Grammys 2024: Three New Categories To Watch – Best African Music, Alternative Jazz Album, and Pop Dance Recording

The Recording Academy, organizers of the prestigious GRAMMY Awards, is constantly evolving in its quest to recognize the dynamism of the global music scene. From the GRAMMYs’ inception, African music, alternative jazz, and dance pop have consistently made their marks on the ballots. This year, these genres are not only leaving their prints on the ballots but are being elevated to categories of their own, further consolidating the GRAMMYs’ commitment to celebrating diverse music.

Officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, the 2024 GRAMMYs will introduce three new categories: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording. But that’s not all, the Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, and Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical categories are being relocated to the General Field, enabling all GRAMMY voters to contribute to these vital, non-genre-specific categories.

“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,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said.

Dive deeper into the three new categories making their debut at the 66th GRAMMY Awards:

1. Best African Music Performance This category recognizes tracks and singles that incorporate distinct local expressions from across Africa. This is a significant nod to the rich tapestry of African music, covering genres from Afrobeat to Ethio Jazz.
2. Best Pop Dance Recording This category celebrates up-tempo, danceable tracks that follow a pop arrangement. Emphasizing strong rhythmic beats and significant electronic-based instruments, the focus here is on vocal performance, melody, and hooks.
3. Best Alternative Jazz Album An innovative category, this recognizes albums that blend jazz with other genres, including R&B, Hip-Hop, Classical, Experimental, Pop, Rap, Electronic/Dance music, and/or Spoken Word.

The Recording Academy’s Awards & Nominations Committee, comprising Academy Voting Members from diverse genres and backgrounds, reviews proposals for category updates, procedures, and eligibility guidelines every year.

“By introducing these three new categories, we are able to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists – and 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,” Mason continued. “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.”

Stay tuned to MandyNews.com for more information on these exciting developments and for continuous coverage of the music industry’s most anticipated event, the 2024 GRAMMYs.