On July 28, 2026, K-pop stars BTS announced that they would not submit their latest album for 2027 Grammy Awards consideration. The seven-member group posted the message on their individual Instagram stories, and fans were disheartened but ultimately supportive.
The message subtly called out a new award category as the catalyst for the decision. “We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year,” the statement said. “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
Back in June, the Recording Academy announced five new Grammy Awards categories and several qualification changes. But the category for Best Asian Pop Music Performance seemed to create unnecessary division within the pop categories. For BTS, this may have felt like a snub by Western mainstream music.
Now, the Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., has responded to the message from BTS. Late on July 29, Mason released a statement regarding the decision. He shared his disappointment, but also attempted to clarify the situation.
Grammys CEO Posts Clarification on New Asian Pop Category After BTS Announces Non-Participation in 2027 Awards
“I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year,” said Mason in a statement on Instagram. “But as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision.”
Mason continued, addressing “something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation.” According to the CEO, the Recording Academy created the Asian Pop category “to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he wrote. “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.”
He also clarified that artists who submit music to specialized categories, “such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country,” aren’t disqualified from submitting to the general categories as well. These include Album, Record, and Song of the Year.
“Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both,” he wrote.
K-Pop Fans Don’t Agree With Grammy CEO’s Explanation of Specialized Category
But much of BTS’ devoted fanbase doesn’t see it like that. Comments flooded Mason’s Instagram post, ranging from calling for apologies to BTS to attempting to set the record straight about the impact of specialized categories.
On fan wrote, “you literally missed the whole point; it’s not the matter of ‘you can still apply to other categories,’ it’s the matter that no matter how many categories you created in the name of inclusivity and diversity, if your committee [is] still stuck with the same mindset and will highly likely box them into the Asian category only by the end of the day, your ‘inclusivity and diversity’ will remain as where it stands today which is a facade.”
They added, “You had been criticised again and again how your categories ended up segregating musicians and that your committee is the actual problem, maybe when criticised, take notes instead of turning deaf.”
Another fan noted that BTS earned several Grammy nominations over the years, but never won. Many see the new category as just another way to exploit the hugely devoted K-pop fanbase while withholding mainstream recognition. “It always felt like [BTS] were only at the Grammys to attract attention with their massive fanbase,” they commented. “Their participation was beneficial for the Grammys, but they never received a trophy.”
Photo by Kim Hong-Ji – Pool/Getty Images
The post Recording Academy CEO Responds to BTS Abstaining From 2027 Grammys, but K-Pop Fans Aren’t Buying It appeared first on VICE.
