Grammys Move Forward With Controversial Asian Pop Category, Despite Boycott From BTS and Other Big K-Pop Acts

On June 16, 2026, the Recording Academy, which hosts and presents the annual Grammy Awards, created a new category. In 2027, the new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance, will debut at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards in February. This isn’t the first time the Academy has created a regionally specific category. In 2024, they launched the Best African Music Performance Award. This new category sparked a debate over geographical representation, genre consolidation, and eligibility rules. Similarly, these same reasons have generated controversy around the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

The newest category was created to recognize the performances of leading acts in K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. In the last decade, K-pop in particular has dominated the pop charts, becoming massively popular. This is most likely why the category was created. With K-pop leading the wave of Asian pop, some of its biggest talents are wary of this new category. Major K-pop acts such as Stray Kids and arguably the biggest group, BTS, have publicly expressed their concerns about the new Grammys category, feeling the category marginalizes Asian artists.

In July, the K-pop group posted the same statement on all seven of their social media accounts. In the statement, the group declared, “We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us.”

The Recording Academy Doubles Down

This means the K-pop group is refusing to submit their music for consideration in any category, let alone this new one. It’s a shocking move, as the group made a triumphant return in early 2026. For three years, starting in June 2022, BTS paused all group activity to complete their mandatory military service. In March 2026, the group returned, releasing their comeback album, Arirang. Following this, they held a massive, free comeback concert in Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, which was streamed globally on Netflix. They also released a brand-new documentary and launched a successful comeback world tour.

Upon release, their comeback album Arirang debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. It generated three hit singles, including the lead single “Swim”. It peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 2026. The K-pop group has never won a Grammy, despite being nominated numerous times and being the first K-pop act ever nominated. Given their massive return, the group was on a fast track to earning their first Grammy Award in 2027.

Despite BTS excluding themselves, the Recording Academy has doubled down. In a new statement, Recording Academy President Harvey Mason said, “We heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable.”

Mason added, “But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it.”

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

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