The Weeknd made an unexpected appearance at the 2025 Grammys, marking a surprising return as the CEO of the Recording Academy announced they’ve resolved past issues.
In a move that stunned the audience, The Weeknd took the stage at the 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 2, signaling a significant return to the event.
Canadian artist Abel Tesfaye, widely known as The Weeknd, had been boycotting the Grammys since 2021, alleging that he was unfairly overlooked by the Recording Academy.
His hit song from 2020, ‘Blinding Lights’, broke several streaming records but surprisingly did not receive any nominations that year.
Since then, Tesfaye had been withholding his music from Grammy consideration, which is why his appearance was so unexpected.
As the moment unfolded, Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. welcomed the 34-year-old back to the event, addressing some of The Weeknd’s longstanding grievances with the academy.
Mason Jr. commented that efforts had been made to mend their relationship, stating: “Over the past few years, we’ve listened, acted, and changed.”
The audience was ‘speechless’ when The Weeknd began his performance, with many taking to Twitter to express their amazement.
Supporters of the musician also commended the organization for acknowledging the previous snub and for creating a ‘powerpoint’ detailing The Weeknd’s criticisms over the years.
“The Weeknd made these cats apologize to him before taking the stage lol,” a Twitter user noted. “That’s a wild flex.”
The ‘Starboy’ singer performed two new tracks from his latest album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, starting with ‘Cry for Me’ followed by ‘Timeless’, and was joined by Playboi Carti, who is featured on the album version.
Critics and fans described his performance as ‘electrifying’, ‘epic’, and ‘straight up fire’.
“That was so good!” commented another fan, already looking forward to the next year’s Grammys.
The comment continued: “Props to the Grammys for getting back on good terms with The Weeknd. He’ll be winning Album of the Year Next year.”