BTS and Stray Kids skip 2027 Grammy nomination process

K-pop groups BTS and Stray Kids will not participate in the nomination process for the 2027 Grammy Awards. This absence comes amid controversy surrounding the Recording Academy’s decision to introduce a new category: Best Asian Pop Performance.

The new category is designed to recognize genres such as K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop, provided they significantly incorporate one or more Asian languages. Critics argue that classifying music based on geographic origin or language may limit the recognition of artists already operating within the global market.

In July, BTS announced they would not submit their album ‘ARIRANG’ for consideration, stating their disagreement with musical classifications based on region and language. The group maintains that their work should be evaluated on artistic merit rather than origin. On October 2, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Stray Kids also did not enter music for the 2027 competition, though the group has not publicly stated their specific reasons for this decision.