K-pop megastars BTS have officially announced to skip the 2027 Grammy Awards submission, in a coordinated social media statement.
This announcement is made after the Recording Academy introduced a new category named “Best Asian Pop Music Performance.”
The joint statement reads: “We decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. We want music to be heard and loved for what it is, rather than categorized by region or language.”
Weeks earlier, the Recording Academy announced five new categories in June, including the Asian pop prize, which recognized performances “originating from or widely recognized in Asian markets” with “meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
However, BTS was expected to be nominated in various main categories for their comeback album “Arirang,” from which they released a U.S. number-one single “Swim.” The album has over 80% of its lyrics in English, so it could not qualify for the newly announced categories.
This move has caused much discussion among people concerning the Grammy Awards, who criticize the organization for making such categories because it may lead to the pigeonholing of Asian musicians instead of their recognition together with other musicians.
The group members RM, Jimin, V, Suga, Jungkook, Jin, and J-Hope have been nominated for five Grammys since 2020 but never secured one. All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019.
Currently, the entries for the 69th Grammy Awards are open till August 21. For now, the Academy has not responded to requests for comment regarding BTS’s withdrawal.
2026-07-29 17:57:00
