The Grammy Awards Add 5 New Categories, Including Alterations to Best New Artist Category for 2027

On Tuesday, the Grammy Awards rolled out a major update for its 69th edition. Scheduled for February 7, 2027, the renowned ceremony is all set to reshape how artists, albums, and songwriters are recognised. As of now, it is confirmed that the 69th Grammy Awards will air on Disney+, ABC, and Hulu.

The Recording Academy has announced five new categories and introduced significant updates to the Best New Artist and album eligibility rules, reflecting the changing realities of today’s music industry. Here are the rest of the updates. 

Grammy Awards 2027 Major Update: New Categories Introduced

 

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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 are the five new categories introduced this year. Each category recognizes artistic excellence and the achievement of songwriters and singers. 

Talking about the fresh updates of the Best New Artist Category, the Academy stated, “Category description language and guidelines have been refined, and the maximum number of times an artist may be submitted has been increased from three to four. These updates provide greater clarity around an artist’s impact during the eligibility period and more flexibility in the number of times an artist can submit, reflecting the evolving nature of artist development.”

On the other hand, there are also certain changes in the voting process. Ballot Plus has been established as an opt-in alternative to the 10/3 voting structure that allows Voting Members with expertise across multiple genres to vote in up to 15 peer-related Categories, regardless of Field, based on their verified professional credits and contributions. Voting Members who fail to opt-in, miss the selection window, or do not meet the verification requirements will receive the standard 10/3 voting ballot.

Not just that, album eligibility and criteria have also been updated for Best Album Notes, Best Historical Album, and Songwriters and Composers Recognition Expansion. The threshold of new recordings required on an eligible album has also been brought down from 75 percent to 66 percent to reduce the exclusion of entries that are widely recognized throughout the music industry as new albums.