Days before the 2026 GRAMMYS nominations are announced, the Recording Academy revealed that more than 3,800 music creators and professionals who are actively working in the music industry have joined the Academy as part of its 2025 New Member Class. The Recording Academy extended its annual membership invitations in July.

The diverse New Member Class expands the pool of qualified voters ahead of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards. Of those in the accepted class, 50 percent are age 39 or younger; 58 percent are People Of Color; and 35 percent identify as women. 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. 

See the full statistics surrounding the demographics of the 2025 New Member Class.

"Today marks the beginning of an exciting week — not only are we welcoming this year's incredible new class of Academy members, but we're just days away from unveiling the 2026 GRAMMY Awards nominees," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. "This year's class reflects the vibrancy of today's diverse music landscape. The addition of many Latin Recording Academy voting members underscores that music has no borders and that our mission to serve music people, regardless of where they are from, is stronger than ever. I can't wait for our members' passion and hard work to shine through in this year's nominations."

Recording Academy membership consists of Voting Membership for recording creators and Professional Membership for music business professionals. Voting Members — made up of artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers active in the music industry — are eligible to vote, ultimately determining the GRAMMY nominees and GRAMMY winners of Music's Biggest Night each year.

All Recording Academy members have the opportunity to participate in the organization's year-round initiatives, driving meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion progress through the DREAM Initiative, advocating for creators at the federal and state levels, engaging in programming with the Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing, mentoring the next generation of music industry talent through GRAMMY U, supporting peers across the Academy's 12 Chapter cities, and more.

The 2026 GRAMMY Awards nominees will be unveiled at 11:00 a.m. EST / 8:00 a.m. PST this Friday, Nov. 7, during a livestream event on live.GRAMMY.com and YouTube. The full list of nominees will be published on GRAMMY.com immediately following the presentation.

Learn more about the Recording Academy's membership process and requirements, and the key dates for the 2026 GRAMMYS.

The 2026 GRAMMY Awards Nominations are proudly sponsored by City National Bank, Dove and Vaseline.