BTS say they won’t submit music for next year’s Grammys
BTS Declines Grammy Submission Following New Asian Pop Category Announcement
Goldlaner.com – The renowned K-pop ensemble BTS has officially announced that they will not be submitting any of their music for consideration at the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony. The group’s members made this revelation on Wednesday, shortly after the Recording Academy confirmed that the 2027 event would feature an Asian pop music performance category for the very first time in its history.
In a collective statement distributed across Instagram by all seven members of the band, they explained their reasoning: “We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year.” They continued with a heartfelt message: “I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
Grammy Leadership Responds to the Decision
Harvey Mason Jr., the chief executive officer of the Grammy Awards, shared his thoughts with CNN regarding the band’s choice.
“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 Jr. stated. He clarified that musicians who choose to submit work within a genre-specific category, like the newly created Asian pop division, retain the ability to also enter the general field categories, including Record of the Year.
The executive further emphasized the purpose behind the new category: “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.”
A Legacy of Achievement
Since their formation in 2010, BTS has accumulated numerous accolades throughout their career. Between 2017 and 2021, the group secured the Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist on five separate occasions. They were subsequently honored as Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards in both 2021 and 2026. In 2022, they achieved the distinction of becoming the most awarded group in the history of the Billboard Music Awards.
Despite this impressive track record, certain fans have expressed concerns that introducing an award defined by geographic boundaries might diminish the perceived value of artists’ contributions. The controversy has sparked meaningful dialogue among supporters worldwide.
Fan Perspectives on the Controversy
Will Scragg, a 27-year-old English superfan, shared his thoughts with CNN.
“BTS incapsulate everything I love about music,”
he said. Scragg has attended two of the band’s performances this summer, traveling from his hometown of London to Munich for another show. He praised the group’s dedication: “I really appreciate the amount of effort they put into everything. They truly love performing, and witnessing all of that live is such an amazing and worthwhile experience.”
Scragg supports BTS’s choice to step back from Grammy consideration, even though he initially anticipated the band would receive multiple nominations. He expressed feeling “disappointed, and a little confused” when learning about the planned Asian music category.
“I feel like it’s a way to keep BTS out of the main, more prestigious, categories,”
Scragg explained.
“It feels like it’s a way to sideline Asian artists.”
While acknowledging that narrower categories can benefit lesser-known performers, Scragg believes BTS has already surpassed that level and commends the band for their dignified response.
Additional Fan Concerns and Grammy Rules
Eleri Williams, a 22-year-old fan from Wales, echoed similar sentiments.
“I believe that the Grammys need artists like BTS to remain relevant,”
Williams told CNN. Having witnessed the band perform on ten different occasions across cities including Seoul, Las Vegas, and Paris, she emphasized the universal appeal of their music.
“I think that the purpose of music is to bring people together, and this is just another form of segregation,”
she added.
It is worth noting that culturally or geographically determined categories are not unprecedented at the Grammys. The ceremony has long presented awards for Best Latin Jazz Album, Best Tropical Latin Album, and Best African Music Performance on an annual basis.
According to the official rules and guidelines released ahead of the 69th Grammy Awards in February of next year, a single song may only qualify for one performance category within any given year. This means that if BTS enters a track into the Best Asian Pop Music Performance division, they cannot simultaneously submit that same song to the broader Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, where they received nominations in 2021 and 2022, and the reverse also applies.
Matthew Pellegrino, a K-pop specialist and music teacher at NYU Steinhardt, characterized the Asian music category as “unnecessary.” He suggested that while the initiative appears well-intentioned, it ultimately places Asian artists into a separate classification that creates inequality with mainstream categories.
BTS’s sixth Korean-language album, titled “Arirang,” achieved remarkable commercial success upon its March release. The record debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and reached the top position across 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. The band’s decision to decline Grammy submission has generated significant discussion within the music community, highlighting ongoing conversations about representation and recognition in the industry.
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