The Grammy Awards update rules and add to their categories in response to proposals from members every year, and 2027 is no exception. The next show, taking place on Feb. 7, 2027, will see five new categories — including in the Latin, Asian Pop and R&B genres — and several key updates, including the Best New Artist and Best album categories.
The latter two moves are the most far-reaching, as they see the maximum number of times an artist may be submitted increased from three to four; and the “threshold of new recordings required on an eligible album is lowered from 75% to 66% to reduce the exclusion of entries that are widely recognized throughout the music industry as new albums.”
Best new artist is traditionally the most controversial award — inevitably, as the concept of who considers the artist to be new is always a judgement call — and this year will see multiple artists getting an unexpected fourth shot at being nominated, including Ella Langley, who was reportedly submitted in three past years, but whose Hot 100 No. 1 single “Choosin’ Texas” and the album “Dandelion” have led her star to rise dramatically.
Likewise, as the concept of what constitutes a new album has changed, some that that featured, say, four new songs but included remixes or live versions of previously released songs inspired the 75% threshold, but apparently that was determined to be excessively high.
In a related move that extends recognition for songwriters, contributors to winning albums in most genre album categories will now receive Grammy statuettes and Achievement Certificates, which producers and engineers already receive.
Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr. spoke at length about the changes and updates in a Q&A posted on the the awards’ website. Of the expansion of the best new artist eligibility period, he said, “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. Artists are often releasing more music before they actually break through the consciousness of consumers or of our voters, and that evolution directly impacts this Category.”
He continued, “Last year, we formed a Best New Artist task force and charged them with reviewing the current guidelines and Category description to determine if anything needed to be refreshed or changed. That task force met, discussed, deliberated, and convened artists, and they came to the table with recommendations, which is what you’re seeing implemented this year. The changes that have been made to this Category will allow for a little bit more flexibility and reflect the reality that artist development looks different than it did even a few years ago. Again, it all goes back to making sure our process is reflective of what’s happening in our industry today.”
Of the album update, Mason, a songwriter himself, added, “We have made so much great progress and changes in respect to the songwriter craft in recent years, from our launch of the Songwriters & Composers Wing to the addition of the Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical Category just a few years ago. It all starts with songwriters; none of the awards really can happen without songwriters. It’s really important they feel acknowledged and celebrated in the same way producers and engineers do.”
Details from the new categories and updates, and more information, appear below:
NEW CATEGORIES
Best Asian Pop Music Performance
This Category recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s).
Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance*
This Category recognizes excellence in contemporary R&B performances for works by established duos or groups, as well as collaborative works between solo artists, duos and groups. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s).
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
This Category recognizes excellence in singles and tracks that consist of a type and style of song and/or performance that cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s).
Best Traditional Folk Album**
This Category recognizes excellence in albums of traditional folk recordings. Awards are presented to artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s)/mixer(s), and songwriter(s) of new songs, if other than artist(s), of greater than 50% playing time on the album.
Best Latin Song
This Category recognizes the achievement of songwriters for newly written Latin songs predominantly in the Spanish language (at least 51% of the lyrics). Awards are presented to the songwriter(s) of new material.
*With the addition of this new category, the Best R&B Performance Category has been revised and renamed Best R&B Solo Performance.
**With the addition of this new category, the Best Folk Album Category has been revised and renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.
VOTING PROCESS UPDATES
Ballot Plus
Ballot Plus is 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 opt in must submit credits by a specified deadline. Participation in Ballot Plus is subject to verification of credits. Voting Members who do not opt-in, miss the selection window, or do not meet the verification requirements will receive the standard 10/3 voting ballot. Voting Members will receive more information about Ballot Plus in the coming months.
DEFINITION, ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA UPDATES
Best New Artist
Category description language and guidelines have been refined and a maximum number of times an artist may be submitted 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.
Album Eligibility
The threshold of new recordings required on an eligible album is lowered from 75% to 66% to reduce the exclusion of entries that are widely recognized throughout the music industry as new albums.
Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album
Internet-only releases are eligible in Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album if the additional materials and album notes are part of the commercial download, ensuring albums released solely in digital form remain eligible for consideration.
Songwriters and Composers Recognition Expansion
Songwriters and Composers of new material on the winning albums in most genre album Categories will now receive Grammy statuettes and Achievement Certificates in parity with the recognition currently afforded to Producers and Engineers in those categories.
A comprehensive list of changes for the 69th Grammy Awards, including additional revised category descriptions and definitions, can be found on page six of the rulebook.
A comprehensive list of changes for the 69th Grammy Awards, including additional revised category descriptions and definitions, can be found on page six of the rulebook.
Key dates for the upcoming Grammy Awards season can be found here. To learn more about the annual Grammy Awards process, click here.
