BTS has announced that the group will not submit any music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. All seven members shared identical statements on their individual Instagram accounts on July 29, 2026, confirming the decision.
The K-pop supergroup—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—posted a coordinated message that read: “We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language”. The group ended their statement by thanking their fanbase, known as ARMY, saying: “We thank ARMY and everyone who has always stood by us”.
Why BTS Decided to Skip the 2027 Grammys
The announcement came just over a month after the Recording Academy confirmed that the 2027 ceremony would include a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category for the first time. The category was introduced on June 16, 2026, as one of five new awards for the 69th Grammy Awards.
According to the Academy’s official description, the category “recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages”.
The rulebook specifies that recordings submitted for the award “must feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages”. An Asian language “should play a significant role within the song in bilingual or multilingual structures such that the recording is identifiable with that language”.
This language requirement created a potential barrier for BTS’s latest album, “Arirang,” which was released in March 2026. More than 80% of the lyrics on the album are sung in English. The lead single “Swim” topped the Billboard Hot 100 but is mostly in English, which would have excluded it from the new Asian pop category.
BTS did not directly name the new category in their statement. However, their reference to music being “divided by region or language” was widely interpreted as a protest against the new award.
Fan Reactions to BTS Decision
BTS fans, known collectively as ARMY, have largely supported the group’s decision. Many have taken to social media to express their approval and criticize the Recording Academy for what they see as a divisive move.
Will Scragg, a 27-year-old fan from England who has seen BTS twice this summer, told CNN he was “disappointed, and a little confused” when he heard about the new Asian music category.
“I feel like it’s a way to keep BTS out of the main, more prestigious, categories,” Scragg said. “It feels like it’s a way to sideline Asian artists”.
Eleri Williams, 22, from Wales, who has seen the band on 10 occasions across multiple countries, told CNN she believes “the purpose of music is to bring people together, and this is just another form of segregation”.
Sokvin Vann, co-founder of BTS ARMY Toronto, told CBC News she was proud of the group’s stance. “They were kind of just being taken advantage of, I think, and not for their music, but just more for viewership. So I’m actually very proud that they took a stance”.
Grammy CEO Responds to BTS Decision
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. issued a statement responding to BTS’s decision. He said he was “saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year” but respects the group’s decision.
Mason addressed the controversy surrounding the new Asian Pop category, saying: “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”.
“More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters”.
Mason also clarified that submitting music in a genre category does not exclude artists from being considered in the General Field categories. “Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both,” he said.
BTS Grammy History and Past Snubs
BTS has never won a Grammy Award despite receiving five nominations throughout their career. They made history in 2021 as the first K-pop act to receive a Grammy nomination for their hit English-language single “Dynamite” in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.
The group received three consecutive nominations in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category between 2021 and 2023. They were also nominated for Album of the Year for their contributions to Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” and for Best Music Video for “Yet to Come”.
All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019. Despite this, and despite becoming one of the world’s biggest musical acts, the group has never taken home a Grammy trophy.
BTS is not the first major artist to boycott the Grammys. The group joins a list of performers who have previously refused to participate, including The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Frank Ocean, and Will Smith. In 2020, Drake called for the ceremony to be replaced, arguing that the awards habitually overlooked Black artistry and rap music in particular.
BTS Comeback Album ‘Arirang’ and World Tour
BTS returned from a nearly four-year musical hiatus in March 2026 after all seven members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. Their fifth studio album, “Arirang,” served as both a reintroduction to the band and a reminder of their place atop popular culture.
The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and reaching the top spot in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. It drew more than 110 million streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours and sold 3.98 million copies on its opening day. The lead single “Swim” became the group’s seventh No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
BTS is currently in the middle of the “World Tour Arirang,” which recently wrapped its European leg. The group’s Paris stop drew approximately 720,000 total attendees across the run. Days after finishing in Paris, BTS performed at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It marked the first time a World Cup final has featured a halftime show in the tournament’s 96-year history. The group is set to resume the tour’s U.S. leg starting August 1 in East Rutherford.
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What This Means for the 2027 Grammys
The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place on February 7, 2027. The eligibility period for the 2027 awards covers recordings released between August 31, 2025, and August 28, 2026.
BTS’s decision means their album “Arirang” and its songs will not be in contention for any Grammy category next year. The group was widely expected to receive nominations in major categories, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year, given the album’s commercial success.
The Recording Academy has been grappling with how to reflect the growing popularity of K-pop for several years. In 2025, it expanded its voting academy to include several prominent artists and producers from Korea. The numbers were boosted again in 2026 when members of Twice and Stray Kids were granted voting privileges.
Categories determined by culture or location are not unusual at the Grammys. Awards for Best Latin Jazz Album, Best Tropical Latin Album, and Best African Music Performance are given out every year. However, critics argue that separating Asian pop into a regional category risks sidelining Asian artists from the ceremony’s top general-field prizes.
BTS’s decision to abstain from Grammy consideration has sparked debate about how international awards view Asian music, with concerns that geographical boundaries are overshadowing artistic value.
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