The Weeknd is permanently boycotting the Grammys

The Weeknd has decided to permanently end his relationship with the Grammys. Just days before the awards show is set to take place, the “Blinding Lights” singer told The New York Times that he would be boycotting the Grammys until further notice. 

“Because of the secret committees,” The Weeknd told the outlet. “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

After The Weeknd released his statement, Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s interim chief executive, said that “we’re all disappointed when anyone is upset” and added that the Grammys “are constantly evolving.”

“And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees,” Mason said.

The news comes after the Recording Academy snubbed The Weeknd with this year’s Grammy nominations even though his hit “Blinding Lights” and chart-topping album After Hours were totally eligible. 

The “secret committee” The Weeknd refers to is part of the Grammys’ nomination process, which involves an anonymous committee that reviews the nominees chosen by the Recording Academy’s members. Voting members include “performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists and other creators currently working in the recording industry,” according to the Grammys' website. 

The secret committee members, who have the final say over who is nominated, have faced longstanding scrutiny for its secretive voting system, with claims of alleged biases against Black and female artists. According to The Times article, the Academy has made efforts to diversify its membership and hired a diversity officer. They also brought more women and people of colour into its leadership. 

After the Grammys received a lot of backlash from The Weeknd’s snub in November, the Academy’s newly-formed Black Music Collective said in a letter that “the Grammy Awards nominations were a bold reminder of the world and our industry of the groundbreaking global impact, influence and contributions of Black music.”

“It’s a historic year as 10 Black women are nominated in the top four categories and more than 20 Black nominees are represented in the General Fields. Also, for the first time, all 6 nominees for Best Rap Album are Black independent artists. This is progress,” the letter noted.

"As with every awards cycle, there were a lot of big moments, surprises, but also some disappointments," it continued. "We're listening. Our work is not done and it will take some time, but the mission to be more inclusive continues." 

The Weeknd’s new statement comes months after he accused the Recording Academy of being corrupt. He took to Twitter in November and said, "The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency..."

In January, The Weeknd told Billboard that his lack of Grammy nominations this year "kind of hit me out of nowhere ... I felt things. I don't know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion. I just wanted answers."

RELATED: Zayn Malik slams the Grammys

[video_embed id='2157401']RELATED: Zayn Malik slams the Grammys[/video_embed]

"We did everything right, I think," he added. "I'm not a cocky person. I'm not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me. Like, 'This is it, this is your year.' We were all very confused."

The Weeknd said he has three Grammys, "which mean nothing to me now, obviously." We wonder if these Grammys are still even in his house at this point. 

"I suck at giving speeches anyways," he added. "Forget awards shows."

After The Weeknd was snubbed in November, Drake and Halsey spoke out about the awards show. 

Drake said that he thinks everyone “should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards.”

Halsey shared a statement on her Instagram story a few days after the Grammy noms were announced. "The Grammys are an elusive process. It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshakes and 'bribes' that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as 'not-bribes.'"

Zayn Malik is the most recent person to slam the Grammy Awards. Earlier this week, Malik tweeted: “F—k the Grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”

Zayn returned to Twitter to clarify that his tweet about the Grammys wasn’t “personal or about eligibility.” Instead, he said he was concerned, “about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and netwokring [sic] politics to influence the voting process.”

The Grammys air Sunday, March 14 at 8 pET and will be hosted by Trevor Noah.

BEFORE YOU GO: Harry Styles performance will open the Grammys

[video_embed id='2158160']BEFORE YOU GO: Harry Styles performance will open the Grammys[/video_embed]