The Recording Academy extended membership invitations Thursday to more than 2,300 music professionals including Lil Nas X and Victoria Monét.
‘I’m so honored to join the Recording Academy’s Membership Class of 2020. Thank you to the Academy for all your support so far. I’m so excited to officially be a part of the family with so many legends in the industry, and to be a new voice to represent other music creators like me out there. Can’t wait to see what this year brings. Let’s go!,’ the 21-year-old Old Town Road singer said in a statement.
Nas X, real name Montero Lamar Hill, won two Grammy Awards in January at the 62 annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Grammy winner: Lil Nas X, shown in February in Los Angeles, was among the more than 2,300 music professionals invited Thursday to join the Recording Academy
Monét, 27, also was excited about the invitation.
‘Long before I understood how the Grammy’s operate behind the gold, I have dreamt of receiving one for my work. Now, more importantly I have the opportunity to help other deserving creatives see that shared dream through. It’s an honor to say the least! I am so excited to be a new addition among the Academy class,’ said songwriter Monét, who received two Grammy Award nominations in 2019 for Album of the Year for her work on Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next and Record of the Year for ‘7 Rings’.
The 2020 class of 2,321 invitees is 48 percent female, 21 percent African American/African descent, eight percent Hispanic, and three percent Asian American and Pacific Islander, the Recording Academy said in a press release.
The Recording Academy’s current membership is 26 percent female and 25 percent from traditionally underrepresented communities.
Invitation extended: Victoria Monét, shown in January at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, also was invited to join
‘We are proud of the strides we’ve made toward ensuring our membership is diverse and inclusive, which is reflected within this new pool of invitees,’ said Harvey Mason jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy. ‘While this progress signifies meaningful impact, there’s still more work to be done. We’ll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community. Furthermore, we’re excited to see how the contributions of the incoming new member class will help inspire meaningful change within the music industry.’
‘Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it’s a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique,’ said Kelley Purcell, senior director of member outreach at the Recording Academy. ‘These individuals will become the driving force behind the Recording Academy, and it’s encouraging to see how our membership continues to evolve each year as we take steps toward building a more inclusive and vibrant community.’
A panel of Recording Academy music creators met virtually in April to evaluate new member submissions considering a wide range of criteria including craft, genre and overall diversity. The member submission process implemented in 2018 includes industry recommendations and a peer review process in order to build a more diverse membership.
A privilege: ‘Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it’s a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique,’ said Kelley Purcell, senior director of member outreach at the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy in December pledged to increase outreach to diverse communities and double the number of women voters by 2025, an increase of 2,500 new women voters.
Grammy.com editor-in-chief Justin Dwayne Joseph to celebrate the new class hosted a moderated discussion on June 24 titled ‘Your Academy: Welcoming The 2020 New Member Class.’
The virtual meeting released Thursday on YouTube featured new invitees, including Monét, as well as 11-time Grammy winner John Legend, 41.
New class: Grammy.com editor-in-chief Justin Dwayne Joseph to celebrate the new class hosted a moderated discussion on June 24 titled ‘Your Academy: Welcoming The 2020 New Member Class’
Virtual meeting: The virtual meeting released Thursday on YouTube featured new invitees, including Monét, as well as 11-time Grammy winner John Legend, 41.
‘We still need to be more diverse,’ Legend said. ‘The only way that changes is if we’re recruiting more people to bring an influx of diversity into the academy. Rather than throw up our hands and say, ”It’s going to be a stodgy, old white guy organization”, we’re the people that are going to change it.
In order to participate in the process for the upcoming Grammy Awards, new members must accept their invitations by Sept. 15, 2020.
The first voting ballot opens September 30 and closes October 12 for the the 63rd Grammy Awards set to take place January 31, 2021, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Need more: ‘We still need to be more diverse,’ Legend said. ‘The only way that changes is if we’re recruiting more people to bring an influx of diversity into the academy’