Since the announcement of its addition in June this year, many have criticised the new best Asian pop music performance category, citing that such a move could potentially silo Asian artistes into a regional category and restrict them from the Grammys’ general field awards.
Following extensive dialogues, Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr confirmed on Oct 1 that the category will proceed as planned.
“We heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable,” said Mason.
“But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it.”
He added: “We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good. But at the same time, we are confident it’s the right conclusion for the music community overall.”