Grammys: Highlife, Ghanaian drill recognised in new ‘Best African Music Performance’

The Recording Academy of the Grammy Awards has announced the addition of three new categories, including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording.

As part of the Best African Music Performance category, Ghanaian drill and Highlife artistes would be considered for this category starting with the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards.

The Best African Music Performance category would also recognise other genres, including Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, among others.

This recognition of the Highlife and Ghanaian drill music genre has been met with lots of joy from Ghanaian music lovers on social media.

“The Recording Academy is proud to announce these latest Category changes to our Awards process. These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said.

“By introducing these three new categories, we are able to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists – and relocating the Producer Of the Year and Songwriter Of The Year categories to the General Field ensures that all our voters can participate in recognizing excellence in these fields,” Mason continued.

“We are excited to honor and celebrate the creators and recordings in these categories, while also exposing a wider range of music to fans worldwide.”

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