Are the Grammys Over?

It’s Grammy Nomination Day! The day music lovers everywhere tune in to celebrate—and, inevitably, critique—the choices made by an award show that feels increasingly out of touch. It’s almost tradition at this point: logging on to social media to see which of our favourite artists got snubbed versus which unexpected choices made the cut. Despite its longstanding issues, there’s still a pull to the Grammys. We continue to tune in, hoping for change, yet the show continually falls short of reflecting the evolving industry and culture of music. And this year, as genre-blending becomes the norm and traditional categories feel more limiting than ever, the Grammys are facing an urgent call to modernise—or risk being left behind.

With award show viewership dwindling in recent years, it's clear that the grip these ceremonies once had on the culture is getting lost. The Grammys, once the highest form of musical achievement, are perhaps the most in need of a restructuring—especially when it comes to genre. The way we categorise music is shifting, as artists continue to push the barriers of genre, and our current methods of classification not only fall short but are deeply rooted in racial biases. 

Let’s take the top genre-bending album of the year, Cowboy Carter, as an example. The track SPAGHETTII opens with a quote from Linda Martell, the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes, they are… In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.” Beyoncé’s work, like many artists today, can’t be boxed into one single genre. Through the album, she blends country, gospel, blues, pop, funk, rap, rock and roll, soul, and even opera! This blending of genres feels completely natural to the listener, but when it comes to categorising the album for awards, the Grammys are faced with what may be an impossible task. Where does an album like this belong? Should it be competing in pop? Country? Or will they just throw it into one of the Progressive R&B categories? The challenge of categorising a genre-defying project into a single category feels reductive, and speaks to the larger issue of categorising art. This is the challenge of music today–artists are no longer sticking to the status quo, and awards like the Grammys struggle to keep up with the reality that genre boundaries are nuanced, and maybe even obsolete. 

By no means is this a new phenomenon, but it’s more relevant than ever. As more artists experiment with different sounds and influences, the Grammys’ rigid genre categories seem increasingly arbitrary. Genres, as Martell suggested, are designed to separate music—a concept that feels antithetical to the creative freedom and experimentation that we should be encouraging in the creation and acknowledgment of art. 

“Urban”

Historically, genre classifications at the Grammys haven’t just been about musical style—they’ve been rooted in race. For decades, Black artists have been categorised as “urban,” a term that acts as a catch-all euphemism for Black music regardless of their actual sound. And it’s not just semantics; it’s a form of structural segregation that limits Black artists’ visibility and exposure to opportunities to reach widespread success in mainstream culture. A glaring example is the consistent exclusion of Black artists, particularly Black female artists, from major categories like Album of the Year, even when their work is groundbreaking. Instead, they are often funnelled into categories like Best Urban Contemporary Album, which was only renamed Best Progressive R&B Album in 2021 (a change that does little to address the problem). As cultural theorist Francesca D'Amico-Cutherbert argues, industry practices "limit, exclude, and render invisible Black music contributions to the domestic market,” with “urban” serving as a euphemism to “spatialize and covertly reference the intersection of Blackness, urbanisation, and poverty.” By using this language, the Grammys reinforces the idea that this music should be separate from the mainstream. The ongoing use of these categories underscores just how flawed and outdated the system is, signalling a need for a complete overhaul.

You Can’t Put These Artists in Boxes!

Beyond issues of race, genre-based categories feel outdated in a world where artists are continually blending sounds. In the past few years in particular, we’ve seen musicians mix and match genres in ways that challenge simplistic classification. Look at an artist like Doja Cat, who weaves together pop, hip-hop, and punk within the same album, or Lil Nas X, who famously combined country and trap in Old Town Road. Even Olivia Rodrigo, whose music combines pop, punk, and indie rock. These artists, despite being vastly different, are constantly pushing the boundaries of genre, making the Grammys’ categories feel pointless. 

The strictness of genre categories at awards shows feels outdated and TIRED. A Black artist could release a project with an explicitly pop sound and still be placed in an R&B category. On the other hand, white artists who explore “non-white” genres are often celebrated as innovators–when artists like Post Malone dabble in hip-hop or R&B, they’re not expected to permanently occupy those categories, nor are they labelled “sell-outs”. These double standards and outdated genre classifications remain, and it’s time to restructure.

What Now?

If the Grammys want to stay relevant, a change in approach to categorization is needed. As music evolves and boundaries continue to blur, award shows should be celebrating artists’ creativity without boxing them into categories that feel restrictive. Some have suggested genre-free awards, while others suggest categories based on artistic themes or production elements, which could better reflect the diversity of sound we see today. I’m not claiming to know the answer, but it’s obvious something needs to change.