Globally popular South Korean band BTS has decided not to submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards. The decision comes after the Recording Academy introduced a new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance.
BTS consists of seven members – Jin, RM, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, Jungkook and V. Their latest album, Arirang, has emerged as one of the biggest global releases of the year. However, the septet has chosen not to enter the album for Grammy consideration, saying they believe music should be celebrated on its own merit rather than being categorised by language or region.
Taking to Instagram Stories, the members wrote in Korean, “We have decided not to submit our music to the Grammys this year. We hope music can be heard and loved as music itself, rather than being divided by region or language.” They also thanked their fanbase, ARMY, for their unwavering support.
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The Recording Academy recently announced five new Grammy categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The category is intended to recognise music across Korean pop, Japanese pop, Chinese pop and other Asian pop genres.
The move, however, has sparked widespread debate online. While some welcomed the new category as a step towards greater recognition for Asian music, others argued that it separates Asian artists instead of allowing them to compete equally in the main categories.
Many BTS fans supported the group’s decision not to submit Arirang for Grammy consideration.
One fan wrote, “like they knew they would 99% win the asian pop category if they submitted but submitting will also mean they r subjecting themselves to grammys’ racist ass bc grammys love to put them in a box … oh bts u are goats WE LOVE U!!!”
Another commented, “BTS was the reason why so many doors opened for K-pop in the industry, even though K-pop stans try to deny it. Now with this new racist category they added at the Grammys, and since BTS decided not to submit their songs, it’ll be so easy for K-pop to win those awards from now on, and a lot of people’s egos will get inflated because of it, but BTS made the best decision because they know about all the huge xenophobia going on at the Grammys toward Asian artists—we’re all with them”
A third fan wrote, “grammys decided to downplay bts’ impact by creating an new category and bts ate them up by doing this.”
BTS has previously earned three consecutive Grammy nominations in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for Dynamite, Butter and My Universe.
Released in March 2026, Arirang marked BTS’ highly anticipated return as a group following the members’ military service hiatus. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group’s seventh chart-topper, while also topping the UK Official Albums Chart. Its lead single, SWIM, became BTS’ first No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and the album enjoyed major commercial success across multiple international markets.
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