When musicians collect in Los Angeles on Sunday for the annual Grammy Awards, they’ll be dropping into a country in disaster.
Actors, athletes and musicians have been speaking more and more loudly in regards to the Trump administration’s actions in Minneapolis, following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti final weekend.
“You never know how it’s going to play out but the one thing, I think, we have, as an advantage to be honest, is the fact that musicians — we’re communicators,” mentioned Harvey Mason, Jr., the president and chief government officer of the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys.
“You’re going to hear and feel what’s going on in the world through the music,” he advised NCS. “Maybe some people will choose to speak out about it, but you’re definitely going to feel it in the music, in the performance, in the passion that goes into the art.”
The 2026 Grammys are as soon as once more led by rap powerhouse Kendrick Lamar with 9 nominations. The present is returning to the follow this yr of having all one of the best new artist nominees carry out, which means Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, sombr, and The Marías will take the stage.
This yr’s ceremony additionally options two new classes: greatest conventional country album and greatest album cowl.
Mason hopes the present, set to be hosted by Trevor Noah, will give viewers a feeling of unity and uplift. “I think music has a unique ability, especially in these days, especially at a time when there’s so much division, there’s unrest — I think music and all the talented artists, Trevor our host, the music community will be used as a tool, as medicine, I think, to bring people together,” he mentioned.
Mason, who has led the Recording Academy since 2020, has a lot on his arms — from contemplating the state of the country to the rise of synthetic intelligence and its impression on music to pursuing his acknowledged mission of diversifying the academy’s membership amid a rightwing-led backlash to variety efforts.
Mason thinks about variety from a world perspective in addition to a nationwide one. As worldwide genres develop ever larger — from Latin music to Okay-pop — he has labored to deliver in extra world members, he mentioned.
Last yr, “more than 3,800 diverse music creators and professionals” joined the Academy as half of its 2025 new member class, of which 58 % have been folks of shade and 35 % those that determine as girls, according to the Academy. “For the first time ever, invitations were also extended to all Latin Recording Academy Voting Members, helping to build a more globally representative voting body,” it mentioned.
Puerto Rican performer Bad Bunny made history with the most recent Grammy nominations by changing into the primary Spanish-language artist to obtain nominations concurrently in all three of the Grammys’ most prestigious classes: album of the yr, report of the yr and track of the yr for his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” and the one “DtMF.”
History was additionally made by Okay-pop this yr, with two songs by Okay-pop artists nominated for track of the yr for the primary time: Rosé’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, “APT.,” and HUNTR/X’s chart-topping “Golden” from the hit Netflix movie “KPop Demon Hunters.” “APT.” additionally grew to become the primary track by a Okay-pop artist to be nominated for report of the yr.
“It’s all really elevated and cool and I think it is following a similar trend to Latin music, which burst onto the scene globally 25 years ago now, and really created a global awareness,” mentioned Mason, a songwriter and producer who for the previous 15 years has labored on music in South Korea. “I think you’re seeing the same thing with K-Pop now, where they’re building awareness for their music.”
As each a music lover and the top of the Grammys, Mason mentioned he’s “excited by the globalization of music.”
“I think it gives us all an opportunity to have more understanding, more empathy, more commonality, more unity with other parts of the world through music,” he mentioned. “And, to me, what’s better than that?”
Mason additionally spoke about his strategy to AI, a expertise he mentioned he discovered “challenging” but in addition an “exciting opportunity.”
“We need to make sure we protect human creativity and AI has the potential to threaten that if left unchecked,” Mason advised NCS, including that “we’re going to be working on the advocacy side to make sure we’re pushing for legislation.”
“We also know that it’s incredibly powerful and if used by a really creative songwriter or artist or producer, that it can make some great, great music.”
The Grammys, he mentioned, will “continue to honor human creatives.”
“We’re not going to be giving Grammys to AI artists or AI written songs. But at the same time, AI does not disqualify an entrant,” he mentioned.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air reside from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1.