The Recording Academy is expanding, with invitations going out to more than 4,000 new members, many of whom will be eligible to participate in the upcoming Grammy Awards process. The annual expansion is an attempt to rejuvenate the Recording Academy and extend its reach global reach. New members include a mix of industry professionals, who do not vote in the Grammys, and creators and artists, who will be taking part in the process.
Among the notable members of the 2026 class are recent Grammy winners like British singer-songwriter Lola Young (Best Pop Solo Performance for “Messy”, 2026) and Kpop Demon Hunters singer-songwriter Ejae (Best Song Written for Visual Media, “Golden, 2026”), as well as high-profile Grammy nominees like alt-pop sensation Sombr (Best New Artist, 2026) and songwriter-producer Harv (Record and Song of the Year, “Peaches”, 2026). Other invitees include buzzy talent like the Drake and Cardi B-cosigned rapper Cash Cobain; Brit Award nominees Griff and Rachael Chinouriri; Latin Grammy Best New Artist winner in 2024 Ela Taubert; critically acclaimed alternative band Sleeping With Sirens; and the TikTok-viral autotune comedian Morgan Jay, among others.
“The invitations sent today offer each potential new member an opportunity to power the Recording Academy’s mission of serving the music community by amplifying their voices on a global stage, protecting their rights, creating opportunities for advancement, and providing direct assistance when it is needed most,” the organization said in a statement.
The Recording Academy faces the same challenge as the Motion Picture Academy and Television Academy in assuring the group is inclusive of all genres and backgrounds. Throughout the 2020s, the Recording Academy has made committed efforts to diversify the membership, like having a direct outreach to African and Asian creators via new categories tailored for their genres, and inviting all Latin Grammy voters to join the Recording Academy. Last year, Billboard reported that over 70% of the current Grammy membership has joined the organization after 2019, with a specific outreach to voters of color, women, and other underrepresented groups, following longtime accusations of a lack of diversity in nominees and genres.
“Coming together only strengthens our community, allows us to preserve our work and help us to advocate for ourselves and for one another,” Ejae said in a statement. “Music is my lifelong passion and I am honored to join my music industry peers across all countries, divisions and genres. Music is for everyone and forever worth celebrating.”
To be eligible for voting membership, music creators need to have at least 12 commercially distributed, verifiable credits in a single creative profession, with at least five being in the last five years. Eligible candidates must also be recommended by two industry peers. Per Grammy rules, artists who have been nominated for the most recent Grammys are eligible for direct membership without any recommendation. For those nominated in the last five years but not the most recent, the credits requirement is waived, but recommendations are still necessary.
With these new invitations, the Recording Academy membership will be close to 20,000, with more than 15,000 of those being eligible for Grammy voting.
The 2026 Grammy Awards process has already begun, with the submission period open until Aug. 21. Grammy nominations are set to be announced on Nov. 16.
