The Recording Academy, the esteemed organization responsible for the Grammy Awards, has unveiled three new categories for the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

In a recent announcement, the Academy introduced the Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording categories, demonstrating its commitment to recognizing diverse musical genres. These additions follow last year’s inclusion of the Songwriter of the Year and Song for Social Change categories.

In an effort to promote inclusivity and allow broader participation, the Recording Academy has also made adjustments to existing categories. The producer of the year, non-classical, and songwriter of the year, non-classical categories will be moved to the general field.

This means that all Grammy voters will now have the opportunity to vote in these categories, which were previously considered “craft” or specialized categories.

This change aligns with the Academy’s intention to foster engagement from members working in various music-related areas, including engineering and packaging.

The decision to introduce new categories and modify existing ones was made during the Recording Academy’s semiannual Board of Trustees meeting, held last month.

Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, expressed the organization’s pride in announcing these changes. He emphasized that these adjustments were a direct response to feedback received from the music community, demonstrating the Academy’s dedication to actively listening and adapting to the evolving musical landscape.

Mason Jr. stated, “By introducing these three new categories, we are able to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists. 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.” He further added, “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.”

According to the announcement, the three new categories include:

Best African Music Performance

A track and singles category that recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent. Highlighting regional melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical traditions, the category includes but is not limited to the Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.

Best Pop Dance Recording

Recognizes tracks and singles that feature up-tempo, danceable music that follows a pop arrangement. Eligible pop dance recordings also feature strong rhythmic beats, significant electronic-based instruments with an emphasis on the vocal performance, melody and hooks. Dance remixes are eligible in the best remixed recording category only and may not be entered in best pop dance recording.

Best Alternative Jazz Album

This category recognizes artistic excellence in alternative jazz albums by individuals, duos, groups/ensembles, with or without vocals. Alternative jazz may be defined as a genre-blending, envelopepushing hybrid that mixes jazz (improvisation, interaction, harmony, rhythm, arrangements, composition, and style) with other genres, including R&B, hip-hop, classical, contemporary improvisation, experimental, pop, rap, electronic/dance music, and/or spoken word. It may also include the contemporary production techniques/ instrumentation associated with other genres.

For more information on the awards process, visit http://www.grammy101.com.