BTS withdraws from 2027 Grammy Awards over new Asian Pop category
The seven members of South Korean boy band BTS announced on July 29 that they will not submit any music for the 2027 Grammy Awards. Each posted a synchronized Instagram message saying they hope music can be heard and loved “without being divided by region or language.”
The Recording Academy had introduced a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category for the 69th Grammys, a move many fans and commentators interpreted as segregating Asian artists. BTS’s management company HYBE clarified that the boycott is a personal decision by the group and not a company‑wide stance.
BTS has received five Grammy nominations between 2021 and 2024 but has never won. Their comeback album Arirang debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and topped charts in South Korea, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and other markets. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was saddened by the decision and defended the new category as a celebration of Asian pop that does not preclude consideration in general fields.
Scholars have described the boycott as a challenge to the Western‑centric award system, noting that BTS now occupies a position where they no longer need validation from Western institutions.
Entities: ARIRANG · ARIRANG (album) · BTS · Best Asian Pop Music Performance · Grammy Awards · HYBE · Harvey Mason Jr. · RM · Recording Academy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, expressed disappointment over BTS’s decision but said the new category aims to celebrate Asian pop and does not exclude general categories. (Harvey Mason Jr.)
- [● 3 SOURCES] After BTS’s announcement, fans propelled the song “Aliens” to No. 1 on iTunes charts in 78 regions. (BTS fan community)
- [● 9 SOURCES] BTS has received five Grammy nominations between 2021 and 2024 but has never won. (Grammy nomination history)
- [● 4 SOURCES] BTS cited the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category as a reason for their withdrawal. (BTS Instagram statements)
- [● 12 SOURCES] BTS will not submit music for the 2027 Grammy Awards. (BTS members via Instagram)
- [● 3 SOURCES] South Korean scholars described BTS’s boycott as a challenge to the Western‑centric music award system. (Academic commentary)
- [● 10 SOURCES] The Recording Academy introduced a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category for the 69th Grammy Awards. (Recording Academy announcement)
- [● 5 SOURCES] BTS’s album “Arirang” debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and topped charts in South Korea, Japan, Germany, and the UK. (Chart data)
- [● 2 SOURCES] HYBE clarified that the boycott is a personal decision by BTS and not a company‑wide stance, and it did not ask other artists to follow. (HYBE statement)
- [● 8 SOURCES] BTS members posted a synchronized Instagram statement on July 29 expressing hope that music would not be divided by region or language. (BTS Instagram posts)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was saddened by BTS’s decision and said the new Asian Pop category celebrates Asian pop without excluding general categories. (Harvey Mason Jr. press release)