K-pop sensation BTS announced to their fans that they were withholding their music from the 2027 Grammy Awards. Artists must submit their own work to be eligible for nomination. But the group called attention to a category change that they felt created unnecessary division.
The seven members of the group—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—posted the message on their individual social media pages. There, they thanked fans for their support, but also shared the disheartening decision to abstain from the Grammys.
“We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year,” the statement reads. “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” They added, “We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us.”
The Grammy Awards’ New Asian Pop Category Has BTS Feeling Undervalued in the Mainstream Pop Market
The statement from BTS comes on the heels of a category change within the Grammys genre-divided awards structure. On June 16, 2026, the Recording Academy announced five new categories and several rule changes on the way for the 2027 awards.
New categories include Best Asian Pop Music Performance, which seems to be the catalyst for BTS’s decision not to participate. The Recording Academy allegedly hopes to highlight achievements in pop music performances specifically by Asian groups.
According to the Recording Academy, the category is in recognition of “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.”
But to BTS, this seems like an unnecessary singling-out. By relegating them to the Asian Pop category, BTS and groups like them won’t be recognized within a larger cohort of pop artists. It’s possible that these groups would only be nominated against each other, confined to restrictive categories based on arbitrary qualifications.
BTS has been previously nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but has never won a Grammy Award. Their fans have been anxiously waiting for that mainstream recognition. However, this new category could feel like a step back for Asian pop music in the Western market.
Photo by JUAN MABROMATA / AFP via Getty Images
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