On July 29, members of the Kpop group BTS - RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook - simultaneously announced that they "will not submit works to the Grammys this year".
The members explained: "We hope music will be listened to and loved for itself, instead of being divided by region or language.
This decision was made only about 1 month after the Grammys announced the new category "Best Asian Pop Performance".
Music industry experts assess that BTS's statement is a historic decision, aimed at protesting the structural discrimination and inequality of the Grammys.
Grammy is a music award ceremony organized by the American Academy of Recording since 1959, considered one of the largest mass music awards in the United States, along with the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards.
When the Grammys announced the establishment of a separate award category for Asian music, including Kpop, it faced many mixed opinions.
Many viewers believe that Grammy is separating Kpop from the main playground, instead of recognizing this as part of the global music market that is already competitive enough.
In that context, BTS's announcement not to submit works to the Grammys was seen by many as a practical protest.
In particular, BTS has continuously set records in the global music market for many years and has been nominated for the Grammy many times. However, this awards ceremony has also been entangled in controversies related to discrimination and fairness towards the group many times.
Some opinions point out that Grammys often announce BTS's nomination categories or arrange group performances at the end of the program to retain audiences, but are very cautious in awarding prizes.
In other words, Grammys are criticized for taking advantage of the commercial attraction from BTS's huge fan community, while still maintaining a clear barrier to non-English-speaking artists and Asian-origin artists.
In addition, because the Grammy winner is decided by voting by members of the American Academy of Recording, many opinions also believe that their conservative evaluation and voting methods have put BTS at a disadvantage, not reflecting the achievements that the group has achieved.
Therefore, BTS's official announcement not to submit works to the 2027 Grammy is predicted to create significant impacts.
Mr. Lee Gyu Tak - Professor at George Mason University Korea cum Director of the K Global Cultural Center - commented: "For a long time, the public and media have still seen winning the Grammy as a goal to show recognition of artistic value.
However, this decision shows that BTS no longer wants to be led by the Grammy standards. This is a proactive and self-reliant choice.
He added: "Previously, the Grammy victory was considered an absolute symbol of success and artistic value. But now, the way the public consumes music has changed. We no longer live in an era where winning an award means being recognized artistically.
BTS's decision will become an important milestone, showing that music can still be recognized for its value without having to follow the criteria of any awards ceremony.
