Grammys will provide a dose of “medicine” to a country in crisis, Recording Academy president says

(CNN) — When musicians gather in Los Angeles on Sunday for the annual Grammy Awards, they’ll be dropping into a country in crisis.

Actors, athletes and musicians have been speaking increasingly loudly about the Trump administration’s actions in Minneapolis, following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti last weekend.

“You never know how it’s going to play out but the one thing, I think, we have, as an advantage to be honest, is the fact that musicians — we’re communicators,” said Harvey Mason, Jr., the president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys.

“You’re going to hear and feel what’s going on in the world through the music,” he told CNN. “Maybe some people will choose to speak out about it, but you’re definitely going to feel it in the music, in the performance, in the passion that goes into the art.”

The 2026 Grammys are once again led by rap powerhouse Kendrick Lamar with nine nominations. The show is returning to the practice this year of having all the best new artist nominees perform, meaning Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, sombr, and The Marías will take the stage.

This year’s ceremony also features two new categories: best traditional country album and best album cover.

Mason hopes the show, set to be hosted by Trevor Noah, will give viewers a feeling of unity and uplift. “I think music has a unique ability, especially in these days, especially at a time when there’s so much division, there’s unrest — I think music and all the talented artists, Trevor our host, the music community will be used as a tool, as medicine, I think, to bring people together,” he said.

Mason, who has led the Recording Academy since 2020, has a lot on his hands — from considering the state of the country to the rise of artificial intelligence and its impact on music to pursuing his stated mission of diversifying the academy’s membership amid a rightwing-led backlash to diversity efforts.

Mason thinks about diversity from a global perspective as well as a national one. As international genres grow ever bigger — from Latin music to K-pop — he has worked to bring in more global members, he said.

Last year, “more than 3,800 diverse music creators and professionals” joined the Academy as part of its 2025 new member class, of which 58 percent were people of color and 35 percent those who identify as women, according to the Academy. “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,” it said.

Puerto Rican performer Bad Bunny made history with the most recent Grammy nominations by becoming the first Spanish-language artist to receive nominations simultaneously in all three of the Grammys’ most prestigious categories: album of the year, record of the year and song of the year for his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” and the single “DtMF.”

History was also made by K-pop this year, with two songs by K-pop artists nominated for song of the year for the first time: Rosé’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, “APT.,” and HUNTR/X’s chart-topping “Golden” from the hit Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters.” “APT.” also became the first song by a K-pop artist to be nominated for record of the year.

“It’s all really elevated and cool and I think it is following a similar trend to Latin music, which burst onto the scene globally 25 years ago now, and really created a global awareness,” said Mason, a songwriter and producer who for the past 15 years has worked on music in South Korea. “I think you’re seeing the same thing with K-Pop now, where they’re building awareness for their music.”

As both a music lover and the head of the Grammys, Mason said he is “excited by the globalization of music.”

“I think it gives us all an opportunity to have more understanding, more empathy, more commonality, more unity with other parts of the world through music,” he said. “And, to me, what’s better than that?”

Mason also spoke about his approach to AI, a technology he said he found “challenging” but also an “exciting opportunity.”

“We need to make sure we protect human creativity and AI has the potential to threaten that if left unchecked,” Mason told CNN, adding that “we’re going to be working on the advocacy side to make sure we’re pushing for legislation.”

“We also know that it’s incredibly powerful and if used by a really creative songwriter or artist or producer, that it can make some great, great music.”

The Grammys, he said, will “continue to honor human creatives.”

“We’re not going to be giving Grammys to AI artists or AI written songs. But at the same time, AI does not disqualify an entrant,” he said.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1.

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