:
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