BTS to skip Grammy submissions after new Asian pop category launch
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
BTS has confirmed that it will not submit music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, with all seven members announcing the decision via a coordinated Instagram story on a Wednesday, local Korean time. The group said it hopes music can be "heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," thanking fans for their support. The move makes BTS the first act to publicly opt out of the ceremony since the Recording Academy introduced a new Asian pop music performance category roughly a month earlier, a step that drew a mixed reaction within K-pop circles.
The new category recognises Asian pop performances, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, that make "meaningful use" of an Asian language, and BTS's decision to cite both region and language pointedly echoes that wording. The band had been considered a strong contender, being in the midst of a successful comeback following their reunion after completing South Korea's mandatory military service; their March album Arirang topped the Billboard 200 and its lead single "Swim" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The Recording Academy had not issued a public response by the time of reporting.
- Sources
- 2
- Outlets
- 2
- Left · Centre · Right
- 0 · 0 · 0
In short
- BTS will skip the 2027 Grammys, opting out of consideration entirely
- Decision follows new "Asian pop" Grammy category met with mixed reactions
- Band cited wanting music judged without regional or language division
How this story developed
- 3 months ago The latest coverage adds that The Hollywood Reporter has actively pressed the Recording Academy for a response, underscoring that the body has still offered no comment even as scrutiny of its silence grows.
- 3 months ago Reporting has since specified that the seven members posted their statement on a Wednesday Korean time and added a note of thanks to fans, while further detailing that the untested Asian pop category had split opinion among K-pop followers online.
- 3 months ago BTS has announced it will withdraw all music from consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, arguing that songs should be judged on merit rather than split by region or language, a move that surprised observers given the band's status as favourites for the ceremony's brand-new Asian pop performance category.
- Variety BTS Won’t Submit for 2027 Grammy Awards Consideration
- The Hollywood Reporter BTS to skip Grammy submissions after new Asian pop category launch
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those sympathetic to BTS's decision would argue that placing Asian-language performances into a distinct category, however well-intentioned, risks reinforcing the idea that such music is a separate, niche pursuit rather than mainstream popular music judged purely on its own merits. They would say genuine equality means competing head-to-head in the same top categories as English-language pop, and that BTS, having already proven its commercial and critical strength across the main charts, is using its considerable platform to push the industry towards one universal standard rather than accepting a parallel, regionally defined lane.
The case against
Those who support the new category would counter that recognition tailored to a genre's distinct artistic traditions is not segregation but overdue acknowledgment, noting that the Grammys already have several categories organised along genre and language lines, such as Latin or reggae, without this diminishing those genres' standing. They might add that for many Asian-pop acts without BTS's level of crossover success, a dedicated category offers meaningful visibility and a realistic route to recognition, and that a high-profile withdrawal by the genre's biggest name risks undermining a fledgling pathway before it can prove its worth to the artists who need it most.
Explained simply
BTS are one of the biggest bands in the world, a seven-member South Korean group whose global success helped bring K-pop into the mainstream. Its members recently returned from South Korea's mandatory military service and have since staged a strong comeback, with a chart-topping album and a number one single in the United States. The Grammy Awards, run by the American Recording Academy, are among the most prestigious music prizes and have long been a benchmark of mainstream recognition that K-pop acts have historically struggled to break into.
The immediate background to this decision is a new Grammy category for Asian pop performances, covering genres such as K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, which the Recording Academy introduced about a month ago. Some fans and commentators in the K-pop world reacted with mixed feelings, with debate over whether grouping these different genres together under one regional category does justice to the music or risks sidelining it from the main, genre-based awards.
This matters because BTS were seen as likely favourites for the new category, and any stance they take tends to carry significant weight across the wider K-pop industry. Their decision touches on a broader, ongoing conversation about how international, non-English-language music should be judged and celebrated by an awards system historically built around English-language, Western pop.
Coverage · 2 sources
Asia Entertainment Music World
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “BTS Will Not Be Submitting to 2027 Grammy Awards”.