The article argues that the Recording Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance Grammy category is poorly defined, following BTS’s decision not to submit its comeback album ARIRANG for consideration. Writer Eshy Gazit says the category risks dividing music by geography and language rather than judging it by coherent musical qualities, making BTS’s objection significant in the wider debate over representation.

The Academy says eligible work must originate from or be widely recognised in Asian markets and make meaningful use of an Asian language, citing K-pop, J-pop and C-pop. Gazit contends that this effectively makes the award language-based, while “Asian” covers about 2,300 linguistically diverse languages and several ambiguous geographical boundaries. He also argues that the cited pop labels describe national music industries and business systems, rather than a shared sound or genre.