Grammys include Asian pop and Latin pop: How new categories signal a shift in music recognition
The Recording Academy’s recent announcement to include Best Asian and Latin pop music categories is a significant step towards acknowledging the diversity in music.
The 69th Grammy Awards, which will take place in February 2027, will have Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album as the newest additions.
When South Korean superstar boy band BTS was nominated at the Grammys in 2021 for their song, ‘Dynamite’, the seven-member group became the first Korean pop act to ever receive a Grammy nomination. Earlier this year, at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards and five years later, New-Zealand-based South Korean singer Rosé became the first K-pop artist nominated for Record of the Year, while ‘Golden’, a K-pop tune from Pop Demon Hunters took home a Grammy for the first time.
While the 2021 breakthrough was treated as a watershed moment, many industry observers and musicians since then have called attention to the fact that some of the most significant and globally successful music markets largely remained outside the gambit of the Grammys – considered the most monumental music awards in the world.
The Recording Academy decided to address the matter and on Tuesday announced the inclusion of five new music categories bringing the final count of the categories to 100. The Academy also added a number of Korean and Latino artistes to its voter’s list last year, a move that is probably responsible for the additions of the categories. Another reason for the move is perhaps the historic breakthrough of last year, when the Grammy for Album of the Year went to Puerto Rican rapper and singer-songwriter Bad Bunny for ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I Should Have Taken More Photos).’ It marked the first time a Spanish-language album claimed the top honour at music’s most hallowed night. The musician went on to dedicate the award “to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.” This is when a Spanish-language album broke the Grammy’s unspoken language rule.
The 69th Grammy Awards, which will take place in February 2027, will have Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album as the newest additions.
In case of Asian pop, which is also the category that will matter a lot for India, it will “recognise artistic excellence in Asian pop music (e.g., K-Pop, J-Pop, C-Pop) featuring meaningful use of Asian languages.” While it is clear that the work must be created in and emerge from or be widely recognised within Asian markets, the Academy, however, has not clarified what percentage the “meaningful use” of an Asian language comprises. That may become clearer in days to come.
With Punjabi pop going global with artistes such as Diljeet Dosanjh, AP Dhillon and Karan Aujla, among others, and many Indian artistes performing in different languages attracting global audiences, this could be a more visible route to a global stage. It may allow for more pop music in other languages to flourish and still be in the race for the hallowed gramophone without adhering to strict Western music categories. The category will now be open to artistes from all Asian countries and will allow for a chance at international recognition besides a level playing field for markets that are otherwise underrepresented in global award circuits.
“(These changes) were all inspired by our music community sharing with us that they felt they needed to have more opportunities to celebrate different and new genres of music. That is the motivation in all we do: to make sure we’re serving music and representing music people accurately, inclusively and representatively,” said Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr in a statement.
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He added, “We, as an organisation, need to make sure we are nimble, we’re listening, and we’re adjusting to what’s happening in the music industry… Now more than ever, we have to keep pace because things are changing and evolving. These changes are a reflection of that fast-paced evolution.”
The Academy’s move is also significant in the world of streaming platforms, where a song may emerge in Seoul, Ludhiana, Manila or Beijing and find listeners within a few hours globally. It may not create more visibility for Asian artistes instantly but it also gets the point across that some of the most influential music is not Western music.
Suanshu Khurana is an award-winning journalist and music critic currently serving as a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is best known for her nuanced writing on Indian culture, with a specific focus on classical music, cinema, and the arts.
Expertise & Focus Areas Khurana specializes in the intersection of culture and society. Her beat involves deep-dive reporting on:
Indian Classical Music: She is regarded as a definitive voice in documenting the lineages (Gharanas) and evolution of Hindustani classical music.
Cinema & Theatre: Her critiques extend beyond reviews to analyze the socio-political narratives within Indian cinema and theater.
Cultural Heritage: She frequently profiles legendary artists and unearths stories about India’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Professional Experience At The Indian Express, Khurana is responsible for curating and writing features for the Arts and Culture pages. Her work is characterized by long-form journalism that offers intimate portraits of artists and rigorous analysis of cultural trends. She has been instrumental in bringing the stories of both stalwarts and upcoming artistes to the forefront of mainstream media.
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The 69th Grammy Awards, which will take place in February 2027, will have Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album as the newest additions.