BTS have drawn a line in the sand ahead of next year’s Grammy Awards, announcing they will not submit their music after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Asian pop category that has sparked criticism for potentially sidelining regional artists.
The K-pop supergroup had been widely expected to contend for the Grammys’ biggest prizes, including Album of the Year, following the runaway success of their comeback record, ARIRANG, which has ranked among this year’s best-selling releases.
Instead, the seven-member act said it would sit out the competition in response to the Academy’s addition of five new categories, among them Best Asian Pop Music Performance.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” BTS members wrote in coordinated messages posted to their individual Instagram accounts.
“We hope that music is heard and loved for what it is, rather than being defined by region or language,” they added.
BTS made history in the United States as the first all-South Korean act to top Billboard’s main singles chart, a milestone they reached with their 2020 hit Dynamite, which was also their first song performed entirely in English.
They have appeared on the Grammy stage and collected several nominations over the years, including for Best Music Video, but have yet to take home a trophy.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said in a statement that he was “saddened” by BTS’s decision, while stressing that recognition in the Asian category would not prevent artists from competing for the ceremony’s marquee honours.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he said.
“The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists.”
ARIRANG — titled after a South Korean folk song — features mostly English lyrics, while grappling with themes such as Korean identity in the wake of BTS’ hiatus for mandatory military service.
Under the rules announced last month, the album would not have been eligible for Best Asian Pop Music Performance because that category requires entries to make “meaningful use” of at least one Asian language.
‘Turned its back’
The Recording Academy said the new prize is intended to honour “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop”.
Still, critics argue the move risks cordoning Asian artists into a separate lane rather than judging them alongside global counterparts.
Lee Ji-young, a BTS fan and professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said “by any objective measure, it is the Grammys that need BTS, not the other way around”.
“The fact that BTS turned its back on the Recording Academy first is also a sign that the authority the Grammys have long wielded as the gatekeeper – the one extending the invitation – is beginning to erode,” she told AFP.
BTS’ influence has stretched well beyond music. The group has supported UNICEF campaigns and donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter in 2020, a gift that prompted fans to match the sum.
In 2022, they spoke at the White House about anti-Asian hate and inclusivity, and they have also discussed mental health publicly.
Most recently, BTS wrapped up a European tour and headlined a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final in the United States.
