Juls, Lil Nas X & Gunna Now Members of The Recording Academy

The Recording Academy has announced its member class of 2020 which includes Julian Nicco-Annan (Juls), Lil Nas X, Victoria Monét and many more.

The Academy sent invitations to 2,300 including performers, songwriters, producers and engineers, and all members are expected to work together to build a better and more inspiring world for music and its makers.

They were selected by a ”committee of industry peers based on exceptional contributions to the music community”.

This year’s class is 48% female compared to 49% in last year’s freshman class invites, 21% African American/African descent compared to 26%, 8% Hispanic compared to 7%, 3% Asian American/Pacific Islander/Asian same as last year and 51% people who are age 39 or younger same as last year.

Kelley Purcell, the Academy’s senior director of member outreach, said in a statement:

Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it’s a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique.

These individuals will become the driving force behind the Recording Academy, and it’s encouraging to see how our membership continues to evolve each year as we take steps toward building a more inclusive and vibrant community.

The newly invited members have to accept the invitation by September 15th to be eligible to vote for the upcoming Grammys, which are currently scheduled for January 31st, 2021.