Harvey Mason jr. on 2,300 New Grammy Voting Members, the Asian Pop Category Uproar & More: ‘We Want To Bring More People Into the Tent’

When first-round voting for the 69th annual Grammy Awards opens on Monday (Oct.

12), a considerably larger voting body will determine the nominees than in prior years.

Related 2027 Grammy Changes: 5 New Categories, More Lenient Rules on Best New Artist Eligibility and More Grammys’ Asian Pop Category Will Go Forward at 2027 Ceremony, Recording Academy Confirms What Does the Big Change to the Best New Artist Grammy Mean for Nominees? The Recording Academy has revealed details of its 2026 new member class, which includes more than 2,300 new voting members.

Here’s their demographic breakdown of these new voting members: People of color: 53%; people aged 39 or under: 54%; and women: 33%.

The new member class also includes more than 800 professional members, who are non-voting.

The 69th annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Feb.

7.

The show will have a new host (Trevor Noah bowed out after six years) and will air/stream on new network platforms — ABC, Disney+ and Hulu — after the show ended a 54-year run on CBS.

The Academy will present 100 awards on Feb.

7, the highest number since 2011.

It added five categories in June, including one that attracted far more attention than the other four combined – best Asian pop music performance.

Two of the biggest acts in Asian pop – BTS and Stray Kids – announced that they wouldn’t enter the category, not wishing to be pigeonholed.

It’s fair to say the Academy did not anticipate that reaction.

Harvey Mason jr. , who has been CEO of the Recording Academy since May 2021 (following a 16-month run as interim CEO), spoke with Billboard over Zoom on Wednesday (Oct.