BTS recently sent ѕнσ¢кwaves around the world by announcing that they will not submit any of their work for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, explaining that they hope "music will be recognized and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language." The decision came about a month after the Recording Academy introduced five new award categories, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. HYBE also stated, "It is difficult to accept that this Grammy's screening change was made when BTS is most likely to win the main prize."
The Associated Press (AP) described BTS's decision as a "sharp rejection" of the Grammys' newly created category. Meanwhile, Outlook Response argued that the Recording Academy's decision to establish a dedicated award for Asian pop music has sparked intense debate both within and outside the music industry over whether it represents a meaningful step toward greater diversity or simply another "glαѕѕ ceiling" for international artists.
Earlier, in an interview with GQ before the release of ARIRANG, RM shared, "We don’t want to be desperately eager for it…. We don’t want to say anymore like, “Ah, man, we want the Grammys.” I mean, it doesn’t mean that we really don’t want it—but we’ll try. But if not, then okay." As a result, many observers believe the group's latest decision had been foreshadowed for quite some time rather than being a spontaneous response.
What has drawn even more attention is that BTS's stance against the Grammys has received overwhelming support from кσяєαn netizens, fellow artists, and industry professionals. Shortly after the group's announcement, rapper Tablo reposted RM's Instagram post to his Instagram Story with the brief but striking caption, "ARIRANG > GRAMMYS," expressing his support for BTS's position.
кσяєαn media also cited comments from several music industry experts who echoed BTS's concerns. Im Jin-mo, a popular music critic assessed BTS's decision not to submit to the Grammys as "a declaration of musical independence that breaks the chains of Western-centric authority, and a restoration of subjectivity."
Other critics also argued that ensuring equal opportunities for Asian artists to compete in the Grammys' most prestigious categories is far more important than creating a separate award exclusively for Asian music. They also pointed out that the criteria for grouping vastly different music industries—such as K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop—under a single "Asian Pop" category remain unclear.
Among fans, a quote from Forbes journalist Bryan Rolli has resurfaced and is once again being widely shared across social media. Originally published after BTS was snubbed at the 2020 Grammy Awards in an article titled "BTS's 2020 Grammys Shutout Reveals The Recording Academy's Cultural Blindspot," the quote reads: "As BTS continue smashing records and the Grammys continue to lose relevance, who really needs who?".
An overwhelming wave of support formed on the кσяєαn online community Theqoo. Comments poured in, such as: "It was way too obvious that they wanted the clout without actually giving out the awards. Fighting!", "Bye Grammys", "Don't people know they used BTS's performance as hostage for publicity three years in a row? LOL", "Hey Grammy, stop inventing weird categories. It's not like this is the first time you've played us without any intention of giving an award", "There's no such genre as Asian Pop—if drawing boundaries by geography doesn't offend you, go live getting racially discriminated against", "Latin pop and Afrobeats are actual genres, but Asian pop isn't a genre. How can music from ιи∂ια, נαραи, ¢нιиα, and кσяєα all be explained under 'Asian pop'?", "Seeing a supposed 'prestigious' award show act like this makes them look so cheap. Even as a non-BTS fan, I support them", and "So proud of my idols."
Not to mention the mαѕѕive wave of support from both fans and international media over the past few hours. On X (formerly Twitter), the global fan community continuously expressed deep respect for the group's bold decision. User @seokjinbit emphasized, "Do you realize how huge it is to release a statement like this during their biggest comeback after military service?", while @sunflwerrmoon expressed rage, saying, "I have no words for the Grammys for creating that category." Meanwhile, @sleepinginsilk stated, "A historic decision. It takes serious guts. All respect to BTS."
