NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including the addition of five new categories.
The academy on Tuesday announced the addition of a best Asian pop music performance category 鈥� celebrating J-pop, C-pop and beyond 鈥� awarded to the performer.
A new best traditional pop vocal performance category will be awarded to performers whose music 鈥渃annot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music,鈥� according to a press release.
Also, a new best Latin song category will recognize songwriters for their work on Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish.
The other changes affect the R&B and folk categories. A new best R&B collaboration or duo/group performance award joins the reimagined best R&B solo performance category.
Folk has experienced a similar change Best folk album has become best contemporary folk album. A best traditional folk album category has been added.
New Grammys, new rules
In addition to the five new categories, changes have been made regarding the criteria of a few releases. Most noteworthy: alterations to the
The Grammys will now allow artists to submit in the category four times, up from three. That is in an attempt to better reflect the current music market, where it can take time for an artist to break through.
There is no specified maximum number of previous releases and a screening committee is tasked with determining 鈥渨hether the artist had attained this high degree of impact in the music industry prior to the eligibility year,鈥� according to the rule book. An artist who has received a Grammy nomination in the past is not eligible.
The Grammys will also allow certain qualified members to vote in more categories.
鈥�2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we鈥檙e seeing across music,鈥� CEO of the Recording Academy said in a statement. 鈥淭he changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today鈥檚 music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. We鈥檙e excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward.鈥�
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