The Recording Academy has expanded the Grammy Awards by adding three new categories, which are best African music performance, best pop dance recording, and best alternative jazz album. These changes were approved at the academy’s Board of Trustees meeting last month. The 66th Grammys will now feature a total of 94 categories and will be broadcast live in early 2024.
The inclusion of the best African music performance category is a reflection of the global success and influence of African acts such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems, as well as the rise of the Afrobeats genre. This new category seeks to recognize recordings that incorporate unique local expressions from various parts of the African continent, encompassing subgenres like Afrobeats, Afro-fusion, Afro pop, Bongo Flava, Ethio jazz, Kizomba, High Life, Fuji, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian drill, Afro-house, and South African hip-hop.
Prior to this new addition, African-based songs were mainly featured in nominations for the best global music performance category, which was introduced in 2022. It is expected that the introduction of an award specifically dedicated to African music will provide a better opportunity for global songs from other genres, such as Latin music, K-pop, and Arabic music, to receive nominations for best global music performance.
The announcement of the best pop dance recording category will specifically recognize pop artists who release dance-themed music, offering them a chance to receive nominations without competing with acts deeply rooted in dance music. This move aims to provide more opportunities for pop stars who specialize in dance-flavored music to be recognized at the awards show. Previously, artists with dance songs vied for the best dance/electronic recording category, with winners spanning from superstars like Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake to Skrillex, The Chemical Brothers, and Rüfüs Du Sol.
The new category is also beneficial for pop artists who do not crossover to other genres such as R&B, rap, rock, or country, by offering them the chance to garner more nominations at the Grammy Awards. Pop acts are typically confined to categories like best pop vocal album, best pop solo performance, best pop duo/group performance, and the major categories, including album, song, and record of the year. Artists like Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Kendrick Lamar are usually the most-nominated at the Grammys because they can compete across multiple genres, whereas performers like Adele, Harry Styles, and Dua Lipa have fewer opportunities for nominations.
The best pop dance recording category will honor songs that embody up-tempo, danceable music following a pop arrangement, with strong rhythmic beats, significant electronic-based instruments, and a focus on vocal performance, melody, and hooks.
The new best alternative jazz album award aims to acknowledge the genre-blending and boundary-pushing hybrid that combines jazz with other genres such as R&B, hip-hop, classical, contemporary improvisation, experimental, pop, rap, electronic/dance music, and/or spoken word.
Other alterations to the Grammys include relocating two categories—producer of the year (non-classical) and songwriter of the year (non-classical)—to the general field, which includes album, song, record of the year, and best new artist. All voters will now be able to participate in recognizing excellence in these fields, as they were previously restricted in the categories they could vote for.
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the academy, stated, “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 are able to 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 academy convenes annually to review proposals for new awards and vote on changes for current awards. Songs and albums released between Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2023, will be eligible for nominations at the 2024 show. The nominees will be announced in November.
