BTS Declines to Submit for U.S. Grammy Awards: "Hoping Music Is Not Divided by Region or Language"

BTS has closed the door on the Grammy Awards, one of the world's premier music ceremonies. Rather than remaining silent against trends attempting to confine K-pop within an Asian category at a prestigious global music awards show, the group chose not to submit their work.

On the 29th, all seven members posted messages on their respective social media accounts stating, "We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year." They continued, "We hope that music is listened to and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. Thank you always to ARMY and everyone who is with us."

Last month, the Recording Academy announced the establishment of the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. This category, targeting music that makes significant use of Asian languages such as K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop, outwardly appears to expand the chances of K-pop winning.

However, critics pointed out that such a move could effectively exclude Asian music from major categories such as the main awards. Criticism was also raised that grouping the pop music of South Korea, China, and Japan—which share no distinct musical common denominators—under a regional label of "Asia" reflects a Western-centric perspective.

Previously, BTS established their first connection with the Grammys as presenters in 2019 and was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for three consecutive years starting in 2021, though they did not win. Given that BTS swept Billboard's main single and album charts with their fifth full-length album "Arirang" released in March, their decision to refuse submission to the Grammy Awards is interpreted as a meaningful statement of protest.

This is not the first time controversy has surrounded the exclusivity of the Grammys. The Weeknd failed to secure even a single nomination in 2021 despite achieving global success with "Blinding Lights." In February of this year, "Golden" (from the K-Pop: Demon Hunters OST) failed to achieve accomplishments outside of the soundtrack category, and Rosé's "APT." also went home empty-handed.



(Photo: Yonhap News / SBS Star News, Reporter Kang Kyung-yoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.