NEW YORK: For years, the Grammy Awards have faced criticism for their lack of diversity, with artists of colour and women often overlooked for top honors, and contemporary stars frequently ignored—reflecting the demographics of the Recording Academy’s voting body. However, an evolving electorate, 66% of whom have joined within the past five years, is actively working to change this.
At last year’s ceremony, women excelled in the major categories, with every televised competitive Grammy awarded to at least one woman. This progress is a result of a commitment made by the Recording Academy five years ago, when it announced plans to add 2,500 women to its voting body by 2025. Under its new membership model, the Academy has already surpassed that goal, adding over 3,000 female voting members, as announced Thursday.
Harvey Mason Jr., the academy’s president and CEO, expressed pride in these developments, stating, “It tells me that we were severely underrepresented in that area,” according to The Associated Press.
The drive for reform at the Recording Academy began with the establishment of a task force focused on inclusion and diversity, prompted by comments made by former CEO Neil Portnow during the height of the #MeToo movement.
Since 2019, approximately 8,700 new members have joined the voting body, bringing the total to over 16,000, with more than 13,000 now holding voting privileges—an increase from about 14,000 in 2023, of which only 11,000 were voting members. During this period, the number of members identifying as people of color has increased by 63%.
