Recommendations of the Editorial team
The Grammys are introducing five new categories effective from the 69th edition of the annual ceremony on February 7, 2027. The new categories include: Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album and Best Latin Song.
Best Asian Pop Music Performance is awarded to the performing artists and recognizes outstanding achievements in Asian pop performances that originate from or are widely recognized in Asian markets and make significant use of at least one Asian language. These can include K-Pop, J-Pop and C-Pop, among others.
Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance is awarded to the performing artists and honors excellence in contemporary R&B performances – both for works by established duos or groups as well as for cooperative works between solo artists, duos and groups. With the introduction of this category, the previous Best R&B Performance will be renamed Best R&B Solo Performance.
New pop and folk categories
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance is awarded to the performing artists and recognizes excellence in singles and tracks that reflect a song and performance style that cannot be meaningfully mixed with current forms of pop music.
Best Traditional Folk Album honors albums with traditional folk recordings. The prize goes to artists, producers, sound engineers and mixers as well as songwriters of newly written songs. With the introduction of this category, the previous Best Folk Album will be renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Best Latin Song is awarded to songwriters and honors newly written Latin songs that have at least 51 percent lyrics in Spanish.
Statement from the Grammy CEO
“2027 will be an extraordinary year for the Grammy Awards – one that reflects the remarkable growth we are experiencing in the music world,” Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “The changes driven by our Recording Academy members reflect the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts and creatives that shape it. We look forward to bringing these innovations to life in the coming year as we celebrate the people who are moving music forward.”
In addition to the new categories, the Grammys announced several rule changes. This includes updated criteria and eligibility requirements for the Best New Artist, Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album categories. In addition, the album eligibility rule was changed: the minimum proportion of new recordings that a submitted album must contain was reduced from 75 to 66 percent – “to reduce the exclusion of submissions that are widely recognized in the music industry as new albums”. The full rules are available online.
The 2027 Grammys will air live on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu on February 7, 2027.