After The Weeknd publicly stated that he would never again submit his music to or attend the Grammys, The Recording Academy was swift to respond. It came as a shock to music fans that The Weeknd’s chart-topping After Hours album didn’t receive one bit of recognition at the last award ceremony. After Hours debuted at No. 1 and spent a year on the charts, but The Recording Academy’s voters didn’t think it was worthy of even one nomination.
Later, Iggy Azalea took to Twitter with allegations that the Grammys are “rigged as f*ck,” and Bebe Rexha suggested it was about payoffs. Following the backlash, it has been announced that The Recording Academy has made significant changes to its voting process, including eliminating secret committees that determine the ceremony’s most coveted categories including Best Album and Best New Artist.
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Variety describes the changes as: “Elimination of Nominations Review Committees In General and Genre Fields” and “Reduction In Number of Categories Voter May Vote,” as well as two new categories being added (Best Global Music Performance—Global Music Field and Best Música Urbana Album—Latin Music Field). There will also be adjustments made to the less controversial craft categories that involve production and presentation.
“It’s been a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Recording Academy, and I’m immensely proud to be able to continue our journey of growth with these latest updates to our Awards process,” said Harvey Mason Jr., Interim CEO of the Recording Academy. “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 continued. “We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the Awards process.”
The next Grammy ceremony is slated for January 31, 2022.
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