The Weeknd has emerged as the key snub from the 2021 Grammy Award nominations, with his latest record absent from the list of contenders.
Today’s nominees list gives exactly zero shine to The Weeknd’s After Hours, despite its warm critical response and international chart dominance.
After Hours isn’t in the running for Best Progressive R&B Album, the award which The Weeknd secured in 2016 for Beauty Behind the Madness, and again in 2018 for Starboy.
His uber-hit single Blinding Lights – which managed eleven weeks at the top of Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart – was also absent from the individual song categories.
Rough news for fans of the man born Abel Tesfaye, and for anyone who thinks House of Balloons should be honoured each year in perpetuity, ie. me.
Abel was robbed man this shits weak
— The Chosen One (@KiDCuDi) November 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheRapAgenda/status/1331308691400904705
https://twitter.com/sarasfilter/status/1331293507328348167
Elsewhere, Harry Styles stans have rued the Fine Line gun’s nominations.
Although the fella nabbed his first three noms as a solo artist – Best Pop Performance for Watermelon Sugar, Best Pop Vocal Album for Fine Line, and Best Music Video for Adore You – some punters reckon the guy should have earned more, including a chance to win Album of the Year.
I know @Harry_Styles got a few Grammy nominations.. but I can’t help but feel as if he should have gotten more. No one made a better album this year. 🤷🏻♂️
— Alexander DeLeon (@bohnes) November 24, 2020
Are you okay?” Bro Harry Styles is the first male to appear on the cover of Vogue and now he has 3 Grammys nominations. Sadly he wasn’t nominated for aoty or roty which is confusing cause he deserved to be nominated. So no I’m not okay. But I’m still so proud of Harry. pic.twitter.com/LLLwOniafO
— Victoria (@victoriarivvera) November 24, 2020
Even Justin Bieber, whose 2020 effort Changes is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, has a bit to say about this year’s nominations.
“Changes was and is an R&B album,” he said on Instagram this morning, adding, “for this not to be put into that [R&B] category feels weird considering… it is undeniably, unmistakably, an R&B Album!”
Selena Gomez fans are also questioning why and how Lose You to Love Me wound up without any recognition, and some country fans are scratching their heads over the omission of Luke Combs, a fella whose jumbo record was also shut out.
https://twitter.com/getawaydaniel/status/1331296154471067649
lose you to love me not getting nominated for a single category at any award show this year is the biggest mystery of the year and whether you stan selena gomez or not, you cannot deny that fact.
— shelley | 1 !!! (@selgofetish) November 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/gcfjooniee/status/1331351755225845760
Ah well. At least Freddie Gibbs, Power Trip, and Caspian are getting some of the shine they deserve.
You can cop the full list of nominees right here.
