The Weeknd ends Grammys boycott with surprise performance
The Weeknd made an unexpected appearance at the 67th Grammy Awards, taking the stage to perform two new songs from his freshly released album, "Hurry Up Tomorrow". This marks the first time the four-time Grammy-winning artist has attended the event since beginning his boycott in 2021.
The 34-year-old R&B artist's set featured some of his biggest hits, set against a black backdrop lit up with lights and lasers, accompanied by a group of dancers.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. During his performance, The Weeknd delivered a medley of "Cry For Me" and "Timeless", joined by Playboi Carti, according to PopCrave. Both tracks are from his recently released album, "Hurry Up Tomorrow", which dropped on January 31.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. introduced the performance, addressing the criticism the Academy had faced, particularly from The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye). In 2021, The Weeknd publicly criticised the Academy after his successful "After Hours" album, which topped the Billboard 200 for over three weeks, was excluded from the Album of the Year category. Similarly, his hit single "Blinding Lights" was overlooked for Record of the Year.
In 2021, The Weeknd shared his frustration with the Grammys in an interview, stating, "Trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organisation and artists that raising a victory flag would be unwise." He continued, "I have no interest in being part of the Grammys, especially with their own admission of corruption over the years. I will not be submitting my music in the future."
Despite this, The Weeknd received three Grammy nominations from the organisation in 2022.
The release of "Hurry Up Tomorrow" was postponed from its original schedule last week in light of the Los Angeles wildfires tragedy. All proceeds from the track "Take Me Back to LA" will go to the LA Regional Food Bank, which is offering emergency food aid to those affected by the fires. The Weeknd also decided to cancel the planned album release concert at Pasadena's Rose Bowl and contributed $1 million to the LAFD Foundation, GoFundMe's Wildfire Relief Fund, and the LA Regional Food Bank.
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