The group BTS said they will not submit entries to the U.S. Grammy Awards.
All BTS members posted simultaneously on their respective social media on the 29th, writing "We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year."
The members said "we hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."
They added, "We thank ARMY and everyone who always supports us."
BTS's announcement is believed to be in response to the Recording Academy's plan to create a new institutional sector that includes an Asian pop genre at the next awards ceremony.
The Grammy Awards announced that at the next ceremony to be held on Feb. 7, 2027, it will create new categories including "Best Asian Pop Music Performance," "Best Latin Song," "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance," "Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance," and "Best Traditional Folk Album."
In particular, the explanation said the best Asian pop music performance category was created to recognize the artistic excellence of Asian pop music performances that originate from or are widely recognized in Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, and that meaningfully use one or more Asian languages.
However, some have pointed out that this may effectively exclude K-pop from mainstream categories.
Previously, BTS was nominated for the Grammys three years in a row with "Dynamite," "Butter" and the collaboration with Coldplay "My Universe," but they failed to win.
Meanwhile, BTS released their fifth studio album "ARIRANG" in March and won three awards, including artist of the year, at the U.S. 2026 American Music Awards held in May.
[Photo] BigHit Music
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