After releasing their latest album, Arirang, the global phenomenon known as BTS has decided to skip submitting any of their music from that album to be considered for a Grammy Award in 2027. The group’s decision comes after the Recording Academy added the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category to the list of awards to be handed out during the ceremony. According to NME, the category was made with the purpose of highlighting excellence in Asian pop music originating from Asian markets.
Some think BTS was a shoo in to win this award, but others thought the category was made to exclude the group, considering including an Asian language was one of the qualifiers for the category, and the group’s biggest hit from this year, “Swim”, which many speculated to be the song they’d win for, contains English lyrics. But now, we will never know if BTS would have won or not because every member of the group shared the same statement, which reads, “We have decided not to submit our work to this year’s Grammy Awards.” they stated. “We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages. We are grateful to our ‘ARMY’ and everyone who has always supported us.”
The umbrella company known as Hybe, which houses the sublabel Big Hit Entertainment, known for groups such as BTS and Cortis, has responded to BTS’ decision by making it clear this is solely a decision made by BTS. The decision the group made does not represent a label-wide boycott. Therefore, groups under Hybe labels, such as Cortis, Le Sserafim, Illit, TXT, Boynextdoor, Enhypen and more could still be considered to win in this new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
The recording academy has responded by allegedly removing BTS’ performances of “Butter” and “Dynamite” from their website. And, Grammy’s CEO, Harvey Marson Jr., responded to BTS’ decision with the following statement, “I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision.
I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.
I also want to be very clear: submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both.
The Grammy organization is here to serve music and all the people who make it. As we continue to expand the reach, our membership and our awards, regardless of geography or language, I want to emphasize that we will continue to listen to the global music community and work to honor and celebrate all the artists whose music moves the world.”
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