BTS has announced it will not submit any music for Grammy 2027 consideration.
It's a deliberate move of resistance against the newly created Grammy category of Best Asian Pop Music.
The band called out the segregationist tactic.
BTS Rejects Grammy Submission As Protest Against Best Asian Pop Music Category
The K-pop juggernaut issued a statement against segregation, seeking universal love. The new Grammy category has already incited much backlash.
Summary
BTS will not submit any music for consideration at next year’s Grammy Awards, the K-pop band announced Wednesday.
The decision seems to be a firm retaliation against the Recording Academy’s introduction of five new categories in June, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The category recognizes performances “originating from or widely recognized in Asian markets” that make “meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.” Critics have labelled the category a form of segregation that deliberately sidelines Asian acts from major awards.
BTS' Decision Comes In A Banner Year
On the 29th, BTS announced via its members’ individual social media accounts, “We have decided not to submit our work to this year’s Grammy Awards.” Leader RM stated, “We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorized by region or language. We are grateful to our beloved ‘ARMY’ and everyone who has always supported us.” The septet also thanked its official fandom ARMY and supporters worldwide.
The decision arrives in a spectacular year for the group. Its fifth studio album ARIRANG released in March, topped the Billboard 200 with 641,000 units, the biggest week for a group album in more than a decade, while lead single SWIM debuted atop the Hot 100.
A HYBE representative insisted, “This is not a company-wide boycott.” A source added, “Other artists under the label will proceed with submissions as planned if they wish to do so.”
BTS earned three consecutive nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance from 2021 to 2023, but has never won a Grammy. They made history as the first Korean pop act to receive a Grammy nomination. The 69th Grammy Awards will be held on February 7 next year. Submissions for nominations began on July 7 and will continue until August 28. BTS will resume their Arirang World Tour. Following a few weeks' break, they're set to return to the stage on August 1st, with two separate concerts at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, followed by appearances in Foxborough, Baltimore, Arlington, Toronto and Chicago, in August.
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