The Grammys, which honor the achievements of musicians in the United States while also featuring categories for Latin, Jamaican, and international music, are the biggest award in the music industry.
The Academy stated on June 13, 2023, that 3 new categories would be added to the upcoming 2024 edition.
Best Alternative Jazz Album, Best Pop Dance Recording, and Best African Music Performance are some of the new categories.
The new additions come after the introduction of two new categories in 2017—Best Songwriter and Best Song for Change.
The introduction of the Best African Music Performance category will be welcome news for African musicians, particularly for Afrobeats, whose music has helped to popularize Africa around the world.
Before the addition of the new Best African Music Performance category, Nigerian and African celebrities fought for the Best Global Music Performance Category, where Wizkid, Burna Boy, Femi Kuti, and Angelique Kidjo have all received nominations.
Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini, and Nomcebo Zikode of South Africa won the previous iteration of the Best Global Music Performance Category for their song “Bayethe.”
The addition of the African category will increase the likelihood that African celebrities would win the prized award.
