BTS withdraw from Grammys, a month after Asian pop prize introduced

Korean pop group BTS have announced they will not submit their music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

The news came in a co-ordinated Instagram post, with all seven members of the band uploading an identical statement.

"We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year," a translation of the message read. "I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."

The band were widely expected to be in competition for some of the Grammys' major categories, including album of the year, after their comeback record, Arirang, became one of the year's biggest-sellers.

The lead single Swim, a US number one, was also predicted to be in contention for song of the year.

But the English-language lyrics would have excluded it from the new best Asian pop music performance prize , which was announced last month.

Under Grammy rules, songs nominated for the category must contain "meaningful use" of an Asian language. More than 80% of the lyrics on Arirang are sung in English.

The introduction of the new award met with mixed reception in K-Pop spaces online. Many fans complained that, instead of celebrating Asian artists, the Grammys had pigeonholed them.

By choosing to mention both region and language in their statement, the members of BTS - RM, Jimin, V, Suga, Jungkook, Jin and J-Hope - appeared to reflect that concern.

They ended their statement with a message to their fans, known as the BTS Army.

"Thank you to Army and everyone who is always with us," the group said.

The Recording Academy, which organises the ceremony, has yet to respond. BBC News has contacted them for a statement.

Formed in 2013, BTS have become one of pop's biggest-selling acts, and their current world tour is expected to rival Taylor Swift's Eras concerts at the box office.

They were the first K-Pop band to receive a nomination at the Grammys in 2021, for Dynamite - their first song performed completely in English.

All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019.

They have performed on the Grammys stage several times, and picked up four additional nominations, including in the the best pop duo/group performance and best music video categories, but have never won.

The band join a list of performers who have boycotted the awards for a number of different reasons, including The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Frank Ocean and Will Smith.

In 2020, Drake called for the ceremony to be replaced, arguing that the awards habitually overlooked black artistry, and rap music in particular.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones who come after."

The Grammys has been grappling with how to reflect the growing popularity of K-Pop for a number of years.

In 2025, it expanded its voting academy to include several prominent artists and producers from Korea, including Enhypen's Jungwon, Seventeen's Woozi and Vernon, Le Sserafim's Huh Yunjin and all six members of Katseye.

The numbers were boosted again this year, when the members of Twice and Stray Kids were granted voting privileges.

The most recent ceremony saw prominent nominations for Blackpink star Rosé, who opened the show with her smash Bruno Mars collaboration APT, and the song Golden from KPop Demon Hunters.

The latter became the first ever K-Pop song to win a Grammy , when it was named best song written for visual media.

However, it would also have been excluded from the new Asian Pop category, as its lyrics were written almost entirely in English.

'Such a shame'

BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat has been hearing from some of the BTS army on their disappointment that the group won't be heading to the awards.

"It's such a shame," says fan Ashia Davies, 27, who attended the group's recent comeback tour in London.

"I know BTS love the Grammys," she says.

While BTS wouldn't qualify for the new best Asian pop music performance prize, Davies feels the category in general is "disrespectful" and "keeps Western artist in a separate category so they can stay on top".

Fellow BTS superfan Lauryn Adene says was "happy" to hear the group wouldn't be entering the awards.

"They don't have a point to prove," says the 22-year-old.

Additional reporting from Georgia-Levy Collins, BBC Newsbeat

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