Post by World Tunes (@worldtunes)

Members K-pop group BTS announced that they have decided not to submit their music for consideration for the next Grammy Awards in apparent protest of a new category that they think makes music less universal.

On their Instagram accounts, the seven members—RM, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, Jungkook, V, and Jin—posted the same message: “We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language.”

The message was in apparent response to the Recording Academy’s mid-June announcement of category changes to the 69th Grammy Awards, which is set to have its main ceremony on Feb. 7, 2027. Among the new categories was Best Asian Pop Music Performance, which, according to the announcement, “recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.”

Fans and critics worldwide have argued that the category acts as a form of musical segregation or containment, isolating regional acts into a separate side lane rather than letting them compete equally in mainstream general pop categories.

In a statement posted Wednesday evening, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was “saddened” by the boyband’s decision, which he says he nonetheless respects and understands. But Mason also addressed the controversy surrounding categories.

“I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation,” Mason’s statement read. “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. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”

Mason also clarified that submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, Jazz, or Country does not exclude artists from submitting and being considered in the general categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

As K-pop keeps flourishing globally (something that began in the 2000s with the musical impact of groups like TVXQ, BIGBANG, Super Junior, Girls' Generation and more), U.S. music award-giving bodies have, in recent years, introduced new categories in an attempt to meet demand for recognition: MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMAs) unveiled a Best K-pop category in 2019, the American Music Awards (AMAs) introduced the Favorite K-pop Artist award in 2022, and the Billboard Music Awards added four K-pop-related categories in 2023.

#Music #Kpop #BTS #Grammys

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