RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of BTS attend the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 3, 2022. —Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Members of global K-pop sensation BTS announced Wednesday that they have decided not to submit 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.”
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.
For a group that once aspired to become the first Korean band to be nominated for a Grammy, which they achieved in 2020 for their English-language bop “Dynamite,” the rejection of consideration for the award after the group returned from hiatus with a chart-topping album is a significant statement. It’s unclear, however, if they’ll submit music to the Recording Academy in the future.
As K-pop continues to flourish globally, 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.
BTS has already raked in several awards from bodies including the AMAs and the VMAs. As for the Grammys, the group has been nominated thrice in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, and once in the Best Music Video category, while Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres , which included a song on which BTS featured, was nominated for Album of the Year in 2022. The group has also performed at the ceremony three times, but BTS has yet to take home what is widely considered the most prestigious music industry honor.
The septet, which officially debuted in 2013, is not the first act to boycott the Grammys. In 2021, The Weeknd vowed to block his label from submitting his music, citing the Recording Academy’s use of “secret committees” that have the final say on nominations, though he performed at the awards ceremony last year after the Recording Academy updated its voting membership.
In 2022, BTS went on hiatus as its members pursued solo projects and enlisted for mandatory military service in South Korea, where able-bodied men aged 18 to 35 must serve at least 18 months— K-pop stars not spared .
Four years later, the group ended its hiatus in March with a live concert in Seoul and a new album, Arirang , which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top spot on Apple Music charts in 115 countries and regions.
But even before they announced their withdrawal from consideration for a Grammy award, it seems the band’s priorities may have changed. In a GQ interview published in February, RM, the group leader, suggested the group has outgrown its desperation for the Recording Academy’s recognition.
“The Grammys was one of the goals that we haven’t really gotten in the past,” RM told GQ , noting that it was good earlier in their trajectory to have a North Star for a group of seven to get behind and work toward. “But I think now, the most important thing is just that we are here back together again; we’re going to see the fans all over the world.”
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