BTS boycotting Grammys over new category for Asian pop music

 

BTS objects the new category intended to recognize Asian pop music and performers.

For years, community platforms and advocacy circles have practically begged the Recording Academy to look past its Western-centric nose and acknowledge the absolute juggernaut that is Asian music. Now, the Grammys have finally done it. For the upcoming 69th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2027, they have officially rolled out a brand-new category: Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

Howeer, not everybody is cheering the distinction. Although the new category is meant to open the doors for more recognition of the music and performers from Asia, the news didn't sit well with BTS, the male singing group that first gained massive global recognition and popularity.

The seven-member group from South Korea, arguably the most popular musical group in the world, issued a joint statement:

“We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us.”

The "Army" BTS is referring to is their huge international fan base. 

For decades, the Recording Academy has operated under a predictable, institutional blueprint. Whenever a genre dominated by non-white or culturally distinct creators achieves massive global success, the Academy’s instinct is rarely to welcome them into the "Big Four" general fields. Instead, they construct a new, specialized category—a separate lane designed to keep the premier categories safely insulated.

We saw this play out when the Academy rolled out the brand-new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, triggering a defiant boycott from global juggernauts BTS. The group flatly refused to submit their music, choosing to break out of the regional box before they could be locked inside it.

“I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” wrote Grammy CEO Harvey Mason.

“I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters."

The creation of a new specialized music category isn't a new phenomenon. The institutional segregation of Country and Latin music shows that the Grammys have always used genre policing to preserve the default "purity" of mainstream Pop.

Preserving the Urban Pop ecosystem

To understand how the Grammys build these boxes, we have to look back at the genres that forced the Academy’s hand long before Asian Pop or Hip-Hop entered the equation.

In the early 20th century, the American music business explicitly separated commercial sounds by race and class, marketing white working-class music as "Hillbilly Music." When the Grammys launched in 1959, they completely ignored Nashville.

By 1965, as the genre evolved into Country and achieved immense commercial footprint, the Grammys finally relented and added dedicated Country fields. However, instead of integrating these massively popular artists into standard Pop categories, the Academy built a parallel universe. This strategy safely isolated Nashville's dominance, ensuring the primary Pop categories remained a sanctuary for a specific flavor of coastal, urban pop.

For decades, when a country star grew too massive to ignore (from Dolly Parton to Shania Twain), the country categories functioned as a buffer. The Academy could placate their commercial success without ever having to hand them the night's ultimate general field trophies.

Latin Music containment

The Academy’s historical treatment of Spanish-language and Latin music mirrors the exact language-based boundaries now being imposed on Asian Pop. Even though Latin music is deeply woven into the fabric of American culture, it took 26 years for the Grammys to introduce a "Latin Field" in 1984.

This move immediately created a systemic glass ceiling. Global icons capable of selling out stadium tours across the hemisphere found their art permanently restricted to subcategories like Best Latin Pop Album. They remained locked out of Album of the Year unless they recorded heavily or exclusively in English.

The structural exclusion became so acute that in 2000, the institution spun off the Latin Recording Academy (Latin Grammys). While celebrated by the industry, it offered the main American telecast a convenient excuse: it could omit Spanish-language performances and major nominees from its prime-time broadcast under the guise that they "had their own show."

Let’s be entirely real: this is a movie we’ve all watched before. Whenever a musical genre dominated by non-white, historically marginalized creators starts taking over the global charts and threatening the status quo of the "Big Four" categories (Album, Record, and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist), the Academy's instinct isn’t to invite them to the main table. It’s to build them a separate kiddie table.

The practice widened when Rap and reggaie began earning big bucks with their sales. The historical playbook is clear:

• The Rap "Containment" (1989): When hip-hop became too massive for Madison Avenue to ignore, the Grammys cooked up the Best Rap Performance category. The catch? They refused to broadcast it on television. It triggered a historic boycott by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and Public Enemy.

• The Caribbean Box (1985): Reggae music got its own dedicated category (Best Reggae Recording) to "honor" the genre. In reality, it effectively functioned as a glass ceiling that kept icons like Black Uhuru safely away from the mainstream Pop categories.

• The Global Restructuring (2024): Following the undeniable explosive rise of Afrobeats and Amapiano on the global stage, the Academy introduced Best African Music Performance. While framed as a celebration, critics noted it neatly packaged the sonic output of an entire, hyper-diverse continent into a singular box.

Bad Bunny's album was awarded Grammys in Best Album and Best Latin Album categories.

View from the edge

Fans of BTS  and K-pop are not buying the corporate spin. There is a fine line between a dedicated spotlight and a strategic barrier. When an artist achieves the highest streaming numbers on Earth and completely shifts the landscape of modern pop culture, they belong in the Album of the Year conversation — not shunted off into a language-restricted side lane.

“I also want to be very clear," Mason continued in defense of the Grammys. "Submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year,” he continued. “Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both.”

Indeed, the latest example of how musical artistry can pass over the categories occurred last year when Bad Bunny made history by winning Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, marking the first time an all-Spanish-language album won the Recording Academy's top prize. In addition, the album also won Best Musica Urbana.

Bad Bunny made history in 2026 by winning Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, marking the first time an all-Spanish-language album won the Recording Academy's top prize. He won three awards that night in total.

The year before that, at the 67th Grammy Awards in 2025, Beyoncé won three Grammy Awards for her album COWBOY CARTER, including Album of the Year and Best Country Album.

BTS made a bold statement with their withdrawal but in so doing, the group is missing out on almost certain Grammys for the group's  fifth studio album, “Arirang,” in March following the completion of the members’ mandatory military service.

Ironically, BTS' withdrawal opens the door for other groups from Asia such as South Korea's Black Pink, Stray Kids and Ateez; and the Philippines' SB19 and Bini.

Nevertheless, BTS just gave the music industry a masterclass in self-worth: if an institution refuses to respect your artistry without putting a regional label on it, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is walk out the door.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.

Grammy award show was one for the history books for Filipino Americans

Olivia Rodrigo won three Grammys in her first recording hits and album

UPDATED, April 5, 1 p.m. PDT to include Grammy winner Arooj Aftab.

It was a historic moment not lost by Filipino Americans. It may never happen again: two Filipino American acts opening a major awards show, but that's what happened when Bruno Mars and Olivia Rodrigo were the first two performances at the 64th Grammy Awards.

Asian American artists, especially Filipino Americans, made their presence felt at the Grammys, the music industry's major awards show.

In the first performance to get the show off to a lively start, Mars teamed up with Anderson Paak as Silk Sonic to do a raucous funky performance of "777" from their album giving the show an instant shot of energy and excitement. 

Even before the first award was announced, right after Silk Sonic's performance, Rodrigo followed, singing her highly emotive hit of teenage love and loss, "drivers license."

Host Trevor Noah didn't point out the Filipino American angle to the two opening acts, but every Filipino and Filipino American watching the show, and a good number of AANHPI viewers knew what just happened and the significance of having the Asian American artists open a show honoring musicians and singers.

The second Grammy award was presented to Olivia Rodrigo who won the highly coveted  Best New Artist category. Upon receiving the award, she said "This is my biggest dream come true," thanking her collaborators for their help in launching her recording career.

BTS, whose hit "Butter" was nominated in Best Pop Group or Duo Performance, was the third musical act, further stamping an Asian impact on the awards show.  The K-pop group wowed the audience with their choreography and singing and drew gasps from fans and a Twitter explosion when V, who began the BTS performance in the audience, playfully flirted with  Rodrigo.

What was BTS member V whispering to Olivia Rodrigo?

Another milestone was achieved when H.E.R., aka Gabrielle Sarmiento Wilson, was the third Filipino American act to perform at the Grammy's highlighted by a scintillating rocking guitar duet with Lenny Kravitz.

Mars and Paak, as Silk Sonic won the first night's Grammy for Record of the Year for their hit "Leave the Door Open," which also won three more  Grammys for Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.

When Silk Sonic won their fourth Grammy for the night, .Paak couldn't contain himself. “We are really trying our hardest to remain humble at this point,” .Paak effused. “But in the industry, we call that a clean sweep.”

Nineteen-year old Rodrigo, as many predicted, won the prestigious Best New Artist Grammy after breaking into the recording business in January of 2021 with her chart-topper "drivers license," the first of her several Top 10 hits.

Rodrigo, who prefers to be known for her song writing, also won Best Pop Solo Performance and her debut album, "Sour" won Best Pop Vocal Album. 

Filipino Americans won Grammys Sunday. From left, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars and H.E.R.

"I really wanna dedicate this award to my parents," Olivia said while accepting the  Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy. "When I was 9 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a gymnast even though I could barely do a cartwheel. She thought I was joking, but I was super defensive. So the next week when I told her I was going to win a Grammy, she was very supportive even though she probably thought it was just a little kid pipe dream. But I want to thank my mom for being supportive of my dreams no matter how crazy. And I want to thank my mom and dad for being equally as proud of me for winning a Grammy as they were when I learned how to do a back walkover."

In an interview prior to the Grammy broadcast, H.E.R.,who earlier was awarded the Grammy for Best R&B Performance for her song "Fight For You," gave a shoutout to "fellow Filipino" Rodrigo.

"She's one of those authentic artist who writes what she feels," said H.E.R. about Rodrigo, "I love that about her."

Besides the Filipino American winners, other AANHPI Grammy winners include:

• The Best Regional Roots Music Album Grammy went to Native Hawaiian artist Kalani Pe'a for "Kau Ka Pe'a."

• Pakistani American vocalist Arooj Aftab scored a Grammy, for her song "Mohabbat" in the Best Global Performance category.

The TV cameras kept drifting to the artists sitting in the front row and the viewers got a heavy dose of Rodrigo, H.E.R. and Silk Sonic reacting to their awards and the performances of other artists. They were sitting near each other, perhaps a table apart and could be seen in the background cheering as the others were being interviewed or when the cameras zoomed in on a winner.

Filipino American rapper Saweetie was interviewed on the Red Carpet by E's Laverne Cox. Saweetie, 28, reflected on the whirlwind success she's had in recent months and got emotional as Cox reminded her that in 2020, Saweetie said her career goal was to make it to music's biggest night.

"Girl, don't make me cry," Saweetie, who was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Song, a collaboration with Doja Cat. "Don't make me cry! Yes [I imagined I'd find success] but I didn't know it would happen this quick."

BTS, Saweetie, Nora Jones, Elle King and Japanese Breakfast were the other AANHPI artists nominated in various Grammy categories.

Filipinos, perhaps the most plugged-in ethnic group in the world, were all atwitter for the Grammys:

Mars' four Grammys give him 15 trophies that he has won making him the winningest Filipino American recording artist. The Hawaii-raised Mars tied Paul Simon as the only artist to win record of the year three times. Mars won with his own “24K Magic” in 2018 and in duet with Mark Ronson on “Uptown Funk” in 2016.

The first Filipino American to win a Grammy was Larry Ramos, who was one of the leaders of the folk group, the New Christy Minstrels in 1962.

The big winner for the night was Jon Batiste, walking away with five Grammys. He  for Album of the Year for "We Are."  

Click here for a complete list of Grammy winners.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't miss additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective. Follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Grammys 2022: Olivia Rodrigo is going to be around for a long time

While the world was quarantined, trying to escape the pandemic, Olivia Rodrigo was in her bedroom writing songs that expressed her teenage angst, wavering between the highs and lows of love and heartbreak. The world heard and felt the feelings that she put into song.

In advance of the 64th Grammy Awards, Grammy.com published a revelatory feature about teenager Rodrigo, who has been nominated in seven categories, including Best New Artist 

Although the article didn't mention her Filipino American roots, it mentioned details about her road to success in 2021 as she burst onto the worldwide music scene in what apparently was a carefully planned strategy; taking advantage of the artist's natural likeability and her God-given talents for song writing and her singing voice.

Rodrigo's zoom to the top wasn't just luck or accidental. Although she is only 19, she has a realistic grasp on the business side of her career that is just beginning. Step-by-step, everything she does has a purpose, advancing her in a business that has known more than a few one-hit wonders.

Although she had been acting in various Disney roles on television, she was little noted outside of the Disney-created bubble. All that changed in January 2021, when  Rodrigo seemingly burst out of nowhere, into world consciousness with "drivers license." 

At 18 years old, she became the youngest solo artist ever to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 and broke the Spotify record for most plays in a single week twice. 

Though the next two singles couldn't have been more different than "drivers license," they kept Rodrigo climbing the charts — and proved that Rodrigo was more than just a moment.

Her second release, "deja vu" — a wistful, indie-pop ode to heartbreak — helped Rodrigo become the first artist in history to debut their first two singles within the top 10 of the Hot 100 in April 2021. A month later, the angsty pop-punk anthem "good 4 u" became the singer's second single to debut atop the Hot 100 — making Rodrigo the first artist to land two No. 1 Hot 100 debuts from their debut LP.

With "good 4 u" she expanded her repertoire beyond the "pop" music genre to become one of the leading ladies of the recent pop-punk resurgence. Rodrigo even paid homage to genre veterans Paramore, crediting the trio as songwriters on "good 4 u" after parallels were made to their hit "Misery Business."

Her fashion sense ranges from a demure plaid ensemble that she wore to the White House, to her trademark platformed combat boots that she debuted on Saturday Night Live. 

Pop-punk queen Avril Lavigne — who presented Rodrigo with Variety's Songwriter of the Year Award in December — believes that Rodrigo "is a tremendous force in music that is going to be around for a long time."

"She spoke her truth and found really creative, clever, and beautiful ways to tell her story in a way that resonated with so many people," Lavigne tells GRAMMY.com. "Her music wasn't about chasing trends, but rather saying something honest and genuine, and I think the world saw through the noise and really connected with her songs and message."

Released in May 2021, Sour quickly became one of the best-selling albums of the year. It also sat atop the Billboard 200 chart for five non-consecutive weeks. The longevity of Sour has been undeniable — something that has likely been driven by Rodrigo's firsthand knowledge of how the industry works. "You definitely have to be a businesswoman to be a musician," she told TIME.

Grammy.com revealed that Rodrigo's breakout year is no fluke in the feature about the young artist:

Inspired by her hero Taylor Swift, Rodrigo owns her masters in a partnership with Geffen Records. "There's a path for me to have a stake in the music and art I create, which is only fair," Rodrigo said to TIME.

Along with musical control, Rodrigo has created an impressive, immersive universe alongside Sour, too. Roughly a month after the release of her debut LP, Rodrigo shared her Sour Prom concert film — a prom-like spectacle that offered a taste of what a tour could look like when touring wasn't possible.

Sour Prom also gave young fans an at-home high school ending that they may have missed out on due to the pandemic, another way for Rodrigo to connect with her audience. "Since Olivia never got to go to prom, she knew she wanted to throw an event for everyone to celebrate together," Sour Prom director Kimberly Stuckwisch told Billboard.

But Rodrigo wasn't even close to done. On March 25, she shared driving home 2 u, a documentary detailing Sour's creative journey. In the Disney+ film, Rodrigo road trips from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, recalling memories of writing her first album.

driving home 2 u featured new live performances and gave viewers a closer look at the process of making her striking debut; the result was an intimate look at what made Rodrigo so impressionable. It's also the perfect segue into Rodrigo's forthcoming tour throughout North America and Europe — which is, of course, completely sold out.

The consistency in which Rodrigo has breathed new life into the songs fans have been scream-singing (and likely crying to) for months is what has helped her become the breakout artist she is — and will hopefully remain a foundation of her future work to come. And it might be coming sooner than you think: Rodrigo recently told Billboard that she's already working on new music.

"I have a title for my next album and a few songs," she said. "It's really exciting to think about the next world that's coming up for me. I just love writing songs. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. [I want to] just sort of explore and have fun right now."

After such a whirlwind breakout year, that "next world" is nothing but promising. So if she simply wants to have fun, we can’t help but say it: good for her.

* * *

The 64th Grammy Awards will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. It begins broadcasting live from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 3.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't miss additional commentary, news, views and tips from an AAPI perspective by following @DioknoEd on Twitter. 

H.E.R. a smash hit at the Grammy's

SCREEN CAPTURE

H.E.R.'s dress  for the Grammy's was designed by DSquared2.

She may not have taken home any Grammys this year, but H.E.R.'s performance of her new song "Sometimes" demonstrated that the future is bright for the R&B singer in the music industry.

H.E.R. , aka Gabrielle Wilson, who won two Grammys at the 2019 ceremony and was nominated for three of the Big 4 categories at the 2020 awards show – hit the stage Sunday (Jan. 26) for a slow-building performance of her song "Sometimes."

(H.E.R. is an acronym for Having Everything Revealed.)

Starting out on the piano, H.E.R. was backed by a string section and a chorus of singers as she worked the song up to a soulful climax – at which point she stood up, casually walked over to a guitar and effortlessly tossed off a searing Prince-like solo without breaking a sweat.

She also showed that she's no slouch in the fashion realm. For the Grammy's, she shed her signature dark glasses and wore a more transparent eyewear, swept her hair above her head so we got a good look at the singer/musician's natural beauty.

SCREEN CAPTURE

H.E.R. sang her new song "Sometimes" at the Grammys.

In her second Grammy's show, the Filipina American artist got into the red carpet glamor by showing off her a kimono-inspired outfit. H.E.R. rocked a multi-colored kimono dress designed by DSquared, plus jewelry by Sara Weinstock, EFFY Jewelry and Rachel Katz.

In her red carpet interview with the Recording Academy, she said: "I just really love kimonos right now, so DSquared hooked it up and they made a little kimono vibe."

"It's crazy to think that I've (accomplished all of this) in just two years and that my first nomination became a win," she told Billboard. 

And all this from a recording artist who has yet to release a debut album -- although she promises us it's coming soon this year.

"You question the path that you're on sometimes and I have no right to do that now! I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. And there's no greater feeling than manifesting what is meant for you," she said.

Grammy Nominations: H.E.R. garners 5; BTS snubbed,

H.E.R. aka Gaby Wilson

The nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards, the music industry's top awards show, were announced Wednesday (Nov. 20) morning with some surprises, both good and bad.

It's becoming more and more obvious, the American music industry doesn't know what to do about BTS.

The K-pop group got royally snubbed by the Grammy's.  They didn't receive a single nomination. Not a one, to the consternation of its legion of fans and fellow artists.

However, AAPI artists were not entirely ignored or shunted aside. Filipino American artists H.E.R. garnered five nominations in the major categories of album of the year nomination for "I Used to Know Her," H.E.R. is up for record of the year and song of the year for "Hard Place," and her hit featuring Bryson Tiller, "Could've Been," is up for best R&B song and best R&B performance.

In 2019, H.E.R. also had five nominations and walked away with two trophies. So when she was told about 2020 nominations, she was taken aback.

"I was like, 'What? Again?!'" said H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson who grew up in Vallejo, California.

"I did not think the second time I would be nominated for five," she admited to Billboard. "That makes it 10 nominations in two years, which is kind of unheard of. I feel really special and grateful."

BTS deserved a nomination after the year the group has had, They regularly outperform their white and/or Western contemporaries in terms of album sales, streams, video views and concert draw but not drawing a single nomination may be revealing something deeper.

BTS are some of the most deserving Grammy candidates. They regularly outperform their white and/or Western contemporaries in terms of album sales, streams, video views and concert draw.

In April, the group released "Map of the Soul: Persona," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making them the first group since the Beatles in 1996 to score three chart-toppers in less than a year. (They also hit No. 1 with 2018’s Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer.)

The 6-member boy band recently finished its Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour, which grossed nearly $117 million. They also scored their highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit to date in collaboration with Halsey for “Boy with Luv,” which peaked at No. 8, boosting the K-pop stars' crossover appeal.

The Grammy's have been a little sensitive about race with black performers not getting adequate recognition for their performances, videos or the music they created while mediocre artists reap the awards.

Halsey was disappointed in not receiving a nomination for her big hit "Without Me," she tweeted that BTS's snub didn't surprise her: “deleting and ignoring all negativity. BTS deserved many nominations. I am however, unsurprised that they weren’t acknowledged,” she wrote. “the US is so far behind on the whole movement. the time will come.”

BTS' Army couldn't hide their disappointment.

Other AAPI artists received nominations, including comedian Aziz Ansari.

Ansari got nominated for Best Comedy Album of the Year, marking his comeback from the sexual misconduct allegation two years ago. At the end of the album he addresses the incident that almost derailed his career

“I saw the world where I don’t ever get to do this again, and it almost felt like I died. In a way, I did. That old Aziz who said, ‘Oh treat yo self’ or whatever, he’s dead. And I’m glad. ‘Cause that guy was always looking forward to whatever was next. I don’t think that way anymore. ‘Cause I’ve realized it’s all ephemeral. All that stuff, it can just go away like this. And all we really have is the moment we’re in and the people we’re with.”

AAPI artists earned nominations in other less-known categories (See list below).

Eva Noblezada and David Lai received nominations for their work in Lin Manual Miranda's Hadestown cast album; Yuji Wang for Best Classical Solo; Amy Hānaiali’i, Imua Garza & Kimié Miner received nominations for the Best Regional Roots Album.

AAPI nominees and categories

Record of the Year“
Hey, Ma” — Bon Iver
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish
“7 Rings” — Ariana Grande
“Hard Place” — H.E.R.
“Talk” — Khalid
“Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
“Truth Hurts” — Lizzo
“Sunflower” — Post Malone & Swae Lee

Album of the Year“
I, I” — Bon Iver
“Norman F—ing Rockwell!” — Lana Del Rey
“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” — Billie Eilish
“Thank U, Next” — Ariana Grande
“I Used To Know Her” — H.E.R.
“7” — Lil Nas X
“Cuz I Love You” (Deluxe) — Lizzo
“Father of the Bride” — Vampire Weekend

Song of the Year“
Always Remember Us This Way” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)
“Hard Place” — Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris. H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“Lover” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Norman F—ing Rockwell” — Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
“Someone You Loved” — Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pere Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi)
“Truth Hurts” — Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo)

Best R&B Song:

“Could’ve Been” — Dernst Emile Ii, David “Swagg R’celious” Harris, H.E.R. & Hue “Soundzfire” Strother, Songwriters (H.E.R. Ft. Bryson Tiller)

“Look At Me Now” — Emily King & Jeremy Most, Songwriters (Emily King)

“No Guidance” — Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Lewis, Noah Shebib & Teddy Walton, Songwriters (Chris Brown Ft. Drake)

“Roll Some Mo” — David Brown, Dernst Emile Ii & Peter Lee Johnson, Songwriters (Lucky Daye)

“Say So” — Pj Morton, Songwriter (Pj Morton Ft. Jojo)

Best R&B Performance
Daniel Caesar - Love Again [ft. Brandy]
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been [ft. Bryson Tiller]
Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel [ft. Gucci Mane]
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
Anderson .Paak - Come Home [ft. Andre 3000]

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Kalawai’anui — Amy Hānaiali’i
When It’s Cold – Cree Round Dance Songs — Northern Cree
Good Time — Ranky Tanky
Recorded Live At The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Rebirth Brass Band
Hawaiian Lullaby (Various Artists) — Imua Garza & Kimié Miner, Producers

Best Comedy Album:

Quality Time — Jim Gaffigan
Relatable — Ellen Degeneres
Right Now — Aziz Ansari
Son Of Patricia — Trevor Noah
Sticks & Stones — Dave Chappelle

Best Musical Theater Album:

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life And Times Of The Temptations — Saint Aubyn, Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope & Ephraim Sykes, principal soloists; Scott M. Riesett, producer (Original Broadway Cast)
Hadestown — Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada & Patrick Page, principal soloists; Mara Isaacs, David Lai, Anaïs Mitchell & Todd Sickafoose, producers (Anaïs Mitchell, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
Moulin Rouge! The Musical — Danny Burstein, Tam Mutu, Sahr Ngaujah, Karen Olivo & Aaron Tveit, principal soloists; Justin Levine, Baz Luhrmann, Matt Stine & Alex Timbers, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
The Music Of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child – In Four Contemporary Suites — Imogen Heap, producer; Imogen Heap, composer (Imogen Heap)
Oklahoma! — Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ali Stroker, Mary Testa & Patrick Vaill, principal soloists; Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2019 Broadway Cast)

Best Classical Instrumental Solo:

“The Berlin Recital” — Yuja Wang
“Higdon: Harp Concerto” — Yolanda Kondonassis; Ward Stare, conductor (The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)
“Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite” — Nicola Benedetti; Cristian Măcelaru, conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra)
“The Orchestral Organ” — Jan Kraybill
“Torke: Sky, Concerto For Violin” — Tessa Lark; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)
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