Mr Harvey Mason Junior, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Recording Academy has disclosed in a press conference in Ghana that the institution is considering the addition of an Afrobeats category to next year’s 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
TurnTable Charts, a Nigerian chart analytics platform and magazine, tweeted a segment of the conference captured on video, in which Mason says he and other Recording Academy brass “just had a meeting literally about six or seven days ago with leaders from the Afrobeats community” to discuss the potential move.
He had this to say, “We had a virtual listening session where we heard from Afrobeats creators and just talked about ‘What are the different subgenres? What are the needs? What are the desires?,’” he adds. “And my goal is to represent all genres of music, including Afrobeats, at the Grammys.”
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Mason makes it clear in the video, however, that the decision is far from final.
“I don’t decide categories,” he explains.
“The categories are decided by proposals submitted by members.
The members can say ‘Harvey, I want an Afrobeat category…’ So that process has started now. I think the listening session last week was very important, very valuable, and a step towards that path.”
Watch the video below.
The Afrobeat music genre was established by the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in the late 1960s and early 70s, however, it gained international appeal in the late 2010s due to the influence of the genre’s flag bearers- Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido.
Some other notable names in the genre include- Fireboy DML, Rema, Adekunle Gold, among several others.
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