In a significant overhaul of one of music’s most prestigious award categories, the Recording Academy has announced the splitting of the Best Country Album Grammy into two distinct categories: Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Traditional Country Album. This restructuring follows Beyoncé’s 2025 Grammy win for “Cowboy Carter,” a decision that sparked discussions about genre boundaries and representation within country music’s diverse landscape.
The newly established categories create clearer distinctions between different styles of country music, with the Traditional category emphasizing specific instrumentation including acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, and banjo while encompassing sub-genres like Western, Western Swing, and Outlaw country.
The Recording Academy’s new Traditional Country category spotlights acoustic instrumentation while honoring classic subgenres from Western to Outlaw.
Meanwhile, the Contemporary category will honor albums featuring modern production techniques and mainstream commercial appeal that reflect current trends in the genre.
According to the Recording Academy CEO, these changes aim to “create more space for all the diverse artists who are shaping the future of country music,” addressing longstanding debates about authenticity and innovation within the genre.
The restructuring acknowledges that a single category could no longer adequately represent the breadth of artistic expression in modern country music, particularly as artists increasingly blend traditional elements with contemporary influences.
Industry insiders have largely characterized the move as sensible, especially considering that the 2025 nominees chiefly represented contemporary country styles. Many fans view the split as a balanced approach that preserves country music’s heritage while embracing its evolution, though some skepticism remains about where exactly the boundaries between categories will be drawn. Critics and artists like Charley Crockett and Sierra Ferrell, previously confined to Americana categories, may now find better representation through these new distinctions.
The changes come alongside the addition of a Best Album Cover category, further demonstrating the Recording Academy’s commitment to recognizing excellence across all aspects of music production.
This category restructuring represents part of the Recording Academy’s broader initiative to adapt Grammy categories to evolving musical landscapes across genres.
For established country artists, these new category distinctions may open additional opportunities to pursue sync deals while maintaining their authentic sound in an increasingly diverse market.
For aspiring country musicians, this restructuring also emphasizes the importance of personal branding when determining whether to pursue a traditional or contemporary sound in today’s evolving industry.
