The Grammys announced Thursday it would add “best traditional country album” to the category of awards after Beyoncé’s victory in the genre’s sole 2025 classification.
“The Academy’s top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a release.
“That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today’s music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible. As we kick off another exciting GRAMMY Season, we look forward to celebrating the amazing power of music and its ability to bring so many people together,” he added.
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album sent shockwaves through the country genre that was traditionally dominated by folklore singers. Next year, nominees will be separated into two areas for best contemporary country album and best traditional country album, marking a clear difference between modern and conventional sounds.
The Grammys said music designated as traditional country must adhere to the more traditional sound structures of the country genre, including rhythm and singing style, lyrical content, as well as traditional country instrumentation such as acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, electric guitar and live drums.
It will also include subgenres such as Western, Western swing and outlaw country.
The space for the new categories was carved out after the Recording Academy’s awards and nominations committee reviewed a submitted proposal that was ultimately approved by the Academy’s board of trustees.
“The community of people that are making country music in all different subgenres came to us with a proposal and said we would like to have more variety in how our music is honored,” Mason said in an interview with Billboard.
“They said, we think we need more space for our music to be celebrated and honored.”
The Grammy Awards are slated to take place Feb. 1, 2026.