The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including the addition of five new categories.The academy on Tuesday announced the addition of a best Asian pop music performance category celebrat ing releases across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and beyond awarded to the performer.A new best traditional pop vocal performance category will be awarded to performers whose music "cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music," according to a press release.RELATED STORY | Bad Bunny wins album of the year at the 2026 Grammy AwardsAlso, a new best Latin song category will recognize songwriters for their work on Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish.The other changes affect the RB and folk categories. A new best RB collaboration or duo/group performance award joins the reimagined best RB solo performance category.Folk has experienced a similar change that country experienced last year: Best folk album has become best contemporary folk album. A best traditional folk album category has been added.In addition to the five new categories, changes have been made regarding the criteria of a few releases. Most noteworthy: alterations to the best new artist category.The Grammys will now allow artists to submit in the category four times, up from three. That is in an attempt to better reflect the current music market, where it can take time for an artist to break through.IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Taylor Swift becomes the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of FameThere is no specified maximum number of previous releases and a screening committee is tasked with determining "whether the artist had attained this high degree of impact in the music industry prior to the eligibility year," according to the rule book. An artist who has received a Grammy nomination in the past is not eligible.The Grammys will also allow certain qualified members to vote in more categories."2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we're seeing across music," Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy said in a statement. "The changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today's music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. We're excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward." ...read more read less