Recording Academy responds to The Weeknd's decision to boycott the Grammys

The Weeknd's decision to boycott the Grammys on March 14 has been acknowledged by the Recording Academy.

The artist revealed in a statement provided to The New York Times that he "will no longer allow his label to submit music to the Grammys" for consideration.

Recording Academy interim chief Harvey Mason Jr. addressed The Weeknd's decision with Variety.

"Some of it was [decided by] the [secret] nominating committees and some were the voting body, because some of the awards he was eligible for did not have nominating committees, so it was a combination of both. But again, it’s unfortunate, we never like to see somebody as talented as the Weeknd get left out or feel left out. It’s not something any of us are happy about.

"The process is definitely something that we’re going to continue to look at and continue to make sure that it’s evolving as music continues to evolve. I’ll hopefully have more things to talk about in the future."

The Weeknd to Selena Gomez: The royal snubs at 2021 Grammys

Nominations were announced in November, and The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye) was snubbed dramatically despite owning one of the industry's most dominant albums: After Hours and its commercially record-breaking singles "Blinding Lights" and "Heartless."

The 31-year-old Canadian artist did not take kindly to the snub and took to Twitter asking for an explanation:

 

The Recording Academy and, by extension, the Grammys have much larger issues to contend with. Following Deborah Dugan's firing as CEO and president of the Recording Academy in January 2020, she levied concerning allegations "against the corrupt institution from within."

Grammy 2021 probables: Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift; a look at the frontrunners

The Grammys will be hosted by Trevor Noah live from the Los Angeles Convention Center. Beyonce leads all artists with nine nominations.