Elton John has expressed his support for The Weeknd after the Canadian singer failed to receive any Grammy nominations last night.
The ‘Blinding Lights’ singer – real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – hit out at the Recording Academy yesterday (November 24) due to his latest album ‘After Hours’ and its singles being overlooked for the 2021 ceremony.
Taking to Twitter, Tesfaye said the Grammys “remain corrupt” and that the organisation “owe me, my fans and the industry transparency”. Recording Academy Chair Harvey Mason later responded to the star’s disappointment, explaining in a statement that “there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists”.
Today (November 25), Elton John posted the ‘Blinding Lights’ artwork to his official Instagram, revealing in the caption that he believes the track should be crowned Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year at the Grammys 2020.
“In my humble opinion……,” John began the message, while also including the #GrammySnub hashtag and tagging The Weeknd’s account. You can see the post above.
“We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling,” Harvey Mason’s statement began.
“His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists.
“All Grammy nominees are recognised by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.”
The Weeknd has previously won three Grammys: Best Urban Contemporary Album for ‘Starboy’ and ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’ in 2018 and 2016 respectively and Best R&B Performance for ‘Earned It’ in 2016.
Leading the nominations for this year’s Grammys are Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Beyoncé. The official ceremony will take place on January 31, 2021.