The Recording Academy has added three new categories for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording.
The Grammys is the biggest prize in music that celebrates the feat achieved by musicians in the United States while also having categories that cater to Latin, Jamaican, and International categories.
The Academy made the announcement earlier today, June 13, 2023, as new additions like Songwriter of the Year and Song for Social Change were included last year.
“The Recording Academy is proud to announce these latest Category changes to our Awards process. These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy.
The Best African Music Performance category will come as positive news for African artists, especially for Afrobeats whose music has been propelling the African continent to the world.
Until the introduction of the new Best African Music Performance category, Nigerian and African superstars have competed for the Best Global Music Performance Category where Wizkid, Burna Boy, Femi Kuti, and Angelique Kidjo have all been nominated.
The last edition of the Best Global Music Performance Category was won by South Africans Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini, and Nomcebo Zikode for their single ‘Bayethe’.
The introduction of the African category will further give African stars a better chance of picking up the coveted prize.
