BTS refuses to be nominated for the new Grammy category for Asian music

The South Korean group BTS announced on Wednesday that they would not submit any entries for the next Grammy Awards ceremony, scheduled for February 2027, refusing to enter the new category dedicated to Asian pop.

The seven members of the group simultaneously published a joint message in Korean on their respective social media accounts. Their refusal directly targets the new "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category, created to group together K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop productions, representing the music scenes of South Korea, Japan, and China.

"We hope that our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," they write, thanking their fanbase, the Army, for their constant support.

The group's ranking comes as they are among the natural favorites in this category. BTS resumed activities this year after a four-year hiatus while its members completed their mandatory military service in South Korea. The group released "ARIRANG," a fourteen-track album whose name is inspired by the most famous Korean traditional song, considered an unofficial national anthem and roughly translated as "My Beloved."

The creation of this category is dividing the music industry. Its detractors see it as a barrier excluding Asian pop from other awards, while its supporters point out that it is part of a long tradition of additions to the more than ninety categories that the ceremony already has.

BTS has never won a Grammy, despite a total of five nominations: three for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, one for Album of the Year for their contribution to Coldplay's "Music of the Spheres," and one for their music video "Yet to Come." It was only this year that a K-pop act won its first award: the song "Golden," from the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," won the award for Best Song for Visual Media.

Since their return to the stage, the band members spent much of the summer touring the Americas, including a memorable performance at the halftime show of the World Cup final. The tour caused a stir in Chile, where the government considered banning them before backing down under pressure from massive protests in Santiago.