The Grammys are getting bigger — and that’s great news for BTS and Ella Langley.
The Recording Academy on Tuesday revealed sweeping rule changes and category expansion that will allow more performers to contend for Best New Artist and Album of the Year while adding five new awards to the slate, pushing the total number of statuettes awarded to 101.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the major rule tweaks.
Best New Artist
Best New Artist has always taken flak for stretching the definition of “new” by rewarding performers who might be a few albums into their career, is actually casting a wider net. The Recording Academy is permitting artists to submit for this category four times, up one from the prior rules. This clears the way for the presumptive front-runner, Ella Langley, who had been the subject of controversy. According to a Billboard report earlier this month, the “Choosin Texas” chart-topper was facing disqualification because she had been submitted for the previous maximum three times. Now she’s safely entrenched on the leaderboard.
Best Album
The definition of a new album has always required some math, and now the calculation favors the artist. In the past, a collection had to contain 75% original music to qualify as a new release, which penalized performers for releasing too many versions of a song (demo, remix, live, alternate cut) as bonus tracks. Now, the threshold is 66%, which could see more outtakes or live versions available to fans.
Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album
This change recognizes the proliferation of digital-only releases, which had been penalized in the past. Per the Recording Academy, “Internet-only releases are eligible in Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album if the additional materials and album notes are part of the commercial download, ensuring albums released solely in digital form remain eligible for consideration.”
Songwriters and Composers Recognition Expansion
The Grammys will also expand who receives a trophy, with songwriters and composers now receiving awards in the genre album categories, alongside the already-acknowledged producers and engineers.
In addition to the rulebook updates, the Grammys will be giving out more awards beginning in 2027. Here’s a brief rundown of the new categories.
Best Asian Pop Music Performance
BTS can finally start practicing their acceptance speech. Months after KPop Demon Hunters broke through to become the first K-pop winner at the Grammys, the Recording Academy has created a category to specifically reward Asian music, “including, but not limited to, K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.” The award will be presented to the performing artists. The addition of this award means that BTS, which was the K-pop act to be Grammy-nominated, is instantly the favorite for the inaugural prize.
Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance
“This category recognizes excellence in contemporary R&B performances for works by established duos or groups, as well as collaborative works between solo artists, duos and groups. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s),” according to the Recording Academy.
With the addition of this new category, the Best R&B Performance Category has been revised and renamed Best R&B Solo Performance.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
Per the official description: “This category recognizes excellence in singles and tracks that consist of a type and style of song and/or performance that cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s).”
Best Traditional Folk Album
The academy created this category to honor “excellence in albums of traditional folk recordings. Awards are presented to artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s)/mixer(s), and songwriter(s) of new songs, if other than artist(s), of greater than 50% playing time on the album.”
With the addition of this new category, the Best Folk Album Category has been revised and renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Best Latin Song
This award will recognize the achievement of songwriters for newly written Latin songs predominantly in the Spanish language (at least 51% of the lyrics). Awards are presented to the songwriter(s) of new material.
A comprehensive list of changes for the 69th Grammy Awards, including additional revised category descriptions and definitions, can be found on page six of the rulebook.
To be eligible for the 69th Annual Grammy Awards recordings must be released between Aug. 31, 2025 and Aug. 28, 2026. The Grammy nominations will be announced Nov. 16 and the ceremony will take place Feb. 7, 2027.
