Grammy renames ‘Best World Music Album’ category

The Recording Academy has renamed the ‘Best World Music Album’ category of its annual Grammy awards to ‘Best Global Music Album’ to avoid “ connotations of colonialism”.

According to Billboard, the academy, in a statement, said the move was in line

with its quest to “embrace a truly global mindset”.

It added that the initiative symbolises a departure from the connotations of

colonialism and an attempt to better adapt to “current listening trends and cultural evolution.”

“As we continue to embrace a truly global mindset, we update our language to

reflect a more appropriate categorization that seeks to engage and celebrate the

current scope of music from around the world,” the statement read.

“Over the summer we held discussions with artists, ethnomusicologists,

and linguists from around the world who determined that there was an opportunity

to update the best world music album category toward a more relevant, modern, and inclusive term.

“The change symbolizes a departure from the connotations of colonialism, folk,

and ‘non-American’ that the former term embodied while adapting to current

listening trends and cultural evolution among the diverse communities it may represent.”

The category, introduced in 1991, has been won by several music stars in the past

including Angélique Kidjo, an ace Beninese singer.

The development comes months after the academy also renamed the ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ category to ‘Best Progressive R&B Album.’