Major changes as Grammys drop 30 categories

Apr 06, 2011 by Ian Evans

Major changes are afoot as the Grammy Awards announced the biggest changes to their structure in their 53-year history.

While some categories like best Native American album and best spoken-word children’s record are now gone, the biggest change visible to the public is that the categories are no longer split by gender. Taylor Swift can go to-to-toe with Brad Paisley, while Lady Gaga will now face competition from Adam Lambert.

“A great singer is a great singer is a great singer, and somebody that has a gift in terms of their voice, and is at the top of their game in terms of their delivery and emotion, really isn’t necessarily defined by gender,” Grammy president and CEO Neil Portnow said.