Why BTS is skipping the Grammys

BTS will not be entering their album ARIRANG for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

In syndicated Instagram stories shared across all seven members' accounts, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook issued a statement on their decision. Translated from Korean by the Meta-owned platform, each statement reads:

"We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year. I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language."

Each member then thanked BTS fans, known as ARMY, and "all of you who are always with me," to close the statement.

The K-pop powerhouse's decision to not put their sixth studio album forward for the Grammys comes a month after the Recording Academy's addition of five new award categories in June, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance. This award in particular came under scrutiny from K-pop fans and journalists alike, called out as another example of the Grammys splitting awards when non-white artists and artists who perform in languages other than English dominate the cultural zeitgeist and deservedly take home the gold.

The Grammys' description for Best Asian Pop Music Performance describes the award as one that "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, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages." The rules have a few more paragraphs of detail, but essentially, the award groups "Asian pop" into one generalised category, which is separate from major categories like Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

Teen Vogue's Ayan Artan placed the Grammys' new Best Asian Pop Music Performance award "as part of a history of gatekeeping non-white artists from major award categories."

"There seems to be a pattern emerging here, and it becomes increasingly difficult to dismiss it the more you pay attention," Artan writes. "It goes like this: A non-white artist breaks into mainstream-music consciousness by delivering a critically acclaimed project and looks likely to win a Grammy in a major category. Soon after, a new category is announced by the Recording Academy to help segregate these artists."

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter wins Album of the Year? The Grammys splits the Best Country Album category into Traditional and Contemporary. In response, social justice advocate Terrell Couch wrote for Essence, "A separate but equal country album category does not broaden the genre’s influence; rather it reflects an ugly truth about America."

Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos wins Album of the Year with a Spanish-language record? The Grammys adds an award for Best Latin Song.

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BTS' ARIRANG landed in March, marking the anticipated return of the K-pop superstars after a four-year hiatus, during which they fulfilled South Korea's mandatory military service and spent time on solo projects. ARIRANG, as well as lead single "SWIM," both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The album was critically heralded. The group's 34-city, 82-show ARIRANG world tour is essentially completely sold out. To say BTS' comeback album is leading mainstream music conversation is an understatement.

And it's BTS' own statements that show just how aware of the Grammys award-splitting the group seems to be: "I hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language."

BTS has five Grammy nominations, the first K-pop artists to be nominated, and have performed at the Grammys several times, including the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, before their hiatus.

Fans have reacted to BTS' decision with wholehearted support, with ARMY hitting social media with praise.

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Mashable has reached out to the Recording Academy and HYBE, the company that owns BTS' label Big Hit Music, for comment.

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's Senior Editor, General Assignments, based in London. She has been Mashable's UK Editor (and still manages the illustrious UK team) and Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives searching for Exit 8. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror, and loves to nerd out with movie stars, filmmakers, and TV creators.