On Friday (April 30), the Recording Academy announced it would be dropping the anonymous nomination review committees previously criticized by the likes of Diddy and The Weeknd. The change was part of “a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Grammys,” according to Harvey Mason Jr., the academy’s interim president and CEO.
“This is a new academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community. While change and progress are key drivers of our actions, one thing will always remain — the Grammy Award is the only peer-driven and peer-voted recognition in music,” he said in a statement at the time.
“We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the awards process.”
The hope expressed in Mason’s message was all also evident in a statement from The Weeknd, who shared his reactions to the changes with The New York Times while doubling down on his decision to boycott the event.
“Even though I won’t be submitting my music, the Grammys’ recent admission of corruption will hopefully be a positive move for the future of this plagued award and give the artist community the respect it deserves with a transparent voting process,” the “Heartless” singer said.
The Weeknd first announced he was boycotting the Grammys in March, months after he learned his musical success, especially with his chart topping “Blinding Lights,” hadn’t earned him a nomination in the 2021 Grammys.
The snubs — which were widely discussed after the announcement of the nominees — came a little over a year after Diddy challenged the academy to improve and make changes that would address the lack of diversity, representation and respect for Black music in the annual award show.