BTS Declines to Submit to 69th Grammys, Rejecting Division by Region and Language

BTS Backs Out of Submitting to the 69th Grammys on the Spot… Rejects Limits of ‘Arirang’ by Region

Backlash After the Creation of ‘Best Asian Pop,’ Even as It Reaches No. 1 on Billboard; An Unusual Boycott Declaration for the Ceremony for the Third Straight Year

An Unprecedented Move by the Global Mainstream, a Stark Warning to a White-Centered Music Industry

The group “BTS” made a bold decision not to submit music for the “Grammy Awards” at next February’s 69th ceremony. On the 29th, they officially rolled out the boycott of this year’s awards through their official channels, laying out a firm philosophy that they want music to be evaluated for what it is—not trapped by the confines of a particular region or language. The decision is drawing heightened attention across the global music world, especially because it came right after “Arirang,” their regular fifth album, completely seized the main U.S. Billboard chart.

The Trap of a New ‘Asian Pop’ Category, Sparks Controversy Over Blocking Entry Into the Main Awards

At the center of this dispute is the “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category recently launched by the Recording Academy. The organizers cited the expansion of Asian music’s global influence, but they faced fierce criticism that the industrial and musical context of totally different popular music from South Korea, China and Japan had been lumped together simply on geographic criteria. The dominant analysis is that it reflects a Western-centered cartel aiming to exclude “K-pop”—at the top of the global pop market—from the general field (main awards) and relegate it to a peripheral category.

Artists Who Go Beyond the Trophy, Breaking a Solid Glass Ceiling

Since it began in 1959, the “Grammys” has drawn endless scrutiny for its exclusionary attitude toward non-Black artists. Omissions in nominations for The Weeknd, and the case involving Blackpink Rosé’s “Apartment” being left out, are cited as representative examples that show the deep insularity of the mainstream U.S. music industry. Having carried on meaningful challenges by landing on the candidate list for three straight years, “BTS” has now moved beyond the stage where it would prove its own value with trophies. Experts in the popular music world described the move as a monumental act of resistance against the highest-prestige group, saying that it is a weighty decision born of the enormous cultural influence the group built together with “ARMY”.