R&B singer The Weeknd is laughing all the way back home. The publicized crooner – who took a public stand and boycott against this year’s Grammy Awards – won big with a night of huge W’s at the Billboard Music Awards ceremony. The Weeknd Laughs Last Weekend actually had almost 20 nods heading into the […]
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It’s only right that the 2021 Billboard Music Awards commences with a performance from The Weeknd. The singer displayed a heavy presence towards the top section of the platforms albums and singles chart since the late 2019 release of his “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” tracks, the debut singles from his 2020 album, After Hours. More than a year after releasing that album, one that was shockingly snubbed at this year’s Grammy award, The Weeknd conlcudes the After Hours era with a brand new performance of “Save Your Tears” at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. He performed the track while leading a fleet of red and white-colored old-fashioned cars while sitting in one of his own.
Always giving us innovative performances!!! @theweeknd is full speed ahead at the #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/3I74Fp6hB8
— Mike Adam (@MikeAdamOnAir) May 24, 2021
The Weeknd’s set at the award show comes after he snagged yet another No. 1 single thanks to his remix of “Save Your Tears” with Ariana Grande. After winning the award for Top Hot 100 Song earlier in the show, The Weeknd took a moment to tease new music. “The After Hours are done and the dawn is coming,” he declared.
He previously hinted at new music in a string of tweets last month. “Made so much magic in the small quarantined room,” he wrote to begin a string of tweets. “Nothing’s ever random… now just piecing it all together… it’s so beautiful.”
As for the Billboard Music Awards itself, the singer snagged seven wins before the official show began. These wins include Top Male Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Male Artist, Top R&B Album, and Top R&B Song.
Check out a clip of The Weeknd’s 2021 Billboard Music Awards performance in the video above.
The Weeknd is known for creating a new aesthetic and era for each album he’s released since his breakout project, House Of Balloons. The latest example came with his 2020 full-length effort, After Hours. From the red suit to his “injured” face wrapped in bandages, The Weeknd did an excellent job of defining the moments that came with his fourth album. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and The Weeknd confirmed that the After Hours era is indeed over during the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. This announcement also came with exciting, yet vague news for fans.
.@TheWeeknd takes home Top Hot 100 Song… and teases new MUSIC!!! #BBMAs pic.twitter.com/mlyzZOahsY
— Mike Adam (@MikeAdamOnAir) May 24, 2021
While accepting the award for Top Hot 100 Song, The Weeknd used his speech to tease what’s to come. “The After Hours are done and the dawn is coming,” he declared. It’s very much possible that the singer just revealed the title of his fifth album to be The Dawn, but we’ll have to wait for him to confirm that. Regardless, it’s exciting to see that The Weeknd is already teasing fans with new music for a new era.
made so much magic in the small quarantined room
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 27, 2021
nothing’s ever random
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 27, 2021
now just piecing it all together… it’s so beautiful
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 27, 2021
This is not the first time The Weeknd has hinted at new music in recent months. At the end of April, the singer shared a string of tweets that looked to build up excitement for the upcoming album. “Made so much magic in the small quarantined room,” he wrote in one tweet before adding, “nothing’s ever random… now just piecing it all together… it’s so beautiful.”
You can watch a clip of his speech above.
The 2021 Brit Awards were eventful, especially for The Weeknd, as he managed to pick up a win in his sole nomination, for International Male Solo Artist. Elsehwere during the broadcast, he also gave a performance of his latest No. 1 single, “Save Your Tears.”
Ariana Grande, whose appearance on the song’s newest version helped propel it to the top of the charts, did not join The Weeknd. Instead, he was accompanied by After Hours collaborator Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Daniel Lopatin), who joined him in a small half room, which was revealed to be in a stormy outdoor environment.
He also gave a pre-taped acceptance speech. Standing in the rain on the same set as his performance, he said, “Thank you, BRIT Awards! I wish I was there to accept the award. I want to shout out my UK fans for helping me break out into the world. If it wasn’t for you guys, I would not be standing here right now, so thank you, I love you. To my people in Ethiopia who are suffering: You are deep in my heart. For everyone watching, please help where you can. Thank you, bye.”
Watch The Weeknd’s performance of “Save Your Tears” and his acceptance speech at the Brits above.
Ever since his No. 1 album After Hours was snubbed of a 2020 Grammy Award, The Weeknd has not been shy about his criticism of The Recording Academy, even promising to boycott the organization going forward. But The Weeknd isn’t the first singer to publicly call out The Recording Academy for their problematic practices. Village People’s Victor Willis (aka the cop) has a long history of outing the Grammys’ discriminatory practices — and he’s now telling The Weeknd to “lighten up.”
Back in 2017, Willis was outspoken about his disdain for the Grammys. He even reportedly send a letter to The Recording Academy’s president claiming there were “secret committees” that existed to “override the decision of Grammy voters in the event the select committee does not like who the Grammy voter has chosen” for the biggest awards. Willis also cited the controversy around Adele beating out Beyonce in every major category that year. “If certain people at the Grammys don’t like who the voters have chosen,” he wrote, “a Grammy committee will simply override the voters and subsequently select who they think should win. Like Adele, maybe?”
But now, Willis has turned his attention to The Weeknd’s recent comments about the Recording Academy. Penning an open letter to The Weeknd on Facebook, Willis claimed The Weeknd stayed silent when he was “benefiting from those secret committees” in the past. The Village People singer also applauded the work of The Recording Academy’s interm CEO Harvey Mason Jr.:
“Pssst, ‘The Weeknd,’ lighten up on the Grammys already why don’t cha!? I know a thing or two about attacking the Grammys, and their once secret committees. I must say you’re not handling this in the spirit of Black protest of this important issue. You see, while Black artists like me were making honest complaints about the secret committees, you were busy racking up one Grammy after another under those secret committees.
I don’t recall you complaining about the secret committees when you were benefiting from those secret committees. But on the one occasion the secret committees didn’t benefit you, the Grammys are suddenly corrupt, and it’s off with their heads? Under the circumstances, you’re much too talented to be pouting about the Grammys. And it seems you’re out for blood despite the secret committees being eliminated. Negative.
This important American institution known as the Grammys has an African American in there (Harvey Mason) that’s making real, meaningful and historic changes that will likely benefit the music business for decades to come. Cut the brotha some slack!”
The Weeknd’s After Hours was released way back in 2019, but the album still has plenty of life in it. Not only that, but it’s still producing No. 1 singles: On the new Billboard Hot 100 chart dated May 8, his new version of “Save Your Tears” featuring Ariana Grande is on top. Last week, the song (then credited to just The Weeknd) ranked at No. 6. This dethrones Polo G, whose “Rapstar” falls to No. 4.
This is the sixth No. 1 song for both artists. For Grande, it comes after “Thank U, Next,” “7 Rings,” “Stuck With U,” “Rain On Me,” and “Positions.” For The Weeknd, it follows “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills,” “Starboy,” “Heartless,” and “Blinding Lights.”
.@theweeknd and @ArianaGrande‘s “Save Your Tears” remix officially hits No. 1 on this week’s #Hot100.
It earns both artists their sixth career No. 1 hits.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 3, 2021
The #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated May 8, 2021)
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 3, 2021
.@theweeknd‘s ‘After Hours’ is the first album to produce three No. 1 singles since @Drake‘s ‘Scorpion’ in 2018.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 3, 2021
This makes After Hours the first album to produce three No. 1 singles since Drake’s Scorpion did it in 2018, and just the seventh album since 2010 with three chart-toppers. Another interesting trivia tidbit is that Grande is now just the second artist with three No. 1 duets, after Paul McCartney; Grande’s “Stuck With U” and “Rain On Me” are collaborations with Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, respectively.
Every album to produce three No. 1 songs since 2010:@katyperry Teenage Dream@rihanna Loud@Adele 21@taylorswift13 1989@justinbieber Purpose@Drake Scorpion@theweeknd After Hours
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 3, 2021
.@ArianaGrande joins @PaulMcCartney as the only artists in history with three No. 1 duets on the #Hot100.
Grande: “Stuck With You,” “Rain On Me,” “Save Your Tears”
McCartney: “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” “Ebony And Ivory,” “Say Say Say”
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 3, 2021
Grande shared her response to the news, tweeting, “thank you so much @billboard @theweeknd and to everybody listening and showing so much love!!!!!! honored and so grateful.”
thank you so much @billboard @theweeknd and to everybody listening and showing so much love
!!!!!!
honored and so grateful https://t.co/F2plVmSzZl— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 3, 2021
The Weeknd may never be nominated for another Grammy, but not because the quality of his work is about to drop off: After somehow being completely snubbed at the 2021 Grammys, the artist declared that he is boycotting the awards and will no longer submit his music for consideration. The Recording Academy has faced a ton of criticism over the past year-plus, but a few days ago, they announced “significant changes” to their voting process, including the elimination of “secret committees.” While The Weeknd thinks that’s cool, he says he’s still going to stick to his boycott.
In a statement to The New York Times, The Weeknd said, “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.”
Interim Recording Academy president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. also offered a statement, saying the changes come as part of “a year of unprecedented, transformational change,” adding, “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.”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd doesn’t need the Grammys to lock down award nods: A few days ago, he racked up an impressive 16 Billboard Music Awards nominations.
The 2021 Billboard Music Awards has announced a massive amount of nominations for the likes of music superstars The Weekend, DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion. Next month’s awards show will have a huge hip-hop presence on deck. The Weeknd, DaBaby + Meg Thee Stallion Leads BBMAs The Billboard Music Awards has Weeknd leading the pack […]
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The Billboard Music Awards are set to air May 23 and are aimed at honoring today’s most popular artists. The full list of nominees has been revealed and The Weeknd, DaBaby, and Megan Thee Stallion are leading the pack.
The Weeknd, who was notably snubbed for a Grammy nomination this year, holds an impressive 16 BMA nominations, including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, and Top Streaming Songs Artist. DaBaby follows closely behind with 11 nominations. Country singer Gabby Barrett holds the most nominations for a female artist with nine, but Megan Thee Stallion is right behind her with seven nods.
The Billboard Music Awards also note that while Morgan Wallen appears on their nominations list, they say “his recent conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting).” Their decision to not include Wallen follows a viral video which shows the singer using a racial slur.
This year’s awards are based on the chart period of March 21, 2020 through April 3, 2021. Nominations are decided based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners.
Check out the fill list of nominees below.
Drake
Juice WRLD
Pop Smoke
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd
Gabby Barrett
Doja Cat
Jack Harlow
Pop Smoke
Rod Wave
Drake
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Pop Smoke
The Weeknd
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Dua Lipa
Megan Thee Stallion
Taylor Swift
AC/DC
AJR
BTS
Dan + Shay
Maroon 5
Drake
Juice WRLD
Pop Smoke
Post Malone
Taylor Swift
DaBaby
Drake
Dua Lipa
Pop Smoke
The Weeknd
DaBaby
Drake
Lil Baby
Pop Smoke
The Weeknd
Justin Bieber
BTS
Megan Thee Stallion
Morgan Wallen
The Weeknd
Justin Bieber
Lewis Capaldi
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles
The Weeknd
Blackpink
BTS
Ariana Grande
SB19
Seventeen
Jhené Aiko
Justin Bieber
Chris Brown
Doja Cat
The Weeknd
Justin Bieber
Chris Brown
The Weeknd
Jhené Aiko
Doja Cat
SZA
DaBaby
Drake
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Pop Smoke
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Pop Smoke
Cardi B
Megan Thee Stallion
Saweetie
Gabby Barrett
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Luke Combs
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Gabby Barrett
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
AC/DC
AJR
Five Finger Death Punch
Machine Gun Kelly
twenty one pilots
Anuel AA
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Maluma
Ozuna
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Ozuna
Becky G
Karol G
Rosalía
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
Eslabón Armado
Los Dos Carnales
The Chainsmokers
Kygo
Lady Gaga
Marshmello
Surf Mesa
Casting Crowns
Elevation Worship
for KING & COUNTRY
Carrie Underwood
Zach Williams
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Maverick City Music
Kanye West
Juice WRLD — “Legends Never Die”
Lil Baby — “My Turn”
Pop Smoke — “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon”
Taylor Swift — “folklore”
The Weeknd — “After Hours”
Jhené Aiko — “Chilombo”
Chris Brown & Young Thug — “Slime & B”
Doja Cat — “Hot Pink”
Kehlani — “It Was Good Until It Wasn’t”
The Weeknd — “After Hours”
DaBaby — “BLAME IT ON BABY”
Juice WRLD — “Legends Never Die”
Lil Baby — “My Turn”
Lil Uzi Vert — “Eternal Atake”
Pop Smoke — “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon”
Gabby Barrett — “Goldmine”
Sam Hunt — “Southside”
Chris Stapleton — “Starting Over”
Carrie Underwood — “My Gift”
Morgan Wallen — “Dangerous: The Double Album”
AC/DC — “Power Up”
Miley Cyrus — “Plastic Hearts”
Glass Animals — “Dreamland”
Machine Gun Kelly — “Tickets to My Downfall”
Bruce Springsteen — “Letter to You”
Anuel AA — “Emmanuel”
Bad Bunny — “El Último Tour Del Mundo”
Bad Bunny — “Las que no iban a salir”
Bad Bunny — “YHLQMDLG”
J Balvin — “Colores”
DJ Snake — “Carte Blanche”
Gryffin — “Gravity”
Kygo — “Golden Hour”
Lady Gaga — “Chromatica”
Kylie Minogue — “Disco”
Bethel Music — “Peace”
Elevation Worship — “Grave Into Gardens”
Carrie Underwood — “My Gift”
We The Kingdom — “Holy Water”
Zach Williams — “Rescue Story”
Koryn Hawthorne — “I AM”
Tasha Cobbs Leonard — “Royalty: Live at the Ryman”
Maverick City Music — “Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1”
Maverick City Music — “Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 2”
Kierra Sheard — “Kierra”
24kGoldn Feat. iann dior — “Mood”
Gabby Barrett Feat. Charlie Puth — “I Hope”
Chris Brown & Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “ROCKSTAR”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “ROCKSTAR”
Future Feat. Drake — “Life Is Good”
Jack Harlow Feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne — “WHATS POPPIN”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”
Gabby Barrett Feat. Charlie Puth — “I Hope”
BTS — “Dynamite”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
Megan Thee Stallion — “Savage”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”
Gabby Barrett Feat. Charlie Puth — “I Hope”
Chris Brown & Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
Dua Lipa — “Don’t Start Now”
Harry Styles — “Adore You”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”
24kGoldn Feat. iann dior — “Mood”
Gabby Barrett Feat. Charlie Puth — “I Hope”
Chris Brown & Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “ROCKSTAR”
Jack Harlow Feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne — “WHATS POPPIN”
Jhené Aiko Feat. H.E.R. — “B.S.”
Justin Bieber Feat. Quavo — “Intentions”
Chris Brown & Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
Doja Cat — “Say So”
The Weeknd — “Blinding Lights”
24kGoldn Feat. iann dior — “Mood”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
DaBaby Feat. Roddy Ricch — “ROCKSTAR”
Jack Harlow Feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne — “WHATS POPPIN”
Megan Thee Stallion — “Savage”
Jason Aldean — “Got What I Got”
Gabby Barrett — “I Hope”
Lee Brice — “One of Them Girls”
Morgan Wallen — “Chasin’ You”
Morgan Wallen — “More Than My Hometown”
AJR — “Bang!”
All Time Low Feat. blackbear — “Monsters”
Glass Animals — “Heat Waves”
Machine Gun Kelly Feat. blackbear — “my ex’s best friend”
twenty one pilots — “Level of Concern”
Bad Bunny — “Yo Perreo Sola”
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez — “Dákiti”
Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin — “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)”
Maluma & The Weeknd — “Hawái”
Ozuna x Karol G x Myke Towers — “Caramelo”
Lady Gaga — “Stupid Love”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande — “Rain on Me”
SAINt JHN — “Roses (Imanbek Remix)”
Surf Mesa Feat. Emilee — “ily (i love you baby)”
Topic & A7S — “Breaking Me”
Elevation Worship Feat. Brandon Lake — “Graves Into Gardens”
for KING & COUNTRY, Kirk Franklin & Tori Kelly — “Together”
Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, & Elevation Worship — “The Blessing (Live)”
Tauren Wells Feat. Jenn Johnson — “Famous For (I Believe)”
Zach Williams & Dolly Parton — “There Was Jesus”
Koryn Hawthorne — “Speak To Me”
Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music — “Movin’ On”
Marvin Sapp — “Thank You For It All”
Tye Tribbett — “We Gon’ Be Alright”
Kanye West Feat. Travis Scott — “Wash Us In The Blood”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Maybe this one will actually get an Grammy nomination. R&B and pop superstar The Weeknd has owned the music charts for the last year, and there may be no end in sight now, as it sounds like he has another big project on the way. The Weeknd Can’t Hide Excitement Over His New Music The […]
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