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South Korean music sensation BTS has announced that it will not submit its latest work for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, saying music should be appreciated without distinctions based on language or geographic origin.
The decision was revealed through identical statements shared by all seven members on Instagram.
In the message, the group explained that it had chosen not to participate in this year’s Grammy entry process, adding that artistic work should be valued for its quality rather than its linguistic or regional identity.
The announcement comes despite expectations that BTS would feature prominently in the upcoming awards race.
Their comeback album Arirang has ranked among the year’s top-selling releases, while its lead track, Swim, reached number one on the U.S. charts and was widely viewed as a strong contender for major honors.
However, because Swim is performed predominantly in English, it would not qualify for the Recording Academy’s newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
Under the revised eligibility guidelines, songs must contain substantial use of an Asian language to compete in the category, and more than four-fifths of Arirang is sung in English.
The creation of the new award has generated debate among K-pop followers.
While some welcomed the recognition of Asian music, others argued that separating artists by language or region reinforces divisions instead of promoting equal competition.
Observers believe BTS subtly addressed those concerns by referring to both language and regional identity in its statement.
The group also expressed gratitude to its dedicated fan base, known as ARMY, for its continued support.
The Recording Academy had not publicly commented on the band’s decision at the time of publication.
Since debuting in 2013, BTS has become one of the world’s most commercially successful music acts.
The group earned its first Grammy nomination in 2021 for Dynamite, becoming the first K-pop act to receive recognition in the awards’ major competition.
Although BTS has received several additional nominations and performed at the ceremony multiple times, it has yet to secure a Grammy victory.
The band’s stance places it alongside other high-profile artists who have distanced themselves from the Grammys over concerns about the awards process, including The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Drake and Will Smith.
Critics have previously argued that the ceremony has failed to fairly recognize certain genres and communities.
In recent years, the Recording Academy has sought to strengthen Asian representation by expanding its voting membership to include more musicians and producers from South Korea.
The latest Grammy ceremony also highlighted K-pop with nominations for Rosé and the historic Grammy win for Golden from KPop Demon Hunters.
Nevertheless, that song also would not have qualified for the new Asian Pop category because its lyrics are almost entirely in English.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong
