Zayn Malik takes swipe at the Recording Academy for its selection process

Zayn Malik criticized the Recording Academy for its nomination system.

The 28-year-old singer, who has yet to receive a Grammy nomination, particularly mentioned “the grammys and everyone associated” in an angry tweet, claiming the prestigious awards show is rigged. He wrote, “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations.”

It can be noted that his latest album Nobody Is Listening was not released within the 2021 Grammys eligibility period, which stretched from Sept. 1, 2019 to Aug. 31, 2020. 

In a follow-up post, however, he clarified that it “was not personal or about eligibility.” Rather, it was about “the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process.” 

When it comes to the selection process, the Recording Academy explained to Billboard that "in each of the categories that are reviewed, nomination review committees are presented with an alphabetical list of the top vote-getters by rank-and-file voters. They then listen, discuss and vote. Their votes alone determine the final nominations."

It’s not the first time that the award-giving body has caught flak from famous musicians. The Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Halsey, among others, have previously slammed the Academy for its practices and decisions.