Justin Bieber is the latest singer who will not be attending this year’s Grammy Awards, joining a growing list of celebrities who will be giving this Sunday’s ceremony a skip.
According to Page Six, Bieber, 27, won’t be attending the 2021 Grammys because he’s not performing at this year’s show and is unhappy about his album ‘Changes’ being nominated in the pop category, instead of being classified as R&B. The singer didn’t hide his disappoint either by putting out a statement on Instagram when the nominations were first announced.
“I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry. I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said, I set out to make an R&B album,” he wrote on Instagram. “‘Changes’ was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album, which is very strange to me.”
He further stated: “For this not to be put into that category feels weird, considering from the chords to the melodies to the vocal style, all the way down to the hip-hop drums that were chosen, it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B album!”
Bieber, incidentally, has been nominated for four awards at this year’s event, including Best Pop Solo Performance (‘Yummy’), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (‘Intentions’, featuring Quavo), Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance (for his feature on Dan + Shay’s ‘10,000 Hours’).
Stars lead the snub
This year’s awards have been criticised over lack of inclusivity with The Weeknd, along with Zayn Malik and Halsey showing their anger at the Recording Academy’s nomination process.
In November, when the list of nominations first came out, The Weeknd hit back at the Recording Academy for not recognising his work, despite him releasing the hit song ‘Blinding Lights’ in 2020 and having one of the highest selling and critically acclaimed albums of the year, ‘After Hours’.
Not one to hold back, The Weeknd hit back with statements across his social media platforms, saying: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency …”
Last week, British crooner Zayn Malik dropped the niceties to tweet: “[Expletive] the Grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”
He later clarified: “My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favouritism, racism, and netwokring [sic] politics to influence the voting process.”
Halsey, meanwhile, took to social media to accuse the Grammys of allegedly selecting nominees based on “behind-the-scenes private performances”, nepotism, and “bribes”.
The singer wrote on Instagram Stories: “It’s not always about the music or quality or culture. I’ve been thinking and wanted to choose my words carefully because a lot of people have extended sympathy and apology to me since the Grammy nominations.
“The Grammys are an elusive process. It can often be about behind-the-scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshakes and ‘bribes’ that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as ‘not-bribes.’ And if you get that far, it’s about committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising on the night of the show.”
“Perhaps sometimes it is (!!) but it’s not always about the music or quality or culture,” continued Halsey. “Just wanted to get that off my chest. @theweeknd deserves better, and Manic did too. Perhaps it’s unbecoming of me to say so but I don’t care anymore. While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognised this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform.”
The singer concluded: “But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.”
