The Weeknd ended his yearslong boycott of the Grammy Awards by making a surprise appearance at the show on Sunday.
The Canadian artist, who once called The Recording Academy “corrupt,” performed his new song “Cry For Me” onstage at the 67th Grammy Awards after the academy’s CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., gave a speech focused on how the Grammys has taken steps to modernize, including adding more than 3,000 voting members.
“I remember waking up to the headlines that The Weeknd called out the academy for lack of transparency in our awards,” Mason Jr. said. “But you know what, criticism is ok. I heard them. I felt his conviction.”
The voting members are now younger and nearly 40% of its 13,000 members are people of color, Mason Jr. said.
Previously, a review committee of at least 20 people picked the top eight nominees out of the artists who had been voted into the top 20 in four of the biggest categories: album, song and record of the year, and best new artist, according to The Associated Press.
Now, all nominees are based solely on thousands of votes from members, Mason Jr. said.
“There’s still work to be done, but I firmly believe we’re on the right path,” he said. “As we’ve seen tonight, music is a powerful force for good. It heals us. It unites us, and we need that in this city right now.”
This year’s Grammys took place in wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles and the show, which aired live on the CBS Television Network and streamed on Paramount+, paid tribute to firefighters and helped raised money for communities affected by the deadly fires.
