Stray Kids Join BTS In Shunning The 2027 Grammys

Stray Kids, one of the leading K-pop groups, has announced it would be boycotting the 2027 Grammys. Their agency JYP Entertainment confirmed on Friday that it's joining BTS in snubbing the ceremony entirely. The decision came less than a day after the Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammys, announced that it would present the controversial Best Asian Pop Music Performance award as originally mentioned.

Stray Kids was seen one of the biggest contenders for the Grammys. The group has topped the Billboard 200, the main U.S. album chart, a staggering nine times, and all eight members hold Grammy voting rights. The boycott is bound to hit the Grammys in a major way.

BTS Boycotts The 2027 Grammys

In July, BTS made shocking headlines by announcing that they would not put forward their own music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards. The decision arrived just a month after the Recording Academy announced the introduction of a new Asian Pop category. This was met with backlash. In a statement shared through the members’ individual Instagram accounts, the group explained that they had chosen not to submit their work for Grammy consideration that year. They expressed a desire for their music to be appreciated on its own merits rather than being categorized according to region or language, while also thanking ARMY and their supporters for their continued encouragement. Although BTS have received five Grammy nominations over the years, they have yet to take home a win.

"We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages," BTS underlined.

Critics flagged apprehensions that establishing a dedicated Asian Pop category could have the unintended effect of distancing Asian music from the Grammys’ major honors, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year, especially as K-pop has already achieved widespread international popularity. The Grammys announced the new category in June. It celebrates songs with "meaningful use of one or more Asian languages."

The Recording Academy later suggested that it was open to reconsidering the category. However, it has now announced that support for the new award trumped opposition and confirmed that the category would be included in next year’s Grammy ceremony as originally planned.