Grammy Adds Five Categories Including Best Pop Asian Music Performance

Overview

• The Recording Academy announced a package of category and voting-rule changes on June 16–17, 2026 that will take effect at the 69th Grammy Awards on February 7, 2027.
• Five new prizes were created, including Best Pop Asian Music Performance for K-pop/J-pop/C-pop releases and Best Latin Song, plus awards for traditional pop vocal performance, duo/group R&B collaboration, and traditional folk album.
• The new Best Latin Song requires at least 51% of lyrics in Spanish, a technical criterion that will largely exclude Portuguese-language songs and has drawn criticism from Brazilian artists and media.
• Voting and eligibility procedures were revised with an optional Ballot Plus that lets validated multi-genre voting members cast ballots in up to 15 categories and an increase in allowable Best New Artist entries from three to four.
• The additions restore the Grammys to 100 awards for the first time since the 2012 reorganization and could change nomination mixes by boosting recognition of Asian-market pop while narrowing language-based access for parts of Latin America.