NEW YORK — Global K-pop phenomenon BTS has sent shockwaves through the international music industry with its announcement that it will not submit any of its upcoming work, including its highly anticipated comeback album *ARIRANG*, for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, a decision that comes amid heated debate over the Recording Academy’s newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
All seven members of BTS — RM, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook, and Jin — made the joint announcement via identical posts shared to their individual Instagram accounts on Wednesday. In the statement, the group outlined its core reasoning for stepping away from the awards process, saying, “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
The group’s choice comes just over one month after the Recording Academy confirmed five new award categories for future Grammy ceremonies, headlined by the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance honor. Per the academy’s official rulebook, the category is designed to recognize eligible releases spanning a wide range of East and Southeast Asian pop genres, including K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop, among others. But the creation of the separate category has drawn sharp criticism from many music fans, who argue it functions as a racialized barrier that boxes Asian artists out of competition in the awards’ major general-field categories.
In a public response posted to the Grammys’ official Instagram account, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. expressed disappointment over BTS’ decision while emphasizing he respects the group’s choice as creators. “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,” Mason wrote.
Mason used the statement to push back against widespread criticism of the new category, clarifying its intended purpose and addressing misinformation that has circulated in public discourse. “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,” he wrote. “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.”
The academy CEO also stressed that entering the new Asian pop genre category does not prevent artists from also submitting their work for consideration in the awards’ most high-profile general field categories, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. “Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive,” Mason said. “An artist can absolutely pursue both.”
For BTS, the decision to step away from the Grammys comes after a history of multiple nominations but no wins for the group. Over the course of their career, BTS has earned five Grammy nominations: three nods in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, one nomination for Album of the Year for their collaborative contribution to Coldplay’s *Music of the Spheres*, and a nomination for Best Music Video for their track “Yet to Come.”
The Grammys have long faced criticism for sidelining K-pop despite the genre’s massive global commercial and cultural influence. While a K-pop track took home a Grammy award for the first time earlier this year — when “Golden” from the Netflix animated film *KPop Demon Hunters* won Best Song for Visual Media — the genre still remains underrepresented in major categories at the awards show.