After BTS Opts Out, Grammys May Rethink New Asian Pop Category

The Recording Academy is reconsidering its newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category after all seven members of BTS announced they will not submit any work for the 2027 Grammy Awards — including their new album Arirang. According to NME, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr acknowledged in a statement to Billboard that the category may not be representing the artists it was meant to honor.

Academy Signals a Rethink

The Recording Academy announced the new category in June 2026, describing it as recognizing "artistic excellence" in pop music that originates from or has significant recognition within Asian markets. It was set to be awarded for the first time at the 2027 ceremony, with eligibility rules requiring substantial use of one or more Asian languages.

BTS announced on July 29, 2026 that they would not submit, saying they want their music to be heard and loved "beyond regions or languages." Mason Jr later said that conversations with stakeholders over the past two weeks made clear that, whatever the Academy's original intent, some artists in this space feel the category doesn't represent their work the way they'd hoped — and that he personally "takes that to heart." That marks a shift from his earlier, more defensive response to the BTS boycott, when he framed the new category as putting a dedicated spotlight on important artists.

Talks With K-pop, J-pop and C-pop Industry Figures

Mason Jr and other Grammy executives have reportedly been in discussions with artists and industry representatives across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and Indian music scenes, including representatives from HYBE, BTS's label. No changes to the category have been announced yet; the Recording Academy's board will meet to decide how the music will be recognized going forward. NME itself argued back in 2021 against creating a K-pop-specific Grammy category, contending that carving out awards by language or region — as with existing Latin and Global Music categories — perpetuates the othering of non-Western, non-English music.

2027 Grammys Timeline

• Submission deadline for new entries: August 28, 2026
• Nominations announced: November 16, 2026
• Ceremony date: February 7, 2027
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)

BTS is currently on the North American leg of their Arirang world tour.