Asian pop, Latin song categories join Grammy Awards lineup

The Grammy Awards will introduce five new categories next year, including awards for Best Asian Pop Music Performance and Best Latin Song, in a move aimed at recognising a broader range of global music traditions.

The announcement comes months after Latin music and K-pop achieved major milestones at the 2026 Grammy Awards. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny became the first artist to win Album of the Year with a Spanish-language record, while “Golden” from the animated film KPop Demon Hunters made history by winning Best Song Written for Visual Media.

According to the Recording Academy⁠, songs competing in the new Best Latin Song category must be predominantly performed in Spanish. The Asian pop category will encompass a range of genres, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the additions were designed to make the awards more inclusive and reflective of today’s music landscape.

“These changes were inspired by our music community, which expressed a desire for more opportunities to celebrate emerging and diverse genres,” he said.

The Academy expanded its voting membership last year to include more artists and industry professionals from Latin American and Asian music communities, a move widely viewed as paving the way for broader representation within the awards.

Among the other newly created categories are Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Best Traditional Folk Album.

The organisation has also revised eligibility rules for the Best New Artist category. Artists can now be submitted up to four times, rather than three, potentially benefiting emerging performers who have previously fallen short of nomination.

The changes will take effect at the next Grammy Awards ceremony.

This year’s winners reflected the growing influence of non-English-language music on the global stage. In addition to his Album of the Year victory, Bad Bunny also won Best Música Urbana Album and Best Global Music Performance.