Zayn Malik lashes out at Grammy nomination process after failing to make the cut again

• Sarwar Alam
• 11 March, 2021

Follow Us

By: Sarwar Alam

Singer Zayn Malik has had a go at the process of nomination for the prestigious Grammy awards after once again not getting nominated in any category.

After his first tweet where he suggested that considerations other than talent and performance played a part in the nomination process, he moderated his stand to talk about the larger issues relating to the whole system of the awards.

“Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s (sic) no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionery,” the former member of One Direction stated in his initial tweet.

Later on, he wrote in another post: “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 favoritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process.”

The reason for the 28-year-old not finding his name among the nominees this year may be entirely due to the basic rules of the awards. Zayn’s latest album – Nobody is Listening – was released only in January this year. This was after the cut-off date for this year’s nominations. The album will be eligible for next year’s awards.

The outburst of Malik has brought the entire process that leads to Grammy nomination into question, if it wasn’t already. Another well-known singer, The Weeknd (real name – Abel Tesfaye) has also levelled serious allegations against the organizers and the jury. He went to the extent of calling them “corrupt.”

The Weeknd has good reason to be unhappy. His hit single – Blinding Lights – has been in the US top-10 for a record 52 weeks. Yet, it hasn’t found a place in any of the 84 categories. Compared to this, Malik’s album hasn’t been in the US top-40 at all.

An even more serious allegation was made last year by Deborah Dugan, the then chief executive of Recording Academy – organisers of the Grammys event. She was put on an administrative leave on charges of misconduct. She hit back by alleging that there are massive irregularities in the voting system as well as a history of sexual misconduct. Dugan even claimed to have evidence of this.

The criticisms by Malik and The Weeknd are unlikely to take the sheen away from the upcoming awards ceremony which takes place on Sunday. But they will add to the weight of discontentment among music fans with the lack of transparency in the system.