Key Takeaways

  • BTS announced they won’t submit music for the 2027 Grammys after the Recording Academy created a new “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category.
  • Stray Kids has refused to say whether they’ll enter, dodging the question every time it comes up.
  • The category was supposed to be a win for Asian artists. A lot of people, myself included, think it’s the opposite.

Jump to:

BTS is sitting out the 2027 Grammys, and honestly, good for them. The Recording Academy rolled out a brand new “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category and probably expected a round of thank-yous. Instead they got a boycott from the biggest group in the genre they just built a category for.

BTS Said No

Back in late July, BTS announced they wouldn’t submit anything for Grammy consideration this cycle. Their statement was polite but pointed. They said they hoped their music would be “heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language.” Read between the lines and that’s a group telling the Grammys exactly what’s wrong with this new category without having to spell it out.

I get why the Recording Academy thought this would land as a good move. More categories usually means more recognition, more wins to hand out, more diversity in who gets a trophy. But BTS didn’t become the biggest group on the planet by staying in a lane. They topped the Hot 100. They sold out stadiums worldwide. Boxing them into a side category labeled “Asian Pop” after all that feels like a demotion dressed up as an honor.

Why This Category Is a Problem

This is the part that gets me. A separate category for Asian pop acts sounds inclusive on paper, but it quietly does the opposite of what it claims. It tells voters these artists belong in their own bracket instead of competing for Album of the Year or Record of the Year against everybody else. That’s not integration. That’s a nicer looking version of being kept out of the main room.

We’ve seen this exact move before with other genre categories that start as “recognition” and end up as a ceiling. Once an artist wins the specialty category, voters feel like the box is checked and stop considering them for the categories that actually move the needle on a career. NPR’s coverage of the boycott gets into this tension well if you want the fuller picture.

And look, the Grammys have never had a clean relationship with K-pop. BTS has been nominated before and never won in the main categories despite having the commercial numbers to justify it. Carving out a side category now, years after BTS proved they could compete with anyone, reads less like progress and more like a consolation prize nobody asked for.

Stray Kids Won’t Give a Straight Answer

Stray Kids has been stuck answering for BTS’s decision ever since, and they’ve handled it about as carefully as you’d expect. At an early August press conference, member Seungmin said the group has “never once set out to make an album chasing a particular award.” Hyunjin echoed that, saying they’ve never aimed for a specific award or accolade during their run as a group.

Translation: they’re not touching this question with a ten-foot pole. Their management won’t confirm or deny submission plans either. The Star’s report notes that even if Stray Kids did submit something, the tight August 21 deadline means it would likely be an older release rather than their latest album, which tells you this wasn’t exactly front of mind for them either.

I don’t blame them for staying quiet. Picking a side here means either looking like you’re snubbing the Grammys or looking like you’re fine with a category that a lot of fans and critics see as a step backward. There’s no clean answer, so staying vague is the smart business move even if it’s not a satisfying one for anyone watching.

If you want to hear what all the noise is actually about, Stray Kids and BTS both have albums worth revisiting while this plays out. Stray Kids’ latest album release is a good reminder of why these groups don’t need a side category to prove anything.

Where this goes next matters for more than just one awards show. If more Asian artists follow BTS and skip the category, the Grammys either scrap it or it becomes a trophy nobody wants, which is its own kind of statement. I’d love to see artists keep pushing to compete in the main categories outright instead of accepting a separate lane, even one dressed up as a win.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is BTS boycotting the Grammys?

BTS is skipping the 2027 Grammys because the Recording Academy created a new “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category. The group feels their music should be judged without being separated out by region or language.

What is the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category?

It’s a new Grammy category announced in June 2026, created specifically to recognize Asian pop artists, including K-pop acts, starting with the 2027 awards.

Is Stray Kids boycotting the Grammys too?

Stray Kids has not confirmed or denied whether they’ll submit music for the 2027 Grammys. Members have repeatedly deflected the question, emphasizing artistic integrity over awards.

When is the 2027 Grammy Awards ceremony?

The Recording Academy typically holds the Grammys in early February, with nominations announced in the preceding months.

Has a Grammy boycott like this happened before?

Artist boycotts of Grammy categories aren’t new, but a group with BTS’s commercial scale publicly opting out of a category created for their own genre is a rare and pointed move.