BTS will not submit their record-breaking comeback album ARIRANG to the upcoming 2027 Grammy Awards in their own name. In a unified and strong-worded statement on their individual Instagram accounts on July 29, all seven members - RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook - addressed their global fan base (ARMY) saying this decision was made at a time when the group's eagerly awaited comeback album has dominated the global music charts for nearly five months since it was released and was a leader for the band to win a first Grammy award.
The move came just a week after the Recording Academy in June announced the establishment of a new category for “Asian Pop” (K-pop, J-pop and C-pop) as well. According to the academy's criteria for eligibility, tracks to be included in the category must be in one or more Asian languages. While the Recording Academy framed it as an acknowledgment of the booming global influence of Asian pop culture, the rule quickly ignited a bitter debate in the music world. Critics and passionate K-pop fans felt language-based restriction left Asian artists in a marginalized position and was preventing them from being able to truly compete with the big field categories like Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
BTS' fifth studio album, ARIRANG, has a diverse bilingual track list with big global hits in it. Some of these tracks are regional but the album's biggest commercial success was anchored by English-language mega-hits like SWIM which broke streaming metrics and conquered the Billboard Hot 100 and ARIRANG which took top honors on the Billboard 200. Industry observers said the timing and technical hurdles of new Grammy guidelines have created a double-bind for global artists who are able to transcend language barriers, and so the conversation shifted from inclusion to segregation.
The artists spoke in a joint statement, which was in Korean, and expressed a desire for music to be judged on its merits and not geography or language or regionality. Although HYBE, the management agency, said the decision was made by the members as they listened to the overall impact on the Korean music industry and was not a boycott as such, it is clear that the team had a message to communicate. The remaining artists under the label are free to submit their work, but BTS’s decision is a historic one. The group has received multiple nominations since 2019 and still has yet to win a single one - and as the countdown to the 69th Grammy Awards on February 7, 2027 gets on track again the question of how major Western awards institutions have come to recognize and honor international talent is very much at the forefront.
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