Recording Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason jr. presents the 64th Annual Grammy nominations.
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Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the the Recording Academy, revealed this past weekend at a press conference in Ghana that the institution is considering the addition an Afrobeats category to next year’s 65th Annual Grammy Awards. TurnTable Charts, a Nigerian chart analytics platform and magazine, tweeted a segment of the conference captured on video, in which Mason says he and other Recording Academy brass “just had a meeting literally about six or seven days ago with leaders from the Afrobeats community” to discuss the potential move.
“We had a virtual listening session where we heard from Afrobeats creators and just talked about ‘What are the different subgenres? What are the needs? What are the desires?,’” he adds. “And my goal is to represent all genres of music, including Afrobeats, at the Grammys.”
Mason makes it clear in the video, however, that the decision is far from final. “I don’t decide categories,” he explains. “The categories are decided by proposals submitted by members. The members can say ‘Harvey, I want an Afrobeat category…’ So that process has started now. I think the listening session last week was very important, very valuable, and a the step towards that path.”
The FADER has reached out to the Academy for further comment.
Afrobeats has exploded in popularity of late, with scene leaders such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Olamide Fireboy DML, Asake, Adekunle Gold, and Temmie Ovwasa pushing the movement forward.
Watch Burna Boy’s 2019 video interview with Lawrence Burney and listen to Fireboy DML’s recent conversation with Brandon Callender on the 56th episode of The FADER Interview.