Grammys chief executive Harvey Mason Jr has defended the Recording Academy’s new Asian pop category after BTS announced it would not submit its music for consideration at the 2027 awards.

The Academy chief issued a public statement after the seven-member group said it would sit out this year’s Grammy awards process, becoming one of the highest-profile acts to publicly reject the ceremony.

All seven members – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – shared an identical statement on their individual Instagram Stories on Wednesday, writing that they “hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language”.

“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 in a statement shared with The Independent.

The K-pop group’s announcement came just over a month after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, which led to backlash from fans who argued it separated Asian artists from the Grammys’ most prestigious awards rather than recognising them alongside their global peers.

Addressing the criticism, Mason said: “I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists.

“More categories mean more artists’ work is recognised. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognised by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”

According to the Academy, the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category aims to recognise “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages”.

Mason said he wanted to be clear that “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”.

He added that categories like Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year “remain open to any eligible recording, regardless of genre”.

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

He added that the Recording Academy would continue to broaden its membership and awards while listening to artists from around the world. “The Grammy organisation is here to serve music and all the people who make it. As we continue to expand the reach, our membership and our awards, regardless of geography or language, I want to emphasise that we will continue to listen to the global music community and work to honour and celebrate all the artists whose music moves the world,” he said.

The Independent has reached out to BTS’s management label Hybe for comment.

BTS has received five Grammy nominations, including three consecutive nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Dynamite”, “Butter” and “My Universe”, but has never won.

In March, the band released its comeback album, Arirang, their first studio album in six years after the members returned from completing South Korea’s mandatory military service. The album went on to debut at No 1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest opening week for a group album in more than a decade, while also topping the UK’s Official Albums Chart, South Korea's Circle Album Chart, Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, and Germany’s albums chart. Its lead single, “Swim”, also reached No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

BTS is at present on their ongoing world tour, with more than 85 dates across 34 cities in 23 countries, with multiple stadium shows selling out within hours.

In 2021, The Weeknd announced he would stop submitting his music for Grammy consideration after After Hours and its hit single “Blinding Lights” were shut out of the nominations, accusing the Recording Academy of being “corrupt” and saying artists were owed “transparency”.

Drake has also repeatedly criticised the awards, arguing there was a “disconnect between impactful music and these awards”, and withdrew his two 2022 Grammy nominations from consideration later that year.