Grammys add five new categories, including Asian pop and Latin song, and loosen Best New Artist rules for 2027 ceremony
The Recording Academy will introduce new categories for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song and three others at the 69th Grammy Awards, while also allowing artists to submit for Best New Artist up to four times.
New categories debut
The Recording Academy has unveiled five new categories for the 69th Grammy Awards, bringing the total number of awards to 100. These additions mark the first expansion to reach triple digits since the great consolidation of 2012, when the count was slashed from 109 to 78. The new categories are Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Traditional Folk Album. The arrivals also reshuffle existing fields: Best R&B Performance is renamed Best R&B Solo Performance, while Best Folk Album becomes Best Contemporary Folk Album. The Asian pop category arrives after the first K-pop Grammy win earlier this year for the track Golden from the film KPop Demon Hunters, and the Latin song prize follows Bad Bunny's history-making Album of the Year victory for a Spanish-language record at the 2026 ceremony.
- 2012
- 78
- 2027
- 100
Best New Artist flexibility
Perhaps the most debated adjustment is to the Best New Artist category, where artists may now submit up to four times for consideration, an increase from the previous cap of three. The change means that artists including Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Ken Carson and Ravyn Lenae (all previously entered three times) remain eligible under the new rule. Indie rock band Geese and its frontman Cameron Winter, whose combined entries would also have hit the old limit, benefit as well. The Academy says the updated submission cap and refined category language provide greater clarity around an artist's impact during the eligibility period and reflect how artist development now unfolds over longer timelines.
We've heard from the music community that the way artists are being developed is changing, and the time it's taking to find success or recognition can take longer than it once did.
Broader eligibility shifts
Several other rule changes aim to modernise the awards. The threshold of new recordings required for an album to qualify for Grammy consideration has been lowered from 75% to 66%, acknowledging how artists often release singles across extended periods. Albums released exclusively via digital platforms can now compete for Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album, closing a gap between physical and online releases. Songwriters and composers will also gain wider recognition across most genre album categories. Additionally, certain qualified voting members will have expanded voting privileges in more categories.
Recording Academy's vision
Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. framed the overhaul as a response to the expanding global music landscape. He noted that the changes advanced by Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today's industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. The 69th Grammy Awards will air and stream live across ABC, Disney+ and Hulu on February 7, 2027.
