The 2024 Grammys ceremony will now have a category for "Best African Music Performance," the Recording Academy, the event's organizer, stated on social media.
"Today, we’re proud to announce a new category for the 66th Grammy Awards – Best African Music Performance," the organizer stated. "This track and singles category recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent."
The Recording Academy said the newly introduced category would include 19 different music genres from around Africa that highlight the continent's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical traditions. These are Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.
"Our goal at the #RecordingAcademy is to recognize and honor the very best in music from across the globe. Every year, we strive to accurately represent and celebrate the various cultures, influences, and genres that shape our world and provide the soundtrack to our lives," the statement reads.
This is the first time in the awards' history that an entire category will be devoted just to African music.
African singers, such as Burna Boy, Tems and Wizkid, (all from Nigeria), have previously taken home the Grammys' prized trophies.