In late November, the much-anticipated nominations for the upcoming Grammy’s were announced.

After a year of record-breaking albums by talented artists, many people were anxiously waiting to see if their favorite artist’s album or song would be nominated for categories like “Album of the Year” or “Song of the Year.” Many artists were also hopeful that their music would be nominated in some of these categories, especially since many albums this year were extremely successful. Though when it came time to the nominations, both artists and fans were left shocked and disappointed. 

One of the most notable snubs from this year’s nominations was The Weeknd, who is performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and whose new album “After Hours” was one of the biggest albums of the year, yet was not nominated for a single category. The Weeknd expressed his disappointment in a series of posts across his social media saying “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…” Amidst the chaos, rapper Nicki Minaj chimed in tweeting, “Never forget the Grammys didn’t give me my best new artist award when I had 7 songs simultaneously charting on billboard & bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade-went on to inspire a generation.” Fans flocked to both The Weeknd and Minaj’s post to express their support for the musicians.

Another high-profile artist who spoke out on the matter was Halsey, who also expressed her support for The Weeknd after the Recording Academy unveiled their picks, and additionally added that she doesn’t believe that the Grammy process is truly authentic, but rather depends on who you know, regardless of how your music has performed. The singer took to Instagram on November 28 to convey her opinions and speak to her fans about the controversy. She wrote “… 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.” She further asserts that “it’s not always about the music or quality or culture.”

Based on these responses to the nominations and the number of enraged fans, it’s safe to assume that next year’s Grammy Awards will not be as watched or supported by viewers as it has been in previous years.