Grammys may reconsider new Asian pop category after BTS' withdrawal

The Recording Academy might reconsider its new Asian Pop category following BTS’s decision not to submit music for the 2027 Grammy Awards.

In a statement to Billboard and Variety, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. emphasized that the organization’s goal is to "serve all music people" and ensure that "no voice or community gets overlooked or misunderstood."

"It’s clear from our numerous conversations with many stakeholders over the past two weeks that, regardless of our intent and desire to be even more inclusive, there are some artists in this space who feel that this category isn’t representing the music they work so hard to create, in the way they wish," Mason said, implying to BTS. "As a musician myself, I take that to heart."

He continued, “Over the past six years, the Academy has shown that it can act decisively and move swiftly to meet the needs of our music community. The management and Board are committed to working together to keep pace with that progress and ensure the musicians we intend to honor feel truly seen and heard by our actions.”

In June, the Grammy Awards introduced Best Asian Pop Performance among four other new categories, describing it as recognizing "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.”

Later that month, BTS said that they will not submit any music for consideration in the 2027 Grammy Awards, arguing that they hope that music can be appreciated on its own "rather than being defined by region or language."

Other major recording artists such as The Weeknd, Drake, and Morgan Wallen have also publicly criticized the Grammys and refused to submit their music for recognition.

Mason later defend the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance 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."