BTS announced that they would not participate in the 69th Grammy nomination race, despite the fact that the new album "Arirang" is creating a strong effect in the international market. The group's decision was made after the Grammy announced the addition of a category specifically for Asian pop music, causing much debate about how K-pop artists are evaluated at major music awards in the US.
On July 29, BTS shared a notice on their personal social media accounts saying that the group will not submit works to this year's Grammys. The group expressed their desire for music to be accepted based on artistic value instead of being divided by origin or language.
We hope music can be listened to and loved by music itself," leader RM shared, while thanking ARMY fans and audiences for accompanying the group.
This move is attracting attention because BTS is at a time with many advantages to compete at the Grammys. In March, the group released their fifth studio album "Arirang", marking their return with a full squad after the members successively completed military service and focused on personal activities.
The product quickly achieved outstanding results in the US market when leading important Billboard music charts. The success of "Arirang" makes many people expect BTS to continue to make their mark at the Grammys, an award that has repeatedly recognized the group's progress in bringing K-pop closer to global audiences.
However, BTS chose not to participate in this year's season after the Grammys announced a new category called "Asian Pop Music Performance". This category is for products in the Asian pop genre, including Korean K-pop, Japanese J-pop and Chinese C-pop.
The Grammy's expansion of the award system is seen as recognition of the growing influence of Asian music in the international market. However, a part of K-pop fans believe that separating Asian artists into a regional category could create new boundaries, instead of helping them compete directly in common awards.
In Grammy history, the most important categories such as Album of the Year, Record of the Year or Song of the Year are always considered the highest measure of the artist's position. Therefore, the addition of a separate category for K-pop raises many questions about whether Asian artists will have more difficulty in accessing the biggest awards.
BTS is one of the most influential K-pop artists in the US market. The group once became the first Korean artist to receive a Grammy nomination and has appeared many times at awards ceremonies as performers. Although not yet winning, BTS still contributes to changing the way the international music industry perceives K-pop.
BTS has not called this decision a Grammy boycott. This is considered the group's choice not to submit works for review, in the context of ongoing debates about the criteria for evaluating Asian artists at international awards.
BTS's withdrawal from the 2027 Grammy race may become a notable milestone in the relationship between K-pop and major US music awards. After building a global position, the group seems to want to emphasize the view that music should be judged by influence and quality, rather than regional or language limitations.
