The Weeknd has slammed the Grammys as "corrupt" following his exclusion from all categories during Tuesday's nominations announcement.
Taking to Twitter, the Canadian singer-songwriter – real name Abel Tesfaye – who has amassed three Grammy Awards throughout his career, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for Earned It in 2016, wrote: "The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency."
The "transparency" the Starboy singer is referring to is the process by which nominations are selected, which is kept secret, as is the identity of those on the committees who choose the nominees.
Exclusion is ‘difficult to explain’
"The Weeknd's absence from the Grammy nominations is the biggest snub in recent memory, and one that is difficult to explain beyond the fact that, contrary to the opinions of millions of fans and hundreds of critics, the 20-odd-member nominating committees did not feel his After Hours album or its many singles were one of the eight Best Albums, Songs or Records of the Year, or the five best in genre categories," wrote Variety's Jem Aswad.
The star's shut-out follows rumours the singer and his team had been at loggerheads with the Grammys over him performing at both the awards ceremony on Sunday, January 31, 2021, and the Super Bowl halftime show a week later. Negotiations were said to have been contentious, but that he would play both events.
"There are no agendas in there, there's no 'let's snub this person' or that person," Recording Academy interim president and chief executive Harvey Mason Jr told Variety. "It's about, 'Let's try and find excellence.'"
Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber hit out
The Weeknd is not the only recording artist with a bone to pick with the Grammys this year. Rapper Nicki Minaj also took to Twitter to remind her fans that she has never won an award at the industry event, despite having received 10 nominations over the years.
"Never forget the Grammys didn't give me my Best New Artist award when I had seven songs simultaneously charting on Billboard and a bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade – went on to inspire a generation," wrote the 37-year-old Anaconda singer. "They gave it to the white man Bon Iver."
Justin Bieber was another artist who took issue with the Academy. Despite receiving four nominations for his Changes album – Best Pop Solo Performance for Yummy, Best Pop Duo / Group Performance for Intentions featuring Quavo, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Country Duo / Group Performance for featuring on Dan + Shay's 10,000 Hours – he took to Instagram to write: "I set out to make an RnB album. Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an RnB album, which is very strange to me."
Harry Styles and BTS ‘snubbed’
The Grammys earned the ire of K-Pop sensation BTS' legion of dedicated and vocal fans – nicknamed the 'Army' – after the group's track Dynamite, their first number one on the Hot 100, failed to receive any nominations in the major song categories.
And a similar fate befell former One Direction star Harry Styles, who was nominated in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for his album Fine Line, along with a further two nods, but received no nominations in the four major categories of Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
