The Weeknd calls Grammys 'corrupt'

MUMBAI: The Weeknd has called the Grammy Awards corrupt after the singer was overlooked for nomination in even one category this year.

The three-time Grammy winner took to social media to criticise the Recording Academy after he was snubbed despite having the successful album "After Hours". He had also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Blinding lights" and "Heartless".

"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency...," he wrote on social media.

The singer was referencing the process by which nominations are picked, which continues to be a well-guarded process with hidden identities of the people on the committees that select the nominees.

Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason, jr. has responded to his claims, reports variety.com.

"Congratulations to today's Grammy nominees, who have earned their peers' recognition for their incredible work. There were a record number of submissions in this unusual and competitive year," he said.

He continued: "We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he's feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone's admiration. We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before."

"Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. But as the only peer-voted music award, we will continue to recognise and celebrate excellence in music while shining a light on the many amazing artists that make up our global community. To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd's performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process," he added.

"All Grammy nominees are recognised by the voting body for their excellence and we congratulate them all," he concluded.

The Weeknd's absence from the Grammy nominations is being termed as the biggest snub in recent history.