Ella LangleyThe Grammys have announced a batch of new categories and rules, meaning that acts like Ella Langley and Megan Moroney are in with additional chances to nab a coveted award.
As Billboard reports, the Recording Academy have announced the changes for the 2027 Awards, which will result in a total of 100 awards for its 69th edition.
The new categories include the likes Best Asian Pop Music Performance, Best Latin Song, Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Traditional Folk Album.
In the case of the latter, it’s placed within the Country & American Roots Music Field, meaning that the similarly titled Best Folk Album category has now been renamed Best Contemporary Folk Album.
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However, one of the biggest changes relates to the rules of the Best New Artist Category. Previously, artists were eligible to submit for the Best New Artist category a total of three times, but this has now been upped to a total of four.
This is good news for acts such as Langley, Moroney, Ken Carson, and Ravyn Lenae, who have each entered themselves into the category three times previously without success. As a result, they may each now submit for the 2027 Awards, though there’s no word as to whether this will result in their selection.
“With Best New Artist, we've heard from the music community that the way artists are being developed is changing, and the time it's taking to find success or recognition can take longer than it once did,” explained Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr.
“Artists are often releasing more music before they actually break through the consciousness of consumers or of our voters, and that evolution directly impacts this Category.
“Last year, we formed a Best New Artist task force and charged them with reviewing the current guidelines and Category description to determine if anything needed to be refreshed or changed. That task force met, discussed, deliberated, and convened artists, and they came to the table with recommendations, which is what you're seeing implemented this year.
“The changes that have been made to this Category will allow for a little bit more flexibility and reflect the reality that artist development looks different than it did even a few years ago,” he added. “Again, it all goes back to making sure our process is reflective of what's happening in our industry today.”
Langley's second album, Dandelion, was released in April and subsequently topped the Billboard 200, while also hitting the penthouse for the US Country Chart. In Australia, it reached No. 3.
Moroney, meanwhile, pulled a similar feat with February's Cloud 9, with the only difference being a charting position of No. 20 in Australia.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Langley and Moroney will indeed submit for the 2027 Best New Artist category and whether they’ll ultimately be nominated, but recent chart successes indicate a strong argument for their inclusion.
In recent years, there have been only a sparse representation of country artists in the category. In 2025, Shaboozey was the only nominee from the genre in the category, ultimately losing to Chappell Roan. The year prior, Jelly Roll and The War And Treaty both lost out to Victoria Monét.
The most recent country artist to take out the award was the Zac Brown Band, who won in 2010.
