Recording Academy Adds New Grammy Award Categories including ‘Best African Music Performance’

The Recording Academy has announced the addition of three new categories to the Grammy Awards. The new categories include ‘Best African Music Performance,’ ‘Best Pop Dance Recording,’ and ‘Best Alternative Jazz Album.’

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The changes were voted on and passed at the academy’s Board of Trustees meeting last month.”

The Best African Music Performance, according to the Recording Academy, “is a track and singles Category that recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent. Highlighting regional melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic musical traditions, the Category includes but is not limited to the Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the academy, said, “These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape.

By introducing these three new categories, we can acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists – and relocating the Producer Of the Year and Songwriter Of The Year categories to the General Field ensures that all our voters can participate in recognizing excellence in these fields. We are excited to honor and celebrate the creators and recordings in these categories, while also exposing a wider range of music to fans worldwide.”

The new changes take the number of categories in the Grammys to 94. The 66th Grammys will air live in early 2024.