'The Grammys Remain Corrupt': The Weeknd Lashes Out After Snub

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Coming off of the biggest year of his career, The Weeknd had a lot to look forward to as Grammy nominations were revealed Tuesday morning.

The blistering single "Blinding Lights" spent 28 weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 and has racked up over 1.6 billion Spotify streams since its release. His album After Hours was lauded by critics and fans, and is the third highest selling album of 2020 according to Hits Daily Double.

Still, the Toronto crooner failed to take home even a single nomination for the 63rd Grammy Awards, set to take place on January 31, 2021. Soon after learning he'd been passed over, the man born as Abel Tesfaye voiced his frustration on Twitter.

"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency..." he tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

Fans, artists, and industry members have leapt forth to confirm his grumblings. Variety stated they'd "never witnessed an omission on the level" before.

As furor around The Weeknd's omission began to spread, interim Recording Academy President Harvey Mason spoke to Variety about the voting process.

"I don’t think [the Weeknd’s omission calls the nominations] process into question, honestly," he told Variety. "The process is there so we can continue to monitor excellence. I was in the ‘core room’ this year [which decides the main categories] and I observed, and the people in it are music professionals, at the top of their craft in songwriting and producing and there are a lot of artists. And they were critically listening to every song that came across their desks — or virtual desks — so I don’t think it shows a flaw in the process. It’s a long, arduous process and people take pride in it. The people in that room care: there are no agendas in there, there’s no ‘let’s snub this person’ or that person. It’s about, ‘Let’s try and find excellence.’"

In past years, The Weeknd has earned three Grammys on 10 nominations, twice receiving the since-renamed Best Urban Contemporary Album for Starboy and Beauty Behind the Madness.

Elsewhere, Justin Bieber also sounded off about his inclusion in the pop category, despite creating what he felt was an R&B album with Changes.

"To the Grammys I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry," he wrote on Instagram. "With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me."

Find the full list of nominees here.