The Grammy Awards are an annual music awards ceremony broadcasted on television since 1959. Through the awards, outstanding achievements in the music industry across different genres including pop, rap, jazz, and others are recognized. This includes celebrating the entire process of music making such as production, songwriting, and audio engineering.
A new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance was introduced for the upcoming 69th Grammy awards in 2027. Consequently, it appears that in opposition to the new category, BTS decided not to submit any music for the Grammy Awards. They expressed the view that as artists and as a group, they did not want to be put in a category based on language or ethnicity.
The CEO of The Recording Academy, which hosts The Grammys, defended this choice by arguing that the Best Asian Pop Music Performance is meant to celebrate the diversity and increased recognition for Korean artists rather than to create division. Reassuringly, he also noted that artists who submit to the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category can still qualify for other categories.
The signal given by BTS is highly relevant, since it was the first K-pop group to receive a Grammy nomination. The group has also attended Grammy events in the past and performed some of their songs, but it has not yet won a Grammy Award. Generally speaking, BTS has contributed much to the growing recognition of K-pop as a genre. Therefore, their boycott raises the question of whether the introduction of the special category helps artists or restricts them.
BTS is obviously right in arguing that, rather than being divided based on language or ethnicity, artists should be celebrated for their music and talent. Nevertheless, the new category could create opportunities and exposure for upcoming artists. BTS’s decision not to take part next year should be respected, even though there may be justifications for the new category.
Sources:
BTS boycott Grammys after introduction of new Asian pop prize – The Guardian
BTS pulls out of Grammys after Asian pop category introduction – The Jakarta Post