When the 2027 Grammy Awar ceremonies air on February 7, music fans will note a few changes with the addition of some new awards.
The Recording Academy notes that the changes are a reflection of the current musical landscape.
Speaking on the 2027 – 69th – Grammy Awards, Recording Academy President Harvey Mason Jr said, “2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we’re seeing across music. The changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. We’re excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward.”
New for 2027:
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
The Best R&B Performance has been changed to Best R&B Solo Performance
The Best Folk Album category has been changed to Best Contemporary Folk Album
Eligibility for the Best New Artist has been changed to allow an artist up to four changes to be included in the category; up from the previous three times.
Previously in order for an album to be eligible as a new recording, it had to contain 75% of new material. That number has been lowered to 66%.
In the Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album categories, internet only releases are now eligible for entry as long as the album notes are included in the album download material.
Currently the engineers and producers of winning albums also receive the Grammy statuette; beginning in 2027 the songwriters and composers will also receive a Grammy statuette.
But above all, only music created by humans will be allowed in the Grammy Awards.
After the addition of the Best Asian Pop Music Album category, Recording Academy President Harvey Mason Jr entered into a dialogue with Asian artists on whether or not the category accurately represents their music. He notes that the category may need a little adjusting.
He noted, “[These changes] were all inspired by our music community sharing with us that they felt they needed to have more opportunities to celebrate different and new genres of music. That is the motivation in all we do: to make sure we’re serving music and representing music people accurately, inclusively and representatively. These changes and expansions give even more people a place for their music to be respected, heard and evaluated. With more Categories, we can represent more music creators, artists, writers, and producers, and it gives us a great opportunity to be more inclusive. We as an organization need to make sure we’re nimble, we’re listening, and we’re adjusting to what’s happening in the music industry. Now more than ever, we have to keep pace because things are changing and evolving so quickly. These changes are a reflection of that fast-paced evolution.”