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For all the glitz and glamor associated with the Grammy Awards, the biggest music award in the West has had more than its fair share of controversies, some more problematic than others.
With the 69th Annual Grammy Awards just around the corner, attention is once again on the awards and all of its highlights and controversies.
From the Weekend's statement against the award to the persistent criticism of its voting process, the Grammys have had several major controversies over the years.
From the criticism of the voting process to stripping artists of awards, 5 major Grammy Awards controversies
1) Criticism of the voting process at the Grammy Awards
Perhaps one of the biggest and most persistent of all controversies surrounding the award is its voting process, which has come under criticism time and again. From Adele to Zayn Malik to Nicki Minaj, artists from every decade and demographic have criticized the voting process.
The process was until recently handled by a secret committee, and recent criticism was directed at BIPOC exclusionary nominations, with allegations of rigging and favoritism as well.
2) Milli Vanilli stripped of their Grammy Awards
In 1990, Milli Vanilli, the Munich-based R&B duo, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, were stripped of their Grammy Awards. It happened after it was found that the two were only lip-synching their vocal performances in their songs.
Following the controversy, the duo tried to make a comeback but they were cut short by the death of Rob Pilatus on April 3, 1998.
3) Neil Portnow's comments regarding women at the Grammy Awards
In 2018, in an exclusive interview with Variety, Neil Portnow was asked about the #GrammysSoMale trend, which attempted to highlight the lack of inclusivity at the awards.
He replied by saying that it has to begin with women having "creativity in their hearts and souls," who want to be musicians, engineers, and producers, and want to join the industry on an executive level.
Portnow continued:
"[They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome. I don’t have personal experience of those kinds of brick walls that you face but I think it’s upon us — us as an industry — to make the welcome mat very obvious, breeding opportunities for all people who want to be creative and paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists.”
Portnow's comments sparked widespread backlash, with artists and netizens taking to social media to protest. Portnow was also replaced by Deborah Dugan as the Chairman and the CEO of The Recording Academy.
4) Deborah Dugan and the Grammy Awards
Following Portnow's comments and the consequent backlash, Deborah Dugan was awarded the presidency of the Recording Academy. However, just a few months after she was awarded the position, she was terminated based on some comments. Dugan had previously worked with the non-profit organization (RED), which was jointly founded by the singer Bono and journalist Bobby Shriver.
The termination led to Dugan's public backlash against the Academy, with a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The closing statement of the complaint read:
"Let me close with a simple observation. In my efforts to successfully resolve the many outstanding lawsuits facing the academy that I inherited, one of the claiments categorized as 'its a boy's club and they put their financial interest above the mission'."
The statement continued:
"At the time, I didn't want to believe it, but now after 5 months of being exposed to the behavior and circumstances outlined here, I have come to suspect she is right."
The complaint eventually led to a settlement with the academy for an undisclosed amount.
5) #Scammy, BTS, and the Award
In 2022, BTS lost the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance to Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, leading to more bad press for the event. The BTS fandom, known as the BTS Army, took to social media to air their ire against the event.
Tracing Grammy Award's controversial history
The five controversies presented above are only a tiny portion of the long and controversial history of the award.
Persistent accusations of racial bias and lack of transparency aside, there have been pranks, airing bans, and other negative press. Notable among these is the Award's eligibility period, which was at odds with the music launch cycle of the industry, as well as the airing ban for the newly created Best Rap Performance.
