Victor Willis, best known as one of the original members of disco group Village People, has told The Weeknd to “lighten up” about the Grammys.
The 69-year-old singer posted an open letter Monday on Facebook in which he calls out the Canadian star for slamming the Recording Academy.
“I know a thing or two about attacking the Grammys, and their once secret committees,” Willis wrote. “I must say you're not handling this in the spirit of black protest of this important issue. You see, while black artists like me were making honest complaints about the secret committees, you were busy racking up one Grammy after another under those secret committees.
“I don't recall you complaining about the secret committees when you were benefitting from those secret committees. But on the one occasion the secret committees didn't benefit you, the Grammys are suddenly corrupt, and it's off with their heads?”
When the 63rd Grammy nominations were announced last November, The Weeknd’s name was nowhere to be found despite the fact he had one of the biggest albums of the year, After Hours. “The Grammys remain corrupt,” he tweeted. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”
In January, The Weeknd told Billboard the snubs felt like “a sucker punch” and he was over the Grammys. “I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want the Grammy!’ It’s just that this happened, and I’m down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again … Forget awards shows.”
The Weeknd told The New York Times in a statement in March that he won’t let himself be considered for Grammy nominations again unless the Recording Academy becomes more transparent.
“Because of secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” he said.
The Recording Academy later voted to do away with some of its nomination review committees. Nominees in the “Big Four” categories – album, record and song of the year as well as best new artist – and 10 genre categories will now be determined through peer voting by Academy members.
The Weeknd responded to the changes by doubling down on his pledge to boycott the Grammys.
In his open letter, Willis wrote: “You’re much too talented to be pouting about the Grammys. And it seems you're out for blood despite the secret committees being eliminated. Negative.”
Willis said the new head of the Academy, Harvey Mason, is Black and “making real, meaningful and historic changes that will likely benefit the music business for decades to come.”
Willis urged The Weeknd to “Cut the brotha some slack!”
Willis criticized the Recording Academy because it inducted the Village People hit “Y.M.C.A” into the Grammy Hall of Fame in December without a ceremony and didn’t mention the group on the Grammys show.
The Weeknd’s three Grammys came from 10 nominations between 2014 and 2018 – of which only two were in one of the four “General Field” categories. Beauty Behind the Madness was nominated for Album of the Year (it had to settle for Best Urban Contemporary Album) and “Can’t Feel My Face” was up for Record of the Year (it lost to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars).
Willis left Village People in the early ‘80s but returned in 2017.