BTS is sitting out the Grammys. All seven members posted an identical statement to their personal social media accounts on Wednesday afternoon, July 29 (KST), announcing that the group will not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, set for February 7, 2027. The decision arrives roughly six weeks after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category — and it instantly became the biggest K-pop story of the week on both sides of the Pacific, drawing a personal response from the Academy’s chief executive within a day.
What BTS said
“We have decided not to submit for the Grammys this year,” the statement reads, as translated from Korean. “Rather than music being divided by region or language, we hope music itself can be heard and loved for what it is. We are always grateful to ARMY and everyone who is always with us.”
The message did not mention the Recording Academy’s new category by name. But the timing and the pointed reference to music “divided by region or language” left little doubt about what prompted it, and outlets from Seoul to Los Angeles — including Deadline, which described the move as an apparent protest — read it as a direct response to the new award.
What the group is walking away from
Grammy entries are submitted voluntarily by artists and their labels, so declining to submit removes BTS’s 2026 releases from contention entirely. That is no small sacrifice. According to awards tracker Gold Derby, the group’s fifth album Arirang — which returned to the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this summer — had been viewed as a genuine Album of the Year contender, while the single “Swim” was eligible for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. BTS was also considered the runaway favorite to win the very first Best Asian Pop Music Performance trophy.
BTS has been nominated five times at the Grammys without a win, including three consecutive Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nods for “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “My Universe.” The group’s only appearance in a top general-field category came as featured artists on Coldplay’s Album of the Year nominee Music of the Spheres.
The category at the center of the storm
The Recording Academy announced Best Asian Pop Music Performance on June 16, describing it as honoring artistic excellence in Asian pop performances “originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop.” Supporters framed the category as guaranteed recognition for a genre the Grammys had repeatedly passed over. Critics — including many K-pop fans — countered that it risked walling Asian artists off from the main categories, with Korean media reporting concerns that the category’s language criteria could even complicate eligibility for English-heavy K-pop releases.
BTS’s withdrawal sharpens that debate considerably: the act most likely to win the inaugural award has effectively declined to compete for it.
The Recording Academy responds: ‘Never to divide’
The Academy’s answer came within a day. CEO Harvey Mason Jr. posted a statement to the Grammys’ official Instagram account on Wednesday U.S. time (Thursday morning KST), writing that he was “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.”
Mason defended the new award as a celebration of the “depth, diversity, and excellence” of Asian pop, insisting the intent is “never to divide.” He also pushed back directly on the concern at the heart of the backlash — that a genre category would wall Asian acts off from the night’s biggest prizes — stressing that entering a genre category does not exclude an artist from General Field awards such as Album of the Year: “An artist can absolutely pursue both,” he wrote, reaffirming the Academy’s commitment to expanding recognition across geography and language.
What happens next
Mason’s statement gave no indication that the Academy plans to change or withdraw the category, leaving the standoff unresolved. Korean outlets including Hankook Ilbo and Tenasia have characterized BTS’s move as a boycott declaration, and attention now turns to whether other K-pop acts — several of which earned major nominations in 2026 — will follow BTS’s lead or submit for the new category. First-round Grammy voting is still months away, leaving room for the situation to evolve before the February 2027 ceremony.
FAQ
Why is BTS not submitting for the 2027 Grammys?
The members said they hope music “can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” They did not name a specific reason beyond that, but the announcement is widely interpreted as a response to the Recording Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, unveiled on June 16, 2026.
How did the Grammys respond to BTS’s decision?
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was “saddened” by the news but understands and respects the decision. He defended the new Asian pop category as celebratory rather than divisive, noting that entering it would not have prevented BTS from competing for General Field awards like Album of the Year.
Has BTS ever won a Grammy?
No. The group has received five nominations without a win, including three straight Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nominations for “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “My Universe,” and long held the distinction of being K-pop’s only Grammy-nominated group until other Korean acts broke through in 2026.
Sources: BTS members’ official statement via their personal social media accounts; Recording Academy CEO statement via the Grammys’ official Instagram; Hankook Ilbo; ABC News/Good Morning America; The Hollywood Reporter; The Korea Times; Gold Derby; Deadline.
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