Grammys Announce Five New Categories, Including Best R&B

The Grammys have added five new categories, which will be in effect for the 69th edition of the annual awards, set for Feb. 7, 2027. 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.

Best Asian Pop Music Performance will be presented to the performing artist(s) and “recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.” It can include, but is not limited to, K-Pop, J-Pop, and C-Pop.

Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance will be presented to the performing artist(s) and “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.” The addition of the category means that the Best R&B Performance Category has been renamed Best R&B Solo Performance.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, presented to the performing artist(s), “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.”

Best Traditional Folk Album “recognizes excellence in albums of traditional folk recordings.” The award “will be presented to artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s)/mixer(s), and songwriter(s) of new songs.” The addition of this category means the Best Folk Album Category has been renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Best Latin Song, presented to the songwriter, recognizes the achievement of “newly-written Latin songs predominantly in Spanish,” for at least 51 percent of the lyrics.

“2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we’re seeing across music,” Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “The changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts, and creators shaping it. We’re excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward.”

Along with the new categories, the Grammys announced several rule changes. These include criteria and eligibility updates to the Best New Artist, Best Album Notes, and Best Historical Album categories. The awards have also amended the album eligibility to denote that the threshold of new recordings required on an eligible album has been lowered from 75 percent to 66 percent “to reduce the exclusion of entries that are widely recognized throughout the music industry as new albums.” The complete rules are available here.

The 2027 Grammys will air live on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu on Feb. 7, 2027.