The Recording Academy has announced rule changes that will take effect at the 2027 Grammy Awards. The program will add five categories, while voting rules and the Best New Artist criteria will also change.
The new categories include Best Latin Song, giving songwriters a separate award in the Latin field for the first time, and Best Asian Pop Performance, covering music such as J-pop, Mandopop and K-pop. R&B will add Best R&B Performance Duo/Group or Collaboration, while Best R&B Performance will become Best R&B Solo Performance.
Best Folk Album will be renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album, and a Best Traditional Folk Album category will be added.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said members of the music community proposed the changes to broaden recognition for emerging genres and better reflect the industry's development.
A new voting option, Ballot Plus, will allow Academy members who work across several musical fields to vote across the full ballot. Voting access in specific fields will be based on members' credits and experience.
The Best New Artist criteria will be revised to account for the possibility that artists need more time and more released music to achieve success and recognition. Songwriters and composers will receive awards and certificates in most genre album categories, alongside producers and recording engineers.
The rules on artificial intelligence remain unchanged: only people can be nominated for and receive Grammys. Work that includes AI-generated material may be eligible if it has significant human contribution in the relevant category. The 69th ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 7, 2027, and air on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.
