69th Grammy Awards voting and membership changes

The voting process for the 69th annual Grammy Awards has commenced following an expansion of the Recording Academy’s membership. The new voting body includes over 2,300 additional members, characterized by increased diversity in gender, age, and race.

As voting begins, the Academy has introduced several new categories, including Best Latin Song, Best Traditional Pop Performance, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, and Best Asian Pop Performance. The folk category has also been divided into contemporary and traditional subcategories.

While some categories like Song of the Year have seen high entry volumes, entries in the General Field—including Album of the Year and Record of the Year—have decreased compared to the previous year. Notably, certain artists have declined to participate in specific categories; for instance, K-pop groups BTS and Stray Kids opted not to enter the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category to avoid regional pigeonholing, and Drake has not submitted recent albums for consideration.