The Recording Academy has officially responded to BTS’ decision to skip submissions for the 2027 Grammy Awards. In a statement released across the Academy’s official channels, CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he respects the group’s choice while defending the organization’s newly introduced Asian-focused Grammy category, emphasizing that its purpose is to expand recognition—not separate artists from the main awards.
The response comes hours after BTS announced that they would not submit any of their music for Grammy consideration this year, igniting widespread debate across the global music industry.
“I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” Mason said. “I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation.”
Addressing criticism surrounding the Recording Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, Mason stressed that it was created to celebrate the growing influence and artistic excellence of Asian pop music rather than place it in a separate competitive lane.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he explained. “The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
Mason also sought to correct what he described as a common misconception about Grammy eligibility rules. According to the CEO, artists who submit recordings in genre-specific categories remain fully eligible to compete in the prestigious General Field awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
“I also want to be very clear: submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories,” Mason continued. “Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both.”
The clarification follows BTS’ statement shared simultaneously by all seven members on Instagram Stories on July 29. Explaining their decision, the group wrote: “We’ve decided not to submit our work for this year’s Grammy Awards. We hope music will be recognized and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. Thank you, as always, to ARMY and everyone who supports.”
The announcement surprised both fans and industry observers given BTS’ position as one of this awards cycle’s strongest contenders. Their sixth Korean-language studio album, ARIRANG, released on March 20, became one of the year’s biggest commercial successes, debuting at No. 1 in more than 25 countries and earning the group its seventh Billboard 200 chart-topper in the United States. The project also shattered streaming records across Spotify and Apple Music while launching the ongoing Arirang World Tour.
HYBE later clarified that BTS’ decision does not represent a company-wide boycott of the Recording Academy. The label stated that other HYBE artists will continue submitting their music individually, while BTS reached its conclusion after extensive discussions, saying the members wanted to “protect the status and pride of the K-pop industry as a whole.”
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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