BTS and Stray Kids skip the 2027 Grammys over new Asian Pop category
BTS and Stray Kids did not submit their music for the 2027 Grammys. BTS said in July they want their music heard without being divided by region or language, after the Recording Academy created a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category; Stray Kids' label confirmed on October 2, 2026 that the group did not submit, without giving a reason.
By Riffiter
BTS and Stray Kids did not enter the 2027 Grammys. On October 2, 2026, Stray Kids' label JYP Entertainment confirmed the group "did not submit any works for the 69th Grammy Awards", a day after the Recording Academy said its new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category would stay. BTS had already announced in July that they would not submit.
A category for Asian pop
The Recording Academy announced five new categories on June 16, 2026, among them Best Asian Pop Music Performance. Its definition covers "Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages." It will be given for the first time at the 69th Grammys on February 7, 2027.
Entering the new category does not stop an act from competing in the main categories, such as Album of the Year.
What BTS said, and what the Academy said
On July 29, all seven members of BTS posted one statement: "We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language." The album they held back is ARIRANG, released March 20, 2026.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was "saddened" by the decision and defended the category: "It's never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters." After listening sessions with Asian music industry leaders, the Academy confirmed on October 1 that the category stays. "The loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category," Mason said.
| BTS at the Grammys | |
|---|---|
| Nominations | 5 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Nominated for | Dynamite, Butter, My Universe (with Coldplay), Yet To Come, and Coldplay's Music of the Spheres (Album of the Year) |
| Grammy stage | 2020 (with Lil Nas X), 2021, 2022 |
Stray Kids gave no reason
JYP's statement says only that Stray Kids did not submit. It does not mention the new category. In August, asked about awards at a press event, member Seungmin said: "We've never once set out to make an album chasing a particular award or record." Stray Kids were the first act to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with each of their first seven entries.
Not everyone agrees
Reactions in Korea were split from the start. One K-pop agency representative told the Korea Times the category "opens the door for far more artists to enter the conversation than before." Others asked, in the words of Dr Megan Moon of the University of Adelaide, "why are they then getting siphoned off into their own category?" No other act has joined BTS and Stray Kids so far.
K-pop's first Grammy came in February 2026, when "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters won Best Song Written for Visual Media, a film and TV category rather than a main pop one.