The Weeknd Returns to Grammys for Surprise Performance After Past Criticism

The Weeknd made a surprise return to the Grammys stage for the 2025 edition of the annual ceremony on Sunday night.

After an intro from Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. in which Abel's past public criticism of the Grammys was acknowledged, the Hurry Up Tomorrow artist hit the stage with "Cry For Me," later bringing Playboi Carti out with him to bless the world with a rendition of "Timeless."

As you'll recall, Abel said back in March 2021 that he would "no longer allow my label to submit my music" for Grammys consideration. As he said in a statement to the New York Times, Abel took issue with what he called “secret committees,” with his then-recent album After Hours having received zero nominations despite widespread acclaim. Mason Jr. was quick to respond at the time, saying the Recording Academy was “constantly evolving.”

In a 2020 tweet, Abel called the Grammys “corrupt” and said the institution owed him and his fans and the industry at large “transparency.” Judging by Mason’s remarks on Sunday night, not to mention The Weeknd’s surprise performance, all now seems to be well between the two.

“Criticism is okay,” Mason Jr. said on Sunday night. “I heard him, and I felt his conviction. 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 remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40 percent people of color, and 66 percent of our members are new since we started our transformation. This year, the 13,000 voting members of the Academy nominated their peers and voted for the winners that you’re seeing on this stage tonight.”

Mason Jr. continued, “It’s a system rooted in fairness, integrity, and the principle that every voice in our community matters. Now, charting a new course is never easy, there is still work to be done… but I firmly believe we’re on the right path. As we've seen tonight, music is a powerful force for good in the world. It heals us.. It unites us. And we need that in this city right now. With that in mind, on a truly special night, what better way to bring us together, than this next artist. Someone who has seen the work this Academy has put in. I am so honored to leave you with a sentence, that I wasn’t sure, would ever be said on the Grammy stage again: My friends, my fellow music makers, please join me in welcoming back, none other than four-time Grammy winning artist, and global superstar, The Weeknd.”

The Weeknd’s past criticisms of the Grammys do not stand alone. Earlier in 2020, Ye shared a video to social media in which he appeared to urinate on one of his two dozen Grammy trophies.

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