Grammy chief executive Harvey Mason jr has responded to BTS's decision not to submit their music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, saying he was "saddened" but respected the choice. Mason used the statement to push back on the idea that the Recording Academy's new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category was designed to sideline K-pop acts, insisting it was created to expand recognition rather than divide artists, and stressing that acts entering genre categories remain fully eligible for General Field awards such as Record, Album and Song of the Year.

All seven BTS members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — posted identical statements on Instagram saying they wanted their music "to be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language." The withdrawal comes just over a month after the Academy unveiled the new Asian Pop category, and follows previous Grammy nominations for BTS that never resulted in a win. The group joins other major artists, including Drake, Jay-Z and the Weeknd, who have opted out of the Grammys in the past, often for several years, before Mason later persuaded them to return.