The Weeknd Makes Shocking Return to Grammys After Public Beef With Recording Academy

The Weeknd made a surprise appearance at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2, putting an end to his years-long boycott of the awards.

The “After Hours” artist, 34, took to the stage at the 67th Grammy Awards more than five years after calling The Recording Academy “corrupt,” performing his new songs “Cry For Me” and “Timeless” off of his just-released album Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Previously, the Weeknd had called for “transparency” from the “corrupt” Recorded Academy in November 2020 after his record-shattering single “Blinding Lights” netted zero Grammy nominations that year, despite it remaining the most-streamed song in Spotify history to this day. Following the snub, the Weeknd has declined to submit his music for Grammy consideration.

Ahead of the Weeknd’s performance Sunday, the Academy’s CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., addressed the tumultuous relationship between the two parties in a speech, telling the audience about how the Grammys had taken steps to modernize.

“I heard [the Weeknd] and I felt his conviction,” Mason Jr. said in his speech. “What we all want is an organization dedicated to the well-being of all music makers, and one that reflects the entire music community, for now, and for future generations. So over the past few years, we’ve listened. We’ve acted. And, we‘ve changed.”

“We’ve launched initiatives like the Black Music Collective, Women in the Mix, Academy Proud, and others. We have completely re-made our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members,” he continued. “The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation.”

“There’s still work to be done, but I firmly believe we’re on the right path,” Mason Jr. went on. “As we’ve seen tonight, music is a powerful force for good. It heals us. It unites us, and we need that in this city right now.”

The Grammys were held in Los Angeles after wildfires destroyed many communities last month. The award show helped raise money for people affected by the deadly fires while paying tribute to the firefighters who had responded to the blazes.