From K-pop Idols to Violinists... Voting for Grammy Winners Now Includes Korean Musicians

Recording Academy, Organizer of the Grammys
18 JYP Artists Including Jinyoung Park Invited
Broader Participation for Korean Artists After Last Year’s HYBE Wave
Diverse Genres Across Pansori and Classical Music
"Asian Pop" Category to Be Introduced at Next Year’s Grammys

Twice. Provided by JYP Entertainment

A significant number of Korean musicians have been invited to join the Recording Academy—the organization behind the U.S. Grammy Awards—as new members. This year, the list of invitees securing voting rights expanded to include a wide variety of K-pop artists such as Jinyoung Park, TWICE, and Stray Kids, as well as masters of pansori and classical performers. Following last year's wave of invitees from HYBE, both the number of participants and the range of genres represented by Korea have grown. In addition to voting, members can now propose new award categories and amendments to academy regulations in the future.

According to the music industry as of July 15, a total of 18 artists signed to JYP Entertainment, including Jinyoung Park, all nine members of TWICE, and all eight members of Stray Kids, have been invited as new voting members of the U.S. Recording Academy for 2026. Jung Wook, CEO of JYP, and Hyunkook Shin, Chief Strategy Officer and CEO of JYP America, have been invited as professional members. In total, 20 individuals from JYP have received invitations.

This year's Korean invitees are diverse in both genre and role. The Recording Academy recently invited EJAE, a singer-songwriter and co-composer of "GOLDEN"—the winner of the "Best Song for Visual Media" award at the 68th Grammy Awards held in February—to become a new member.

There are also invitees from the fields of traditional and classical music. According to The Asia Business Daily's research, New York-based violinist Woo Yejoo has been invited as a new voting member this year. Jo Suhwang, a recognized practitioner of pansori and recipient of the Presidential Award in the master singer category at the 2022 Namdo Folk Song Contest, also received an invitation.

Founded in 1957, the Recording Academy has organized the Grammy Awards since 1959. Its members are artists, composers, producers, and sound engineers who actively participate in the recording process. Members are eligible to vote for up to ten categories within a maximum of three genre fields and six general Grammy categories. They take part in both the initial and final rounds of voting that decide nominees and winners. The Academy requires that members vote only in fields in which they are actively working and professionally specialized.

Not everyone is granted voting rights at the Grammys. Professional members include music industry professionals—such as label executives, managers, and concert promoters—who support creative artists. They do not hold voting rights but can participate in the Academy's education, networking, and policy programs.

Candidates must pass a career review to become a member. To apply, nominees must be recommended by two full-time colleagues from the music industry. To qualify as a voting member, applicants are required to have at least twelve commercial release credits in a single creative role that can be verified through the U.S. music distribution network or streaming services. Of these, at least five must be from works released within the past five years. A review committee composed of current members assesses applicants’ experience and recommendations. Those who have been Grammy nominees within the past five years may be exempted from part of the release requirements.

Receiving an invitation does not make someone an official member immediately. Invitees must complete the registration process by July 31 this year in order to participate in the 69th Grammy Awards submission process for 2027. The annual dues for both voting and professional members are 150 dollars (approximately 220,000 won).

Musicians affiliated with HYBE invited as members of the Recording Academy last year. (From the left on the first row) Beomju, Zico, Seventeen Woozi, Seventeen Vernon, Tomorrow X Together Yeonjun. (From the left on the second row) ENHYPEN Jungwon, LE SSERAFIM Heo Yunjin, Slow Rabbit, Supreme Boi, Wonderkid. (From the left on the third row) Cats Eye Daniela, Sophia, Manon, Megan, Yoon Chae, Lara. Provided by HYBE

The Recording Academy invites new members each year through a process of recommendation and peer review. This year, invitations have been sent to approximately 4,000 music creators and industry professionals worldwide, an increase of more than 400 compared to last year's approximately 3,600 invitees.

The influx of Korean music professionals as invitees became prominent starting last year. From HYBE, Zico, Seventeen Woozi and Vernon, Tomorrow X Together's Yeonjun, Enhypen's Jungwon, and LE SSERAFIM's Heo Yunjin were invited as new voting members. Six producers—Bumzu, Slow Rabbit, Supreme Boi, Wonderkid, and all six members of the Korea-U.S. collaborative group Cats Eye—were included, making the total number of invitees 16. The Recording Academy highlighted ten K-pop artists and producers among these on its official website.

Beginning with the 69th Grammy Awards scheduled for February 7 next year, the Recording Academy will introduce a new category: "Best Asian Pop Music Performance." This category is for popular music originating from, or widely recognized in, the Asian market, including K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. Songs must feature a significant amount of one or more Asian languages. It is the first time the Grammys are establishing a standalone category for Asian popular music.

Each year, the Recording Academy collects proposals for new categories and rule amendments from its members. This year’s restructuring—which includes the establishment of the "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category—was developed based on member proposals. The addition of this new category for Asian pop music was confirmed last month. The musicians invited this time will be able to propose future new categories and regulations once they complete their membership registration.

However, Korean membership in the Recording Academy does not automatically increase the likelihood of K-pop Grammy wins. The Academy requires members to vote according to musical and technical achievements, not based on nationality or company interests. In addition to voting, members can participate in advocacy for creators’ rights, organizational governance, and composer/producer divisions.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. stated, "Members are the engine that drives the Grammys," expressing his hope that new members will network with their peers and help shape the future of the music industry. EJAE emphasized, "The more we work together, the stronger the community becomes, and the greater our ability to protect our work and represent each other."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.