The Grammy Awards to Expand Number of Nominees in Four Top Categories

The Grammy Awards have decided to increase the number of nominees in the four top categories (Album, Song, Record of the Year, & Best New Artist) from five to eight after complaints of a lack of diversity and equality. The announcement was released through a letter to the members of the Recording Academy earlier this week. The other categories will remain at five nominees.

The increase in the main categories "will better reflect the large number of entries in these categories and allow voters greater flexibility when selecting this year's best recordings," the letter said.

The awards broadcast was criticized this January for the lack of women nominated in the night's top categories. Only two female performers won awards during the live telecast, and Lorde, the only female artist nominated for album of the year, was not scheduled to perform, with Grammys president Neil Portnow claiming that there wasn't time for a Lorde performance in his comments after the show.

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