Surprises in 2020? Get in line. Given … everything, should we have expected anything less when it comes to the Grammy Awards? Below, some of the many stumpers in an overwhelming year.
1. No Weeknd, at all. It’s not just the notion of weekends that were dealt a mortal blow in 2020. The artist born Abel Tesfaye, whose memorable performances wrapped in bloodied bandages were some of the year’s most arresting, got a virtual beatdown by the Recording Academy on Tuesday morning. The Weeknd, who is scheduled to perform at the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, was the odds-on favorite to earn the most nominations this year, and he didn’t get a one.
Do you know who got more Grammy nods this year than the Weeknd? Renee Zellweger, Maxi Priest, Rachel Maddow, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” the Okee Dokee Brothers and Mister Rogers, that’s who.
It is truly baffling. Since 2013, he had earned a total of 10 nominations, including major ones for “Can’t Feel My Face” and his album “Beauty Behind the Madness.” Amid the chaos and division of 2020, didn’t we agree on the Weeknd’s brilliance? Or at least that “Blinding Lights” dominated the year enough to earn a song or record nod? Apparently not.