BTS, the South Korean septet currently riding one of the biggest comeback waves in pop music history, announced Wednesday that it will not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for February 7, 2027 — a direct rebuke of the Recording Academy's newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. [1][2]
A Unified Statement From All Seven Members
All seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — posted identical statements to their individual Instagram accounts simultaneously. [2] "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. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us." [2]
The coordinated nature of the announcement, spanning all seven personal accounts, signals a deliberate and unified group decision rather than a label directive or individual preference. BTS is the first artist to publicly announce they will sit out the new category. [1]
The Category at the Center of the Controversy
The Recording Academy introduced the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category just over a month before BTS's announcement. [1] The Academy's official description states: "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. Awards are presented to the performing artist(s)." [1][2]
The new category has drawn mixed reactions across K-pop fan communities online. [1] BTS's statement pointedly references both region and language — the two defining criteria of the new award — making the implicit critique explicit without naming the Recording Academy or the category directly. [1] The group's choice of language suggests the objection is philosophical: that sorting music by geography and tongue creates hierarchies rather than dismantling them.
Neither the Hollywood Reporter nor Variety had received a response from the Recording Academy as of publication. [1][2]
A Banner Year Makes the Snub More Striking
The timing amplifies the significance of the decision. BTS returned to group activities last year following the completion of all seven members' mandatory military service in South Korea, and the reunion generated enormous anticipation. [1][2] In March, the group released Arirang, described as their fifth studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. [2] The album's lead single "Swim" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. [1][2]
By virtually any commercial measure, BTS had been the presumptive frontrunner for the new Asian Pop category — making their refusal to enter it a pointed statement rather than a strategic absence. [1]
The group's profile has only grown since the album's release. BTS performed at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — an eleven-minute set shared with Madonna, Shakira, and Justin Bieber. [2] It was the first halftime show in the tournament's 96-year history. [2] The group wore custom red outfits designed for their "World Tour Arirang," each bearing a member's name alongside the number seven. [2] After closing out European dates in Paris, the tour resumes U.S. dates beginning August 1, back at MetLife Stadium. [2]
Grammy History and What's at Stake
BTS has been nominated at the Grammys before — including in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video categories — but has never won. [2] All seven members have held Recording Academy voting membership since 2019. [2] Expectations for a first BTS Grammy win had been building heading into the 2027 ceremony, making their withdrawal a significant blow to the event's prestige among global pop audiences. [2]
The group's objection touches a broader and unresolved tension in the music industry: whether dedicated categories for non-English-language or regionally defined music represent inclusion or a form of segregation that keeps those artists from competing on a fully equal footing in the ceremony's most prominent categories. BTS's statement does not resolve that debate, but it does position the group firmly on one side of it.
What to Watch Next
The Recording Academy's response — or continued silence — will be the immediate indicator of how seriously the institution takes the critique. Whether other K-pop, J-pop, or C-pop acts follow BTS's lead and decline to submit for the new category could determine whether the award launches with legitimacy or controversy at its first ceremony. Meanwhile, BTS's commercial dominance in 2026 means the group will remain a central reference point in any conversation about how the Grammys handle global music — with or without a trophy on the shelf.