The Recording Academy announced on June 16 it will add five new award categories for the 2027 Grammy Awards. The new categories include Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best R&B Collaboration Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album, and Best Latin Song [1, 2].
The Best Asian Pop Music Performance category will honor artistic excellence in Asian pop music originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets. It includes genres such as K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages [1].
Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, said the 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" [1]. He added that the updates "speak to the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it" [3]. Mason also stated in Chinese that the Academy members’ efforts "reflect the diversity and influence of various music types, skills and creators today" [2].
Alongside the new categories, the Recording Academy revised the Best New Artist submission rules to allow up to four submissions per artist, an increase from the previous maximum of three. This expands eligibility for artists who have reached the prior limit [3, 2].
The 69th Grammy Awards ceremony will be held in February 2027 in Los Angeles, California, and will feature the new categories including Best Asian Pop Music Performance [1, 3, 2].
