BTS Announce Decision To Pull Out Of 2027 Grammy Awards

"As a music creator, I understand and respect their decision," responded Grammys boss, Harvey Mason Jr.

BTS(Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC)

Members of Korean boy band BTS have announced their decision not to submit their latest album for consideration at the Grammys this year, citing new rules they deem as divisive.

On Wednesday, all seven members of the group – including Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook – shared separate messages to their respective Instagram Stories alerting fans to this decision.

“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” the message, originally posted in Korean, translates to. “I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”

To the average music fan, this may seem like a relatively uncontroversial statement, however, it appears to be in direct response to The Recording Academy’s recent changes to the Grammys’ award categories.

In June, it was announced that the 69th Annual Grammy Awards will welcome five new categories, including Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album, Best Latin Song, and Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

“This Category 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,” the Recording Academy said upon announcement of the new category.

The Recording Academy’s official description of the category continues:

Asian pop is a distinct and globally recognized form of popular music characterized by its integrated approach to music, performance, and presentation. Eligible recordings typically feature melody-driven composition, mainstream pop songwriting, and commercially oriented production, as recognized within their respective markets, and may incorporate elements of pop-adjacent styles such as pop-rock, pop R&B, and other related forms. Recordings in this category are often characterized by genre-blending arrangements, layered production, and dynamic structural shifts designed to support both audio and performance-based delivery.

Recordings must feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages. An Asian language should play a significant role within the song in bilingual or multilingual structures such that the recording is identifiable with that language. Recordings performed entirely in an Asian language are eligible. Incidental or minimal use (e.g., isolated words, adlibs, or brief phrases) does not qualify. Recordings performed entirely in English are not eligible in this category and remain eligible in other appropriate categories.

The nascent category comes following Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack becoming the first K-Pop song to win a Grammy when it took out Best Song Written For Visual Media. It was also in contention for Song Of The Year, but lost to Billie Eilish’s Wildflower.

While the statement from BTS’ members seems to call out the category’s specific mention of featuring “meaningful use of one or more Asian languages”, general speculation has centred around fears that songs which are included in the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category would therefore be excluded from those in the General Field, including the likes of Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year.

However, as Billboard points out, tracks BTS’s March record Arirang – their first in six years – would not be excluded from the General Field if they were submitted for consideration in the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, but they would be excluded from other awards under the Pop & Dance/Electronic field, including the likes of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Notably, BTS' have received a total of five Grammy nominations over the years, though are yet to win any.

These nominations including three consecutive nods in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category from 2021 until 2023 for Dynamite, Butter, and My Universe. 2023 also saw them receive an Album Of The Year Nomination for Music Of The Spheres and a Best Music Video nomination for Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment).

Previously, the group also performed at the Grammys, drawing in a vast K-Pop fanbase for their live performances in 2021 and 2022.

Following BTS’ decision, Harvey Mason Jr. – the CEO of the Recording Academy and the Grammys – issued a statement claiming he was “saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year,” but noted that “as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision.”

“I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation.,” he added. “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.

He continued:

I also want to be very clear: submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Those categories remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre. Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both.

The Grammy organization is here to serve music and all the people who make it. As we continue to expand the reach, our membership and our awards, regardless of geography or language, I want to emphasize that we will continue to listen to the global music community and work to honor and celebrate all the artists whose music moves the world.

The 69th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to be handed out on February 7th, 2027, with nominations set to arrive around November. BTS will also return to Australia just days after the Grammys ceremony, with tickets on sale now.