BTS will not enter their album ARIRANG for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.
In joint Instagram stories shared on all seven members’ accounts, RM, Jin, SUGA, ij-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook released a statement about their decision. Translated from Korean by the forum hosted by Meta, each statement reads as follows:
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope that the music itself can be heard and loved rather than being divided by region or language.”
Each member then thanked the fans of BTS, known as ARMY, and “everyone who is sitting with me,” to close the statement.
The internet made BTS. ‘Arirang’ asks what’s next.
K-pop’s decision not to nominate their sixth studio album for the Grammys comes a month after the Recording Academy added five award categories in June, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The award is especially hotly watched by K-pop fans and journalists alike, which is cited as another example of the divide at the Grammys where non-white artists and artists singing in languages other than English rule the cultural elite and rightfully take the gold.
The Grammys’ definition of Best Asian Music Performance defines the award as one that “recognizes artistic excellence in performance of Asian pop music originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, and meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.” The rules have a few more detailed categories, but in fact, the awards group “Asian pop” into one general category, separate from major categories like Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
Vogue Youth‘Ayan Artan put the new Grammys’ award for Best Asian Pop Music Performance “as part of the history of monitoring non-white artists from the major award categories.”
“There seems to be a pattern emerging here, and it’s getting harder to dismiss the more you listen,” Artan wrote. “It goes like this: A non-white artist enters the mainstream music consciousness by delivering a critically acclaimed project and it looks like it might win a Grammy in the big category. Soon after, a new category is announced by the Recording Academy to help separate these artists.”
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BTS’ ARIRANG came in March, marking the much-anticipated return of the K-pop stars after a four-year hiatus, during which they fulfilled South Korea’s mandatory military service and spent time on their solo careers. ARIRANGand the lead single “SWIM”, both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The album was heavily publicized. 34-city group, 82nd show ARIRANG The world tour is completely sold out. To say that BTS’s comeback album is leading mainstream music discussions is an understatement.
And it’s BTS’s statements that show that it seems that the group is aware of the division of the Grammys awards: “I hope that the music itself can be heard and loved rather than being divided by region or language.”
BTS has five Grammy nominations, the first K-pop artists to be nominated, and has performed at the Grammys several times, including the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, before their break.
BTS performs during the 64th Grammy Awards in April 2022 in Las Vegas.
Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images
Fans reacted to BTS’ decision with heartfelt support, with ARMY hitting social media with praise.
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Mashable has reached out to the Recording Academy and HYBE, the company that manages BTS’ Big Hit Music label, for comment.
On Thursday, Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. released a statement on BTS’s decision, via Variety, saying he was “saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards this year, but as a composer, I understand and respect their decision.”
Mason Jr. explained in his statement that “the Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and incredible growth of pop art coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to give a dedicated spotlight to these important artists. The additional categories mean that the work of many artists is recognized. It should never be divided, but to increase who is recognized by the 15,000 Grammys.”
The CEO reiterated that “submitting music in a category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude the artist from submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.”
BEFORE: Jul. 30, 2026, 9:46 am GMT Additional statement from Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
