The Grammy Awards are adding a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category ahead of the 69th ceremony, with eligibility spanning genres like K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. To qualify, tracks must prominently feature one or more Asian languages, the Academy said.
The move follows a landmark year at the 2026 Grammys, where “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy, taking home Best Song Written for Visual Media. It also comes after Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny becomes the first artist to win Album of the Year for a Spanish-language record, for Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
The Asian Pop category is part of five new additions taking effect at next year’s ceremony, alongside Best Latin Song, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album, and Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance. Two existing categories are also being restructured - the R&B performance award now centers on solo acts, and the folk album prize will apply strictly to contemporary folk going forward.
Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told BBC the expansion made the ceremony “more inclusive” and allowed it to “represent more music creators, artists, writers, and producers.” The changes follow the Recording Academy’s addition of several Korean and Latino voting members last year, seen as laying the groundwork for the shift.
The Academy has also eased other eligibility rules. Artists can now be submitted for Best New Artist up to four times, up from three, and albums now need only 66% newly recorded material to qualify, down from 75%.
The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 7, 2027.
Tags:
The Grammy Awards
|
Asian Pop
