BTS say they won't submit their music for the 2027 Grammy Awards

'We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is,' the group wrote on Instagram

BTS withdraws from 2027 Grammys over new 'Asian pop' category

K-pop group BTS won't be submitting any music for the next Grammy Awards.

The seven members of the band — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — dropped a joint statement on Instagram on Wednesday to share the news.

"We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," the statement reads. "We thank the ARMY [BTS's official fan club] and everyone who has always stood by us.”

The announcement comes just a month after the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammys, announced a new category for best Asian pop music performance for this year’s Grammy cycle.

The Recording Academy's description of the new category says it "recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop."

It goes on to specify that nominated songs would contain "meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.”

The majority of the lyrics on BTS's new album, Arirang, are sung in English, which could have potentially shut them out.

Despite five nominations — including for hits like Dynamite and Butter — and three performances at the ceremony over the years, BTS have never won a Grammy award.

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

"Round of applause to the members," Sokvin Vann, co-founder of BTS ARMY Toronto told CBC News. She's one of many fans showing their support.

"They were kind of just being taken advantage of, I think, and not for their music, but just more for viewership. So I'm actually very proud that they took a stance."

Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement emailed to CBC News that he is "saddened" to hear BTS chose not to participate, but that he understands and respects their decision.

He added that the Asian Pop category was created to "shine a dedicated spotlight" on Asian pop artistry, and that it was meant to expand, not divide, who is recognized at the Grammys.

"Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive. An artist can absolutely pursue both," he said.

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BTS is in the midst of a huge comeback year.

After the group members were discharged from compulsory duty in the South Korean army, they released Arirang, their first album in years. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and their lead single, Swim, nabbed a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

BTS can now be added to the list of artists who have publicly criticized the Grammys or decided not to submit their music to the awards in recent years, including Frank Ocean and Canadian artist The Weeknd (who made amends with the Recording Academy last year).

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In 2020, Canadian rapper Drake called out the academy after The Weeknd's album After Hours got zero nominations.

"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," Drake wrote on Instagram at the time.

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In 2026, Golden from KPop Demon Hunters was the first K-pop song to ever win a Grammy. That same year, Rosé, a member of Blackpink, became the first K-pop artist to receive a nomination for record of the year. She performed at the show but didn't win.

Variety senior music writer Steven Horowitz told CBC News that while the Recording Academy is making an effort to adapt, "it's never gonna be perfect. There's always gonna be detractors."

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He says while BTS hasn't directly linked the new category to their decision not to submit, this announcement might mean the group doesn't want to be put in a box.

"I think they didn't want to be pigeonholed into being an Asian act," he said. "They probably felt that they would end up in this category or felt pressured to choose between pop or Asian pop."

Having just performed at the halftime show of the FIFA World Cup, BTS are heading out on the North American run of their Arirang world tour. They'll make a stop at Toronto's Rogers Stadium in August.

Griffin Jaeger is a reporter and producer with CBC's entertainment unit. He also formerly hosted and produced content for The National’s digital platforms. You can reach him at griffin.jaeger@cbc.ca

With files from CBC's Makda Ghebreslassie and Tess Ha