ALULA: Local and international artists took to the stage at one of the Kingdom’s most distinctive venues in celebration of Saudi Arabia’s 92nd National Day during the second AlUla Azimuth festival on Friday. Engulfed in the mountainous terrain of the historic AlUla, Saudi nationals and international visitors welcomed a lineup composed of DJ and performances that lit up the
“We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset,” Mason told
The New York Times. “But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees.”
The same old song
While it s unclear what these changes entail, pleas to improve have become a familiar refrain from Grammy Awards organisers.
In the face of dwindling television ratings and mounting controversies, a number of leading artists have accused the ceremony of being non-inclusive and irrelevant.
A particular flash point is the award s alleged mistreatment of African-American artists and hip-hop and RnB genres over the years.
In 2017, the Grammy Foundation announced it was diversifying its membership, in addition to setting up committees to ensure quality control and relevancy when it comes to nominations.
While the moves resulted in a line-up of eclectic and quality artists making the cut, more work is clearly left to be done before they truly capture the musical zeitgeist.
This was demonstrated as this year’s nominees were announced in November 2020.
Despite the inclusion of popular and powerful names such as Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Beyonce and BTS, it is the omission of The Weeknd that overshadows an otherwise strong list.
After all, the Canadian RnB singer owned the last 12 months with both the blockbuster album