The Grammy Awards are among the most prestigious honours in the global music industry, recognising outstanding art across genres. Recently, the Recording Academy has announced a series of updates to the Grammy Awards for 2027, introducing five new award categories and revising eligibility rules in several existing fields.
Key changes in the Grammy Awards include a new category recognising Asian pop music, alongside new awards for traditional pop, Latin songwriting, R&B collaborations and traditional folk recordings. The academy has also adjusted its best new artist rules and expanded voting access for certain members.
The 69th edition of the annual Grammy Awards 2027 will take place live on Sunday, February 7, 2027.
New Grammy categories announced
A new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category has been introduced and will honour performers behind releases spanning K-pop, J-pop and C-pop genres. The academy has also created a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance category.
In the Latin field, a new Best Latin Song category has been introduced, which will celebrate songwriters for their work on Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish. Five new categories in the Grammys are:
- Best Asian Pop Music Performance
- Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance
- Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
- Best Traditional Folk Album
- Best Latin Song
Announcing the changes, the official handle of Grammys took to Instagram and wrote, “The Recording Academy is announcing updates to the 2027 Grammy Awards. Five new categories are being added across Asian pop, R&B, folk, pop, and Latin music, and voting and eligibility rules have been updated to better reflect today’s music landscape and the artists shaping it.”
Grammy Awards: Changes to R&B and Folk Awards
A new Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance category has been added, while the existing Best R&B Performance category has been reworked into Best R&B Solo Performance. The folk music categories have also been changed. Best Folk Album has been renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album, while a new category, Best Traditional Folk Album, has been added.
Grammy Awards: New rules for artist eligibility and voting
Apart from the new categories, the Recording Academy has revised several eligibility requirements. One of the most significant changes affects the Best New Artist category.
Artists will now be allowed to submit for Best New Artist up to four times, an increase from the previous limit of three submissions. The academy has also updated its voting rules; they have added a new opt-in voting process called Ballot Plus, which will allow voting members with expertise across multiple genres to vote in up to 15 peer-related categories.
