BTS Boycott the Grammys, But Will Other Artists Follow? - Rolling Stone

BTS announced on July 29, 2026, via a collective Korean-language message on their individual Instagram accounts, that they would not submit an entry for Grammy consideration this year, a month after the Recording Academy introduced a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
The group stated they hope music can be "heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language," thanking their ARMY fandom for their support.
Their choice to communicate in Korean was widely read as a refusal to be marginalized into a niche category, which some speculate was created to acknowledge K-pop's popularity without recognizing artists in major general fields like Album of the Year or Record of the Year.
Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. responded that he was "saddened" by the decision, defending the Asian Pop category as a celebration of the diversity and growth of Asian pop artistry and arguing that more categories mean more artists are recognized.
The boycott follows the major success of BTS's critically acclaimed album Arirang, released in March after the members completed their mandatory South Korean military service; it topped charts worldwide.
Few other musicians have joined the boycott, with experts noting BTS's unique industry standing; USC professor Hye Jin Lee said the move signals the group no longer seeks validation from Western institutions, while HYBE indicated other label artists remain free to submit their own work.