Days after artists like The Weeknd and Halsey slammed the Grammys for perceived snubs of their albums, Ellie Goulding has shared her thoughts on music awards.
“I sit and wonder when the industry stopped reflecting the impulses that drive us as musicians,” the 33-year-old English singer wrote at Medium. “I sit and wonder when factors such as industry relationships, internal politics, and magazine covers started being rewarded before the music itself.
“I sit and wonder about the ways in which artists in other fields — fine art, dance, film — are identified and praised for their notable bodies of work, not because [of] their notable bodies or working relationships.”
Goulding opined that music artists are being awarded with nominations and wins “for reasons that are hard to decipher” and asked: “If both the most globally popular artists and most critically revered artists are not being recognized, how do we, as artists, go on? Would a runner start a race if they knew crossing the finish line first wouldn’t necessarily win them a gold medal?”
Without ever mentioning the Grammys specifically, the “Love Me Like You Do” singer called for transparency in the nomination and voting process.
“What makes the music industry so confusing is the dichotomy between being a true creative and achieving commercial success,” she opined. “But in the end, who really deserves the award?”
Goulding ended with a message for the music industry. “It is time to have a bigger discussion about where we are going and how we acknowledge and reward those who are, frankly, the reason this industry exists in the first place.”