The 2025 Grammy Awards took place Sunday, Feb. 2, and was filled with unforgettable moments. However, one stood out above the rest: The Weeknd's surprise performance, which turned heads across the music industry.
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, is a four-time Grammy winner and one of the most prominent artists in the world. Despite his musical success, he hasn’t attended the awards show since 2020 when he publicly boycotted the Grammys.
The artist's grievances with The Recording Academy began after his 2020 album “After Hours,” which dominated the charts, but didn’t receive a single Grammy nomination. Fans were shocked, especially considering one of the album’s singles, “Blinding Lights,” became the most streamed song in Spotify's history.
Tesfaye took to X in a since-deleted post: “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency.”
His criticism was primarily aimed at The Recording Academy’s lack of transparency regarding its voting process and the diversity of its decision-makers.
“Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” Tesfaye said in an interview with The New York Times.
As a result, the Recording Academy removed the anonymous nominating committees in 2021 to promote transparency about its membership.
The Recording Academy describes membership as a privilege for those whose professional achievements in the music industry demonstrate significant experience, whether as a recording artist, producer, engineer, songwriter or other role in the music industry.
In the years since the Grammys have made efforts to reform. The Academy has added 8,700 new members since 2019, including a 27% growth of women and a 65% growth of people of color.
At this year’s ceremony, almost every award announcement began with the same statement: “As voted on by 13,000 members of The Academy.” The consistent preamble was likely a purposeful move to reinforce the changes and highlight The Academy’s renewed commitment to transparency in the voting process.
During the telecast, the CEO of The Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. joined the stage to apologize and explain these changes. He noted the criticism The Academy has faced, specifically noting Tesfaye’s boycott during his speech.
“Criticism is OK,” Mason said. “I heard him, I felt his conviction. What we all want is an organization dedicated to the well-being of all music makers and one that reflects the entire music community for now and for future generations. So over the last few years, we’ve listened, we’ve acted and we’ve changed.”
Mason then announced The Academy’s new initiatives, like the Black Music Collective, Women In The Mix and Academy Proud, which highlight diverse voices within the organization. He explained the new demographics making up the voting members of The Academy and how they will continue to work to modernize in the future.
The Recording Academy seemingly mended its relationship with Tesfaye and shocked the guests with a surprise performance. Tesfaye played “Cry For Me” and "Timeless,” two songs from his new album “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which was released on Jan. 31. Tesfaye even brought out Playboy Carti for “Timeless” as an added surprise for viewers.
The Recording Academy’s efforts seemed to pay off since this year’s winners were primarily women and people of color. While there is still progress to be made, the results of this year’s awards are a positive indication that The Academy will continue to prioritize diversity following its much-needed reforms.
