{"id":22027,"date":"2026-07-30T12:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22027"},"modified":"2026-07-30T12:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:54:25","slug":"grammys-ceo-reacts-to-bts-backing-out-in-protest-to-asian-pop-category","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22027","title":{"rendered":"Grammys CEO reacts to BTS&#8217; backing out in protest to Asian pop category"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The CEO of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/tag\/grammys\">Grammys<\/a> has reacted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/bts\">BTS<\/a> backing out of the ceremony to protest the Asian pop category.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, the Grammys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/grammys-announce-changes-to-rules-along-with-five-new-categories-3951323\">confirmed that next year\u2019s awards would feature the Best Asian Pop Music category<\/a>. The category aims to celebrate \u201cartistic excellence\u201d in pop music from Asian markets, and entries must possess meaningful use of one or more Asian language.<\/p>\n<p>In response, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bts-refuse-to-submit-to-grammys-in-response-to-new-asian-pop-category-we-hope-our-music-can-be-heard-and-loved-for-what-it-is-3959633\">BTS announced they would refuse to submit their new album \u2018Arirang\u2019 <\/a>for the category. \u201cWe hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages,\u201d they said. \u201cWe are grateful to our \u2018ARMY\u2019 and everyone who has always supported us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Harvey Mason Jr \u2013 the CEO of the Recording Academy \u2013 has commented on BTS\u2019 reaction, sharing: \u201cI am saddened to hear that\u00a0<a id=\"auto-tag_bts\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/bts\/\" data-tag=\"bts\">BTS<\/a> has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went on to clarify that the Asian Pop category \u201cwas 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\u2019 work is recognized. It\u2019s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He added that any artists submitting music in any genre category are still eligible to participate in the General Field Categories, such as Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. \u201cRecognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAn artist can absolutely pursue both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Next year\u2019s event, will be held on February 7, 2027. Submissions opened on July 7 and will close on August 28.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_3939732\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3939732\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3939732\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270.jpg\" alt=\"BTS concert Goyang Stadium Arirang World Tour\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270-400x254.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270-800x508.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270-696x442.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270-1392x884.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bts-concert-review-goyang-stadium-arirang-world-tour-credit-big-hit-hybe@2000x1270-1068x678.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3939732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">BTS perform at Goyang Stadium on the \u2018Arirang\u2019 world tour on April 11, 2026. Credit: Big Hit Music\/HYBE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-features\/grammys-no-k-pop-category-bts-explainer-opinion-2957715\">we argued that the Grammys shouldn\u2019t add an Asian Pop category<\/a>, writing: \u201cDoing so might give a handful of Korean groups new bragging rights and a shiny new trophy to display, but how much would it do for them in the wider world? If you\u2019re not already interested in a particular genre or scene, the likelihood of you paying that much attention to a niche category celebrating its artists is low, so the chances of such a field bringing heaps of recognition onto K-pop stars also seems slim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSegregating awards shows by language or region, as already happens with the Grammys\u2019 Latin and \u201cglobal music\u201d categories, continues to perpetuate the othering of music that isn\u2019t Western, white (until very recently Black artists also struggled to be considered in the main categories) and English-led,\u201d we added.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, we gave \u2018Arirang\u2019 a four-star review when it landed last March. \u201cIn the days before BTS made their historic live comeback in Seoul\u2019s Gwanghwamun Square, a banner adorning a nearby building\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.koreaherald.com\/article\/10696175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described the group as \u201cBorn in Korea. Play for the world.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s an apt characterisation of what they\u2019ve always done \u2013 mixing the cultural heritage of their home country with global influences, an approach that lights up \u2018Arirang\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter nearly four years, BTS are back doing what they do best \u2013 serving as both ambassadors and explorers, fuelled by curiosity and creativity,\u201d we concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/fans-react-to-chris-martins-world-cup-haltime-show-and-wayne-rooneys-viral-assessment-3957904\">BTS recently performed<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/chris-martin\">Chris Martin<\/a>-curated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/tag\/world-cup\">World Cup<\/a>\u00a0final halftime show alongside,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/madonna\">Madonna<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/justin-bieber\">Justin Bieber<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/shakira\">Shakira<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/burna-boy\">Burna Boy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('consent', 'revoke');\n  fbq('init', '370979561341328');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The CEO of the Grammys has reacted to BTS backing out of the ceremony to protest the Asian pop category. Recently, the Grammys confirmed that next year\u2019s awards would feature the Best Asian Pop Music category. The category aims to celebrate \u201cartistic excellence\u201d in pop music from Asian markets, and entries must possess meaningful use&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bts_comeback_2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}