By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES, July 29 (Reuters) – K-pop group BTS said on Wednesday they will not submit any music for consideration at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2027, citing dissatisfaction with the academy’s new category for best Asian pop music performance.
The decision marks the first time the South Korean group, one of the biggest names in K-pop, have opted out of the awards ceremony. Each member of the group shared the news in a post on Instagram.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” they wrote.
The Recording Academy announced the new category on June 16 for music from South Korea, Japan, China, and elsewhere in the region.
“This category recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages,” the Grammy website says.
The Recording Academy said in a statement that BTS’ decision was disappointing.
“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,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Grammys, said.
However, Mason said he wanted to clarify what he believes has been lost in the conversation surrounding the K-pop group’s boycott.
“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,” he added.
Mason also emphasized that submitting music to any category, including Asian Pop, does not prevent an artist or group from being considered for 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,” Mason said.
The statement concluded with the CEO stressing the Recording Academy serves the global music community 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,” he said.
BTS released the comeback album “ARIRANG” on March 20 after a hiatus for their members to complete military service. A global success, it topped the Billboard 200 chart for two consecutive weeks, setting a new record for a K-pop act.
Tickets for BTS concerts in South Korea sold out rapidly during January’s presale, driven by demand from the band’s devoted fanbase, known as ARMY. The North American and European legs of the tour also sold out within hours, according to Hybe, the agency that manages BTS.
At the 52nd American Music Awards in May, BTS beat Taylor Swift and other major artists to win artist of the year, in addition to taking home two other awards.
BTS consist of seven members: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. They are managed by Big Hit Music, an independent label under Hybe.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Minwoo Park and Heekyong Yang, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Chris Reese)
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