The Academy's announcement names Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album as new categories. It also recasts two existing buckets: Best R&B Performance becomes Best R&B Solo Performance, and Best Folk Album becomes Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The result is a rulebook that offers more routes to recognition while making genre boundaries more explicit. That matters because the Grammys do not simply reward music after the fact. Their categories tell labels, artists and voters where a record is meant to live.
Table: Grammy category and rule changes for the 2027 awards
| Area | 2027 change | What the Academy says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Asian pop | New Best Asian Pop Music Performance | Singles or tracks in Asian pop markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages |
| Latin songwriting | New Best Latin Song | Songwriter recognition for Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish |
| Traditional pop | New Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance | Vocal singles or tracks that do not fit present forms of pop music |
| R&B | New Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance; Best R&B Performance reimagined as Best R&B Solo Performance | A split between solo performance and collaborations or groups |
| Folk | New Best Traditional Folk Album; Best Folk Album reimagined as Best Contemporary Folk Album | A split between traditional and contemporary folk albums |
| Best New Artist | Eligibility submissions raised to four attempts if the artist has not previously been nominated | A longer window for artists whose public breakthrough is gradual |
Source: Recording Academy rule update and awards update centre, 2026.
The Academy framed the changes as part of its annual member-driven process. In a companion interview published by Grammy.com, chief executive Harvey Mason jr. linked the update to a broader and faster-changing music ecosystem. ABC News, carrying the Good Morning America report, said the 2027 ceremony will air live on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu, confirming the first show under the Academy's new Disney broadcast arrangement.
The most visible addition is likely to be Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The Academy's awards update centre says the category recognises recordings originating from, or widely recognised within, Asian pop markets and gives K-pop, J-pop and C-pop as examples. That is a belated institutional acknowledgement of pop economies that have already been global for years. It is also a narrower door than simply treating those records as part of pop.