K-pop powerhouse BTS said Wednesday that they will not submit their music for consideration at the forthcoming 2027 Grammy Awards. All seven members of the group—RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook and Jin—shared identical statements on their individual Instagram accounts, signaling a coordinated decision to sit out the nomination process for the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for February 7, 2027.
“We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year,” the group stated. “I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. Thank you to ARMY and everyone who has always stood by us.”
The announcement came just over a month after the Recording Academy introduced five new Grammy categories, including the debut of Best Asian Pop Music Performance. The new award recognizes excellence in Asian pop performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, explicitly including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop. The category comes with a specific requirement: qualifying recordings must feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
The language requirement has proven controversial in K-pop spaces. According to Grammy rules, an Asian language must play a significant role within a song in bilingual or multilingual structures such that the recording is identifiable with that language. Incidental or minimal use of Asian languages—such as isolated words, ad-libs, or brief phrases—does not qualify. Unlike the Latin Grammy framework, which requires a minimum of 60 percent of lyrics in specified languages, the Recording Academy has not published an equivalent numerical threshold for the new Asian pop category.
BTS’s decision carries particular weight given the group’s commercial dominance and the expectations many had for Grammy recognition this cycle. The group returned to music in March with “Arirang,” their fifth studio album following the completion of all members’ mandatory military service. The album shattered sales records, moving 4.17 million copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 641,000 equivalent album units. It became the best-selling album of 2026 worldwide and topped charts in 25 countries globally. The album’s lead single “Swim,” which features English-language vocals, has been identified as potentially problematic under the new category’s language rules since it does not feature meaningful use of an Asian language.
Many industry observers had predicted BTS would be among the frontrunners for Grammy nominations this year. The group has earned five Grammy nominations throughout their career—three consecutive nominations in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “My Universe” with Coldplay, plus nominations for Album of the Year and Best Music Video. However, BTS has never won a Grammy Award. All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019.
The decision to forgo submission represents a symbolic stance by one of the world’s biggest music acts. BTS broke ground as the first K-pop group ever nominated at the Grammys when they received their initial nomination for “Dynamite” at the 2021 ceremony. Their withdrawal now comes at a moment when K-pop has gained unprecedented recognition in music’s biggest institutions. Earlier this year, a song from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” became the first K-pop song ever to win a Grammy Award, taking home the trophy for Best Song for Visual Media.
The Recording Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for BTS offered no additional details beyond the group’s public statement.
BTS is currently on their expansive World Tour “Arirang,” which spans more than 85 dates across 34 cities in 23 countries through 2027. The group performed at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, sharing the stage with Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber for their first-ever World Cup halftime show in the tournament’s 96-year history. The group’s tour resumes on the U.S. side starting August 1 at MetLife Stadium.
The decision has sparked discussion in music circles about how the Recording Academy structures its awards. Some industry observers view the new Asian pop category as an overdue recognition for a genre that has reshaped the global music landscape. Others argue it risks isolating Asian artists from the Grammys’ marquee all-genre categories, effectively creating what some fans have described as a racialized barrier. BTS’s refusal to submit has now placed the group’s philosophical stance front and center in this debate. While the group declined to provide additional comment, its emphasis on music being “heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language” pointed directly to concerns about the category’s language requirements and the implications of separating Asian pop artists from broader Grammy competition.