Yahoo News The Weeknd’s ‘Avatar’ Song and Concert Film Are on the Grammy Ballot, Though He Didn’t Submit Them (Exclusive)
The Weeknd is continuing to boycott the Grammys, but two of his projects — his Avatar: The Way of Water theme song and Emmy-nominated Live at SoFi Stadium concert film — are on the Grammy ballot.
Disney Music Group confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they submitted “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar for best song written for visual media, while HBO confirmed they submitted the singer’s concert special for best music film.
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“Nothing is Lost,” released in Dec. 2022, was shortlisted for best original song at this year’s Academy Awards. The Weeknd co-wrote the song with Grammy-winning composer Simon Franglen and Swedish House Mafia members Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. If nominated, Franglen and the electronic trio would receive nominations alongside The Weeknd.
Live at SoFi Stadium was filmed across two nights in Inglewood in Nov. 2022 as The Weeknd performed on his After Hours til Dawn Tour. The concert event, directed by Micah Bickham, was released in March and is nominated for two Emmys: outstanding technical direction and camerawork for a special and outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special. If nominated at the Grammys, Bickham as well as producers would receive nominations alongside The Weeknd.
The Weeknd vowed to boycott the Grammys after he failed to garner nominations at the 2021 show despite having the year’s biggest hit with “Blinding Lights” and a top-selling album with After Hours. Months after The Weeknd blasted the awards show, the Academy announced it was removing its nomination review committees — groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the music show. Winners are now selected by pure voting.
But since he was severely snubbed, The Weeknd has continued to receive nominations, even winning a Grammy last year. At the 2022 show, he received two nominations for album of the year for his guest appearances on Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Kanye West’s Donda, and he won best melodic rap performance for his work on West’s “Hurricane,” which also featured Lil Baby.
When the nominations are announced on Nov. 10, The Weeknd could score more nominations for his collaborations. He appears on one of the year’s biggest hits, “Creepin’” by producer Metro Boomin, which peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached the top spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. The track — a remake of Mario Winans, Diddy and Enya’s 2004 hit “I Don’t Wanna Know” — also features 21 Savage and was submitted for multiple Grammys, including record of the year, best R&B performance, best R&B song and best music video.
The Weeknd’s guest appearance on Diddy’s “Another One of Me” was also entered for multiple awards. The track, also featuring French Montana and 21 Savage, was submitted for record of the year, song of the year, best melodic rap performance and best music video. And “K-Pop,” Travis Scott’s song featuring The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, was submitted for best pop duo/group performance.
The Weeknd has earned 13 Grammy nominations and won four honors, including best R&B performance for “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” and two wins for best urban contemporary album (Beauty Behind the Madness, Starboy). The Grammys will air live on Feb. 4, 2024; albums and songs released between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 15, 2023 qualify for the upcoming show. Ballots for first-round voting opened Wednesday.
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