“The Grammy organisation exists to serve all music people, and part of that is working to ensure that no voice or community gets overlooked or misunderstood,” said Mason Jr. in the statement. “It’s clear from our numerous conversations with many stakeholders over the past two weeks that, regardless of our intent and desire to be even more inclusive, there are some artists in this space who feel that this category isn’t representing the music they work so hard to create, in the way they wish. As a musician myself, I take that to heart….
“Over the past six years, the Academy has shown that it can act decisively and move swiftly to meet the needs of our music community. The management and Board are committed to working together to keep pace with that progress and ensure the musicians we intend to honour feel truly seen and heard by our actions.”
This comes weeks after BTS announcing that they will be opting out of the 2027 Grammy Awards, emphasising in a statement on Instagram that they “hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
At the time, Mason Jr. responded with a defense of the new category. In a statement posted on Instagram, he said: “I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year…. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists.”
Image: BigHit Music