Grammys Adds New Categories for Next Year's Show, Including Songwriter of the Year

There are some changes being made to the Grammys.

THR writes that this year’s upcoming ceremony will feature six new categories.

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The annual show is adding a special song for social change award, songwriter of the year, best spoken word poetry album, alternative music performance, Americana music performance and score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media.

The academy said that the new non-classical songwriter category will recognize one individual who was the “most prolific” non-performing and non-producing songwriter during the year, marking a difference from song of the year, which is awarded to the songwriter or songwriters who wrote the lyrics or melodies to one song.

“This new category is truly for an expert person at the songwriting craft,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told The Associated Press. In order to be eligible, songwriters must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited “solely” as a songwriter or co-writer.

“Somebody who writes their own music and records it would not be eligible,” he said. “They would have to be doing songs for others. We want to highlight the craft of writing songs professionally for artists.”

“Songwriters are at the heart of our business and industry,” he continued. “Nothing happens without songwriters. For us, this was a no brainer. It’s in alignment with all the changes. We thought, ‘How can we do more? Showcase more people and be more inclusive to different genres?’”

As for best song for social change, the award will be based on lyrical content that explores a social issue and encourages “understanding, peacebuilding and empathy.”

“It’s always the right time to recognize music that’s changing the world,” he said. “I think it deserves a special recognition. These songs are important and impactful. We want to make sure we’re honoring and celebrating that artform. This is a great way to do that.”

Find out how the 2022 Grammy Awards performed in terms of ratings.