BTS put the Grammys in a 'difficult position' by withdrawing music, expert says
BTS put the Grammys in a 'difficult position' by withdrawing music, expert says
Demetria Osei-TutuSat, August 8, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC
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BTS is withdrawing their music for consideration in the 2027 Grammy Awards -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
A PR expert spoke on how the spotlight and further scrutiny will be on the Grammy Awards following BTS's decision to withdraw from next year's show.
The K-Pop boy group, who have become a global phenomenon, caused quite a stir when they recently announced they would not summit any music from their comeback album, ARIRANG, for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards on Feb. 7, 2027. BTS's latest fifth studio album debut on March 20 and marks their first full-length project since their military service hiatus
All seven members of the K-Pop group — RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — posted the same message about opting out of the Grammys on their Instagram on Wednesday, July 29.
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The message read, "We have decided not to submit for Grammy consideration this year. We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language. We thank Army and everyone who has always stood by us."
The group message hinted at the reason for their withdrawal being the Grammys' newly announced category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance.
BTS debuted their latest album, ARIRANG, in March -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
The Grammys announced that category in June and it's said the award is to "recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances. Eligible recordings include contemporary popular music originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including K-Pop, J-Pop, and C-Pop"
Olivia Bennet, Senior Digital PR Account Director at Go Up talked to The Mirror US about what BTS decisions means for the Grammys.
"BTS's decision puts the Grammys in a difficult position because the new category was presumably intended as recognition. But one of the world’s most commercially successful Korean groups has chosen not to participate because it does not want its work defined primarily by region or language," she began.
"The Recording Academy can argue that a dedicated category gives more artists an opportunity to be recognized. BTS's concern, though, is what that category may come to represent. If Asian artists are celebrated there but remain largely absent from Album of the Year, Record of the Year and the other major awards, it risks looking less like an additional opportunity and more like a boundary around their recognition," Olivia said.
The Grammys introduced the Best Asian Pop Music Performance in June -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
The publicist acknowledged that not every artist may not feel the same way BTS feels about the new category. Olivia elaborated, "Some might welcome a category that gives them a stronger chance of being recognized by a major US awards body. Others may worry that very different artists, genres and markets are being grouped together too broadly."
There has been criticism about the new category and others similar to it as confining a group to a specific box as well as preventing them from competing in the Grammys’ main categories.
There were also criticism about the linguistic component. For a Asian pop group to be eligible for the award, the recordings be feature one or more Asian languages. Songs entirely in an Asian language are eligible but not entirely in English and/or those who use "incidental or minimal use (e.g., isolated words, adlibs, or brief phrases)" of an Asian language.
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BTS latest album has three songs in English: Swim, Normal and Like Animals. It has made fans wondered about the group's eligibility in that category before they withdrew.
Olivia brought up Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.'s statement in response to BTS's decision. He shared that he understands and respects their decision despite being saddened by it.
BTS has previously received five Grammy nominations but haven't won any -Credit:Getty Images North America
Harvey clarified that the decision of the new category was to "celebrate the depth, the diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia" and "shine a spotlight" on those artists.
The executive insisted the category was "never to divide but to expand who is recognized by out 15,000 Grammy voters."
Harvey also clarified that submitting music in the genre categories doesn't exclude an artist from submitting and being considered in the General Field categories including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Olivia stated that after Harvey's response, The Recording Academy presently "needs to listen to the concerns being raised, including views from artists across different Asian markets, and be open about how it assesses the category after its first year."
"BTS stepping away does not mean the category cannot work. It does mean the Grammys will need to show that it creates another route to recognition, rather than becoming a separate place where Asian artists are expected to stay," she continued.
She also remarked that Harvey's clarification about artists still being able to enter the General Field categories, is significant but "people will judge the category by what happens in practice rather than by what the rules technically allow."
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Grammys, clarified in a statement that the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category was create "to celebrate the depth, the diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia" -Credit:Variety via Getty Images
"If Asian artists continue to appear across the wider Grammy field, the new award may feel like extra recognition. If most of that recognition ends up concentrated in one regional category, BTS's objection will carry more weight," Olivia explained.
Olivia added that BTS' prior history with the Grammy will also play a part in the conversation. They have been nominated five times but have never won.
"Some fans will see this as part of a longer conversation about how major Western awards recognize artists whose success is already global," she remarked.
Olivia also noted BTS's decision will impact the inaugural year of the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category in 2027, which will be defined by their absence.
"BTS is one of the biggest music acts in the world, so their decision means there will inevitably be more scrutiny around who is nominated, who wins and, importantly, whether Asian artists are also being recognized elsewhere in the Grammy field."
"I also think it changes the conversation the Grammys probably wanted to have next year. Instead of the new category being discussed purely as a positive step for representation, every result is now likely to be viewed against the concern BTS has raised about separating music by region and language. That puts more pressure on the Recording Academy to show what the category looks like in practice"
"The bigger test will be what happens outside that category," she concluded.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
