{"id":569700,"date":"2026-08-01T03:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/569700\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T03:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T03:06:15","slug":"bts-decision-to-sit-out-grammys-brings-attention-to-asian-pop-category","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/569700\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS\u2019 Decision to Sit Out Grammys Brings Attention to Asian Pop Category"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBTS<\/a> announced on Wednesday (July 29) that it will not submit its latest album, ARIRANG, or any of its songs for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll seven members posted the same Korean-language statement to their individual Instagram Stories. In translation, the group said it had decided not to submit to the Grammys this year, adding, \u201cWe hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"BTS\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBTS did not explicitly mention the Recording Academy\u2019s newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Still, the statement arrived just over a month after the category was announced, and its reference to \u201cregion\u201d and \u201clanguage\u201d invited comparisons between the two developments. HYBE also emphasized that the decision was \u201cnot a boycott at the company level\u201d and that other artists under the company may submit their work as planned.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe announcement has brought wider attention to a discussion already taking place among fans and industry observers. A dedicated Asian pop category offers an additional route to Grammy recognition. It also raises practical questions about how artists whose work already circulates within the global pop market will be entered and evaluated across the awards.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat the New Category Actually Does<\/p>\n

\n\tBest Asian Pop Music Performance sits within the Grammys\u2019 Pop & Dance\/Electronic field and applies only to vocal singles or tracks. Eligible recordings must originate from, or be widely recognized within, Asian markets and make meaningful use of at least one Asian language.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat makes it more specific than a general category for artists from Asia. Recordings performed entirely in English are not eligible for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, though they may still compete elsewhere. The Academy also states that musical style, rather than a performer\u2019s ethnicity or nationality, determines eligibility.<\/p>\n

\n\tBecause it is a track category, ARIRANG itself could not have competed there. The language requirement would also have excluded the album\u2019s biggest song: lead single \u201cSWIM,\u201d which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100<\/a>, is performed in English. The BBC reported that more than 80% of the album\u2019s lyrics are in English.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album could still have been submitted for Album of the Year and any genre-album categories whose criteria it met. Qualifying songs could also have been considered in the general field and any genre performance or song categories whose criteria they met.<\/p>\n

\n\tRecording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. emphasized that point following BTS\u2019 announcement. He said the new award was designed to expand recognition for Asian pop artists, rather than separate them from the broader Grammy process. \u201cRecognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive,\u201d he said. \u201cAn artist can absolutely pursue both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rulebook does, however, create meaningful submission choices. Under the Academy\u2019s Rules & Guidelines, a single or track may be entered in only one specialized genre field and, within that field, only one performance category.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe description for Best Asian Pop Music Performance adds another restriction: only one version of a recording may compete in a performance category during a given year. A song entered in another performance category cannot also be submitted to Best Asian Pop Music Performance through a separate Asian-language version.<\/p>\n

\n\tAsian pop artists therefore remain eligible for the general field. What remains to be seen is how the new category will affect label submission strategies, screening decisions and the way voters encounter eligible recordings.<\/p>\n

\n\tRecognition and Classification<\/p>\n

\n\tThe category\u2019s official criteria combine musical characteristics with market origin and language use. That framework has led some observers to consider how the award will function alongside other pop and genre categories.<\/p>\n

\n\tK-pop, J-pop and C-pop do not describe a single musical form. They come from different industries, languages and creative traditions, and each can encompass pop, R&B, hip-hop, rock, electronic music and other styles. \u201cAsian pop,\u201d in that sense, can describe a broad cultural and market context rather than one narrowly defined sound.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Academy\u2019s rationale is clear: expanding the category structure can give work that has historically received limited Grammy recognition a more visible point of entry. The category\u2019s longer-term impact will depend on whether it complements artists\u2019 opportunities across the broader awards or develops primarily as a destination of its own.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy BTS\u2019 Grammy History Matters<\/p>\n

\n\tBTS has received five Grammy nominations but has yet to win. Three came in Best Pop Duo\/Group Performance, for \u201cDynamite,\u201d \u201cButter\u201d and the group\u2019s Coldplay<\/a> collaboration \u201cMy Universe.\u201d \u201cYet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)\u201d was nominated for Best Music Video, while the members also shared in Coldplay\u2019s Album of the Year nomination for Music of the Spheres.<\/p>\n

\n\tBTS has never received a general-field nomination for one of its own albums or singles. Both \u201cDynamite\u201d and \u201cButter\u201d reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became major global pop hits, but neither was nominated for Record or Song of the Year. That history has contributed to continued discussion about how the group\u2019s commercial and cultural reach has translated into Grammy recognition.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe decision also comes during one of the strongest commercial periods of BTS\u2019 career. Released March 20, ARIRANG debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200<\/a> with 641,000 equivalent album units and remained atop the chart for three consecutive weeks.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new Asian pop category was not BTS\u2019 only potential route into the Grammys. By declining to submit, the group is stepping away from the process during a year in which ARIRANG had the commercial profile to support a significant awards campaign.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Grammys Have Changed, But Questions About Classification Remain<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Recording Academy can point to recent evidence that its most prominent categories are becoming more accessible to music outside the English-language U.S. mainstream.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the 2026 Grammys, Bad Bunny<\/a>\u2019s Spanish-language album Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos won Album of the Year, becoming the first all-Spanish-language album to receive the award. The result demonstrated that an album does not need to be performed in English to win the Grammys\u2019 top prize.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGolden,\u201d from Netflix\u2019s KPop Demon Hunters, also became the first Grammy-winning work associated with a K-pop act. The song was nominated for Song of the Year and won Best Song Written for Visual Media.<\/p>\n

\n\tHUNTR\/X<\/a>, the group credited with the performance, is a fictional trio voiced by EJAE<\/a>, Audrey Nuna<\/a> and Rei Ami<\/a>. Best Song Written for Visual Media is a songwriting award, and the Grammy went to the track\u2019s credited writers, including EJAE.<\/p>\n

\n\tThose results show that non-English-language music can succeed in the general field and that K-pop-related work can receive recognition elsewhere within the Grammys. At the same time, the introduction of a new category naturally brings renewed attention to how music is classified across an expanding awards structure.<\/p>\n

\n\tTyler, the Creator<\/a> addressed a related question backstage after winning Best Rap Album for IGOR in 2020. Speaking in the press room, he argued that genre-blurring work by Black artists was often placed in rap or \u201curban\u201d categories. His comments became part of a broader industry conversation about how awards categories can both recognize work and influence the way it is understood.<\/p>\n

\n\tBest Asian Pop Music Performance will develop within a different cultural and institutional context. Its role will become clearer as labels make submission decisions, screening committees classify recordings and voters select nominees and winners. Those patterns will show how effectively the new category broadens recognition while operating alongside the Grammys\u2019 existing genre and general-field awards.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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