Grammys Unveil 5 New Categories, Voting Changes for 2027 Awards

10:25 AM EDT on June 16, 2026

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The 2027 Grammys are still a long ways off, but as always, the Recording Academy is using the offseason to tinker with their signature event. Today they've announced five new categories, bringing the total to 100, as well as rule changes involving voting procedures, Best New Artist eligibility, and more.

The biggest rule change is probably the Best New Artist eligibility. The Grammys previously allowed artists to be entered for Best New Artist consideration up to three times. That number is increasing to four. As Billboard points out, the change opens the playing field back up to several stars who've enjoyed breakout years, including Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Ken Carson, Ravyn Lenae, and Geese. Previously, Geese were entered for consideration twice and frontman Cameron Winter was entered once, which counted as their three entries. For 2027, I suspect they'll be getting nominated and then getting killed by Langley.

The Grammys are also opening up a voting process called Ballot Plus. Voters traditionally have adhered to a "10/3" structure with their voting. They all vote in the six general field categories (Album, Record, and Song Of The Year; Best New Artist; Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical; and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical) and then can vote in up to 10 more categories across no more than three fields. Ballot Plus will allow academy members with expertise across multiple genres, as verified by the academy, to vote in up to 15 peer-related categories, regardless of field. The 10/3 policy was designed to protect against dabbling, but presumably some voters who believed themselves to be eclectic listeners chafed against the restriction.

Other rule changes: The percentage of new recordings on an album required for awards consideration has been lowered from 75% to 66%. Internet-only releases are now eligible in Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album as long as the additional materials and album notes are part of the commercial download. Songwriters and composers who contributed to Grammy-winning albums will now receive statuettes and certificates, honors that were previously afforded only to producers and engineers.

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. Here's a breakdown of what each category entails, as explained in a press release:

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). (With the addition of this new category, the Best R&B Performance Category has been revised and renamed Best R&B Solo Performance.)

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. (With the addition of this new category, the Best Folk Album Category has been revised and renamed Best Contemporary Folk 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.

The 69th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 7, 2027. After decades broadcasting on CBS, the ceremony will air on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu for the first time.

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_Originally reported by [Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2502439/grammys-announce-new-categories-and-rules-for-2027/music/)._