As group BTS decided to skip submitting their work for the 69th Grammy Awards, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. issued an explanation just a day later, but the controversy appears to be spreading further.

On the morning of July 30 (KST), the Grammys posted a statement under the name of CEO Mason Jr. via their official social media channels.

He stated, "I was saddened to hear the news that BTS decided not to submit their music for this year's Grammy Awards. However, as a music maker myself, I understand and respect their decision."

Regarding the newly created category Best Asian Pop Music Performance, which sparked controversy, he explained, "It was established to celebrate the depth, diversity, and incredible growth of pop music coming out of Asia," adding, "This is not to segregate artists, but to expand the scope of recognition by our 15,000 Grammy voting members." He also noted, "Submitting music to a genre category such as Asian pop, jazz, or country does not restrict you from simultaneously submitting and being considered for the General Field categories."

Previously, the seven members of BTS announced through their personal social media accounts on July 29, "We have decided not to submit our music to the Grammys this year," and added, "We hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorized by region or language."

Despite sweeping both main U.S. Billboard single and album charts with their 5th full-length album "Arirang" released in March, BTS refused to submit to the Grammys. This is widely interpreted as a de facto protest against the Grammys' announcement last month that they were grouping music from Asian regions including Korea, China, and Japan together to create the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.

However, critics point out that the Grammy's response missed the core of the controversy. One online community user responded to the news by asking, "They claim it's a genre rather than a division by region or race, but since when is Asian pop a genre?" Another opinion voiced was, "For that to make sense, they would have to break down awards by continent for Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, but they aren't doing that, are they?" This points to an equity issue, as Western genres like rock, pop, and country are classified by musical characteristics rather than regions, whereas music from Asia alone is lumped together by continental unit.

 

(Photo: SBS Entertainment News, reported by Kang Kyung-yoon)