30 November 2020
Newsdesk
Halsey has weighed in on the drama surrounding the 2021 Grammy nominations.
The star, who released her acclaimed album Manic in early 2020, failed to pick up any nods in the shortlist which was announced earlier this week.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Nightmare singer addressed the situation, writing: "I've been thinking and wanted to choose my words carefully because a lot of people have extended sympathy and apology to me since the Grammy nominations (sic)."
"The Grammys are an elusive process," she explained.
"It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshakes and 'bribes' that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as 'not-bribes'," she went on.
Halsey reflected: "And if you get that far, it's about committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising. Perhaps sometimes it is (!!) but it's not always about the music or quality or culture."
She then cited the example of The Weeknd, who labelled the Recording Academy "corrupt", after also missing out on the nominations, despite landing critical and commercial success with album After Hours and one of the biggest-selling songs of 2020, Blinding Lights.
"@theweeknd deserves better, and Manic did too. Perhaps it's unbecoming of me to say so but I can't care anymore," Halsey concluded. "While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency and reform. But I'm sure this post will blacklist me anyway," she mulled.
