Beyonce has not attended the Grammy Awards since 2018. She’s been nominated for Grammys since then, but she almost always gets shafted for the big-category Grammys, with both nominations and awards. The worst moment for the Beyhive was when Adele’s 25 swept the Grammys the same year that Beyonce’s Lemonade was nominated. That one still hurts, and I say that as an Adele fan too. Adele’s 25 was a great album. Beyonce’s Lemonade is arguably one of the albums of the past two decades, and it is still (to my mind) her greatest work. Even Adele (a true member of the Hive) was upset that Beyonce got snubbed that year. Well, true story: Beyonce isn’t f–king with the Grammys this year, despite being nominated. I doubt she’ll f–k with the Grammys ever again.
Beyoncé won’t be making an appearance at the Grammys this year. Despite leading the pack in nominations this year, earning a total of nine, the singer was not included in the list of performers scheduled to take the stage on Sunday.
Speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Recording Academy interim chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. shut down rumors that the 24-time Grammy winner would be making a surprise appearance.
“It’s unfortunate, because she’s such a big part of the Recording Academy,” Mason told the outlet in a story published on Saturday. “We absolutely wish we had her onstage.”
In recent years, the awards show has received criticism from a number of stars, some of whom have chosen to skip out on music’s biggest night entirely. Although Beyoncé and husband JAY-Z attended the annual Roc Nation Brunch ahead of the 2019 Grammys, they made it clear on their song 2018 single “Apesh-t” that they would not be attending the show.
“Tell the Grammys f— that 0-for-8 s—/ Have you ever seen the crowd goin’ apes—?” JAY Z raps on the track, a nod to being nominated eight times for his 4:44 album in 2018 and not winning in a single category.
JAY Z previously boycotted attending the ceremony for six years before attending the 2018 ceremony to support his wife.
In 2019, Kendrick Lamar, the most-nominated artist of the year, also declined to perform, as did Childish Gambino and Drake. The Weeknd also revealed this year that he will boycott the awards show in the future, after his latest album and its hit single “Blinding Lights” were snubbed from nominations. “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” Tesfaye, 31, told The New York Times earlier this month.
In case anyone was paying attention, Bey actually got 10 Grammy nominations this year, the bulk of which are for Black Parade, although three of the noms are for the “Savage” remix with Megan Thee Stallion. The racism in and around the Grammys has been going on forever, I absolutely remember it being a thing when I was a kid, and the Grammys were slow to recognize rap and hip-hop even back then. It’s still insane, and the voting transparency issue is only one part of it. There needs to be a big overhaul of the whole system, including how music is categorized, honestly. Anyway, good for Beyonce. If I was in her position, I’d boycott the sh-t too.
Photos of Beyonce at the 2018 Grammys, the last time she attended.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Getty.
I really side eye all the white artists that aren’t standing up with black artists against the racism of the grammys. A united stand with many artists boycotting would do the trick, but they’re so hungry for the awards they don’t want to hear and take their privilege into it.
I have no plans to watch the grammys.
Beyonce has been better than the Taylor swifts and Adele’s and yet time and again she is not given her appropriate due. It’s BS.
she has over 20 grammys and still sends her work to the committee to get nominated
guess she’s hungry too
Such a good point.
White artists are standing by silent.
I hope more black artists follow Bey and Abel’s lead and refuse to participate.
I haven’t watched the Grammys since ever since then either.
When the Grammy’s stop being racist maybe more big name black artist will be in attendance. I’ll be watching only BTS’s performance then bye.
Army is so mad that BTS’s category is not part of the lineup being broadcast. I’m also turning it on to see them perform and then right off.
The only reason I knew the Grammy’s were today is because of BTS
Lemonade is the only Beyoncé album that I owe, I have quite a few Beyoncé singles from her other albums but never felt inclined to buy the albums. Lemonade is her most accomplished work, and as stated atl one of the best albums released in recent times. I genuinely do not understand the Adele love, I find her work the epitome of MOR, I get why she appeals to people across generations and even gender because her music is so MOR, I genuinely cannot remember a single song from 25 and yet she won Aoty.
I agree. I find Adele’s voice really not that great and her songs just pass me by. They used to play her music in my gym’s foyer, oh the good old days!, and it had no impact on me other than something nice in the background while I got some water and ignored the vending machine.
This is interesting to me because you have to submit music for consideration for Grammy nominations. So, is Bey agreeing to be submitted then not attending or is she being submitted by her label with no input from her?
My guess is that it was submitted precisely so the ceremony could be snubbed. Taste of their own medicine
Yeah maybe so! I’m interested to see who else starts holding back music from consideration as the Grammys become less and less relevant.
That does not make sense. The bigger message would be not to submit at all.
I agree, I think in 2019 Beyonce didn’t make it to the Brit Awards but still filmed a nice message thanking them for an award and lots of ppl noticed her silence around the Grammys.
The last grammy she attended when they also decided to screw her husband. I get they need to hold these Roc Nation pre grammy brunches because they have artists on their rosters. But i dont get why they still even submit their works.?
I admit I am not up on today’s music. But I do love the Queen but for reasons other than her music. And Adele, yeah I was sick of the last album before the week was out. I was visiting my youngest brother who adores Adele and 25 had just come out😅
Good. Black artists are the ones being snubbed and the biggest black artists aren’t giving the Grammys the time of day anymore. Honestly I hope other POC artists like BTS do the same. What’s going to happen is more and more giants will keep dropping out and it will be nothing but the Ariana grandes and Justin Biebers left standing.
Good for her. But has she had a song on the top ten in a while? That shouldnt be the only thing to matter matter with grammy consideration but it seems to do. Like, Cardi is up there all the time so I’d get if Cardi won lots of grammys. And The Stallion. I dunno, I dont feel like I’ve heard Bey on the airwaves for a decade.
This exactly.
Although I’d like to believe that awards actually are given to the piece of art that achieved greatness in a field, we know it’s not always the case.
These awards price popularity. Sales and relevance. Check once again when was the last time Beyoncé had a smashing hit.
The Grammys arent the same as the billboard awards though. It’s supposed to be for artistic merit and not necessarily album sales which is why people like Herbie Hancock have won album of the year despite never being on the radio ever.
And she’s not seen as needing a “gold watch” Boomer/career achievement Grammy for having been ignored for decades, either (She HAS won 24 times, after all.) This new producer seems really enthusiastic. But the Grammys have barely pretended to be about artistic recognition for years. It’s about starf**king for ratings for CBS and everyone knows it; they have 100 categories and present barely a dozen on the actual telecast. But if anyone can force a change, it’s her.
Kendrick Lamar losing was it for me. To Pimp A Butterfly is and still is a masterpiece and history will remember it.
The Pulitzer committee gave him a award for the follow up DAMN but the Grammy committee still didn’t get it.
And I scuffed at the BTS snub. They had two of the biggest songs of the year and still the disrespect. This one would have been a easy one for them and they still messed it up. I am not even a ARMY member but I feel for them and they know.
BTS had the best selling album globally in 2020.
Globally, they were also best selling artists in general.
Fun fact: BeyHive and ARMY have a kind of fandom friendship, often supporting each other.
@Tiffany, thanks for your support by the way 🙂
Grammys is still a thing?
👏🏽 My thoughts exactly. Like the Oscars, outdated and lessening prestige daily.
Her band gets paid lower than any session musicians in the industry at that level because her team and she is greedy. I feel like this is just karma … these artists shaft their musicians just cause they’re a name and then they cry about not being nominated haha boo hoo
The thing that annoyed me with the BTS nomination was only the all English song was nominated. Yes, it was very popular and catchy, but for BTS, lyrically, musically, choreography, Dynamite is pretty easy. The song ON and the accompanying album was soooo much more artistically challenging and difficult. If the Grammys are supposed to be decided by artistry and not commercial popularity then ON should have been nominated instead of Dynamite. Ditto about Beyonce in major award categories, Blinding Lights. It goes on and on. The Grammys need some major restructuring or it’s going to be irrelevant. No one cares that you are the only award show to not Zoom in a pandemic if the awards themselves are meaningless.
MOTS: 7 is amazing.
Black Swan is my fave. Both MVs for this song are art, in my opinion.
I love Jimin’s style of dancing and Black Swan is perfect for it.
My favorite performance is at the MMAs, where they also break gender expectations in their dance.
I checked out those 2 songs you mentioned. It was very catchy and good, but felt so weird at the moment. Only because just discovered Dimash and I’ve been listening him to the last few weeks and the 2 styles are polar opposites. Both of them top of their game in their own styles.
Beyonce is a super talent.
I will only be watching Silk Sonic perform.
Those artists should create their own awards ceremony. The MOBOs in the UK were created for similar reasons, because Black artists were frequently not even getting nominated in the mainstream awards at one point.
Ed Sheeran and Adele were nominated for MOBO’s ! LOLOLOLOL I think Adele won for best RnB LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Black artists should stop attending. It’s been clear as day the Grammy’s and Oscars are not welcoming.
This entire thread made me feel so old.
Me too. Adele is about the only newer music I’ve listened to, everything else is throwback stuff.
I will watch long enough to see BTS perform, then I’m out. I haven’t watched the Grammys in ages, it seems like every year the same conversation about racism happens yet nothing changes?
The Grammys are for the young people. They are the ones who will tune in. It should appeal to them. Give them more BTS, CardiB, Megan thee stallion. Beyoncé is for the older generation. She’s not popular with the teens and 20s. Even 30s. She’s a great performer but I can’t think of a song she’s done since single ladies.
I’m still mad that Lemonade lost Album of the Year. I’m surprised she even bothers to submit her work anymore.
The Grammys always get it wrong, that is their thing. Then they put on Chris Brown for his comeback after criminally reprehensible behavior and I cant bear to watch. I am out.
Bee just won her record 27th Grammy with Megan the Stallion. Jay is there too.
She looks fierce!
Wow, well that was a surprise!!!
Looks like she did attend
haha, right? So much outrage on her behalf and she attended!