The Weeknd ended his boycott of the Grammys and the timing couldn’t be more perfect
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — The Weeknd announced a world tour last week, but that wasn’t the only news.
The singer ended his four-year boycott of the Grammys on Sunday, when he took to the stage at the awards show to perform.
Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive officer of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, introduced The Weeknd and recalled how the singer/songwriter was vocal after Mason first took over the role in 2020.
“I remember waking up to the headlines that the Weeknd called out the Academy for lack of transparency in our awards. He went so far as to announce he was boycotting the Grammys,” Mason said from the Grammys stage. “That made for some interesting reading over breakfast. But you know what? Criticism is, okay. I heard him. I felt his conviction.”
The Weeknd had been riding high in 2020, smashing streaming records with his single “Blinding Lights.” He spoke up after he failed to garner a single Grammy nomination that year.
Mason let it be known that the Canadian singer was heard loud and clear.
“What we all want is an organization dedicated to the wellbeing of all music makers and one that reflects the entire music community for now and for future generations,” Mason said on stage. “So over the past few years, we’ve listened, we’ve acted, and we’ve changed.”
Since then, Mason said, the Recording Academy has “remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members.”
“The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new,” Mason said. “Since we started our transformation this year, the 13,000 voting members of the Academy nominated their peers and voted for the winners that you’re seeing on this stage tonight. It’s a system rooted in fairness, integrity, and the principle that every voice in our community matters.”
The Weeknd showed he has moved on with his surprise performance of “Cry For Me” and “Timeless” from his new album, titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” The project serves as the final chapter in his trilogy, following “After Hours” (2020) and “Dawn FM” (2022).
His “After Hours Til Dawn” stadium tour kicks off on Friday, May 9 in Phoenix, Arizona. There will be additional stops in Detroit, Chicago, Montréal, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, Miami, Atlanta, and more.
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