LOS ANGELES — Global music phenomenon BTS will skip the 69th Annual Grammy Awards scheduled for February 2027. The South Korean group confirmed they are pulling out of the selection process because of the Recording Academy’s new award category for Asian pop music.
This marks the very first time the band has opted out of the Grammys. The news was confirmed by all the seven members; RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook via an identical message to shared on their personal Instagram accounts.
”We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” they wrote.
The Recording Academy created the new award category on June 16 to highlight songs from South Korea, Japan, China, and neighboring countries.
”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 Grammy website says.
The decision by BTS prompted an immediate response from the Recording Academy. Leadership expressed regret over the band’s choice while defending the intent behind the new category.
”I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Grammys, said.
Recording Academy Defends Category Design
Mason addressed the growing debate surrounding the boycott, pointing out that the intention was never to segregate global talent.
”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 added.
Mason noted that entering genre-specific awards does not block musicians from competing for top honors like Record of the Year, Album of the Year, or 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,” Mason said.
”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,” he said.
BTS still remains a hot cake as we speak, following the release of ARIRANG album in March, after a temporary hiatus while members completed mandatory military service in South Korea, the album topped chart, and yes, in terms of awards, it never stops, remember at the 52nd American Music Awards in May, BTS won Artist of the Year over Taylor Swift and other major artists, while collecting two additional trophies.
