Lorde Might Skip The Grammys Over Alleged Sexism, & This Is Why

It's no secret that the Grammy Awards can be somewhat controversial, specifically when it comes to the nominees in top tier categories and their respective winners. Although the music awards don't get nearly as much attention for their lack of diversity as other shows (the Oscars, for one), there's still something to be said about the diversity issues that the Grammys have struggled with. And Lorde might be making a bold statement at this year's show that addresses this issue. Lorde might be skipping the 2018 Grammys over the show's alleged sexism towards her. And if she actually boycotts the moment will be huge for Grammy history.

UPDATE: Despite rumors, Lorde attended the show. Once the live show started the singer was clearly visible in the audience of attendees.

EARLIER: TMZ reported early on Jan. 28 that Lorde declined an invitation to perform at the awards show this year, possibly for a major, major reason. Lorde, who was nominated for Album of the Year for her sophomore album Melodrama, is the only female nominee in the category. And while all of the other contenders for the Album of the Year award were reportedly offered solo performances featuring songs off of their nominated albums, the Grammys only gave Lorde the opportunity to sing part of the late Tom Petty's classic "American Girl" during the planned tribute to his legacy (Petty died on Oct. 2, 2017). Reportedly, the snub, along with being one of the few female nominees for the prestigious category might have inspired her to be a no-show at the awards' 60th installment.

So, Lorde is officially not on the roster for performances at the 2018 Grammy awards. And it looks like there's a chance she might not even show up to the main event at all. According to Page Six, Lorde is so fed up that she was considering make a statement and boycotting the Grammys altogether.

In fact, Lorde's mom Sonja Yelich tweeted an article that calls out the Grammys for their lack of female artist recognition, specifically over the last couple of years. She posted a picture of an article from The New York Times that addresses a very important detail. The article noted, “Of the 899 people to be nominated for Grammy awards in the past six years, only 9 percent were women.” That statistic is truly shocking, and yet the lack of appreciation when it comes to female artists and performers hasn't really been addressed.

Elite Daily reached out to representatives of Lorde for comment, but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

The Grammys have dealt with major backlash for other diversity issues, specifically when it comes to race. The awards first recognized rap as a category in 1989, and since then African-American artists have loudly criticized the show's alleged racism and have boycotted the awards in protest. Even in 2015, the Grammys declined to televise the rap categories for the first time in 25 years, indicating that this genre is not taken as seriously as others in the eyes of the academy.

But this year the Grammys have shown that they recognize African-American artists and black musicians have proper representation at the awards. In fact, this year for the first time in 19 years, the best album category doesn't have a single white male nominee. This is a major milestone for the awards show and many have praised the Recording Academy for the diversity in their nominations this year.

But the Times article that Lorde's mom highlighted paints a very different picture. And the nominated singer might address this issue head-on by continuing the tradition to boycott the awards when frustrated with the Grammys. It would be a high moment should she choose to not show up, and I for one am here for it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.