BTS Sit Out the Grammys' New Asian Pop Category as the Backlash Shifts

BTS are sitting out the next Grammys. On July 29, all seven members posted the same message to their individual Instagram accounts: "We have decided not to submit an entry for Grammy consideration this year."

Rolling Stone reports that the statement came a month after the Recording Academy created a new prize, Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The members wrote in Korean, not English. Rolling Stone says many read that as a refusal to be pushed to the margins and steered into a niche category.

The category is one of five new awards announced in June. It honors recordings that make meaningful use of at least one Asian language, The Korea Times reported. BTS had been seen as a strong contender with Arirang, their fifth studio album.

That album came out in March, after the group returned from mandatory military duty. Rolling Stone reports it went straight to the top of charts worldwide and earned rave reviews.

People outside the fandom noticed the statement. Maggie Kang, the Korean Canadian co-director of KPop Demon Hunters, shared a news article about it and added a clapping emoji. Bang Yong-guk of B.A.P shared a story about BTS and the Grammys with his Instagram followers.

In August the Academy hinted it might revisit the category. On Oct. 1 it confirmed the category would stay. CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said it had drawn more support than opposition from voices in Asia's music community.

BTS were not the only ones to skip it. JYP Entertainment confirmed on Oct. 2 that Stray Kids had not submitted. On Oct. 15, the Grammy analysis site The Grammy Guru reported that no artists from HYBE, SM, JYP or YG Entertainment had entered. HYBE said BTS' decision was "not a company wide boycott" and that its other artists would choose for themselves under its multi-label system.

Billboard reported that the category drew 116 submissions. Best Latin Song, another new category, drew 519.

Now the debate has turned inward. The Korea Times reports that some fan anger has moved to K-pop acts that reportedly did submit. The Academy has not officially said which acts entered, but local media have named some.

Best Asian Pop Music Performance debuts at the 69th Grammy Awards in February 2027.