Zayn Malik’s ‘F— the Grammys’ Tweet Sparks a Firestorm on Social Media

Zayn Malik shook up the internet and possibly the Recording Academy when he went on the offensive, attacking the Grammys ahead of its 2021 ceremony on Sunday. “F— the grammys and everyone associated,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary,” he added.

The “Pillow Talk” singer went without any nominations for his recent release Nobody is Listening. On the other hand, his former One Direction band member Harry Styles raked in three this year. He’s nominated for Best Music Video for “Adore You” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar.” His album Fine Line is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Of course, he’s not the first jilted artist to call out the Recording Academy for its potential bias. The Weeknd recently stirred up controversy when he called out the Grammys for being “corrupt” and claiming the institution owed him, his fans, and the music industry some transparency after his album After Hours was snubbed. Though, he was asked to perform at the ceremony and turned down the opportunity in favor of the Super Bowl Halftime show instead.

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Fans reacted to Malik’s original tweet by making the comparison between he and The Weeknd’s public statements against the Academy. 

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One user thought it would be best if Malik got his revenge by releasing a song at the same time as the Grammy’s show. 

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Another user pointed out they would’ve preferred a Selena Gomez or Zayn Malik nomination instead of Justin Bieber being nominated. Bieber’s album Changes earned four nominations this year. 

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For those doubting Malik’s accusations, “remember every single major POC artist has been robbed by them at least once,” this user said. 

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The words “Zayn Deserves Better” began trending on Twitter shortly after the artist’s brief statement. 

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This Twitter user took the moment to share a new meme from Meghan Markle’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. 

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Another large international artist that went without recognition: Davido. The Atlanta-born Afro-Beats artist spoke with the Grammys about his record-breaking album A Good Time, but still went without a nomination for this year’s show. “Cancel the Grammys,” this user tweeted in support of Malik and Davido.