The CEO of the Grammys, Harvey Mason Jr, has responded to BTS’s decision not to participate in the 2027 Awards due to the introduction of a new ‘Asian Pop’ category.
On Monday just gone (27 July), the South Korean megastars put out a message via Instagram simply saying: “We decided not to participate in the Grammys this year” and adding that they “hope that music can be heard and loved by itself rather than being divided by region or language.”
This was widely seen as a response to the announcement in June of five new categories, including ‘Best Asian Pop Performance’. Having released one of the biggest albums in the world this year in Arirang, BTS would surely have been favourites for the award. Their withdrawal arguably renders the category somewhat redundant.
Mason Jr has defended the original decision and said it was introduced with the best of intentions: “I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision.”
He continued: “I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was 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’ work is recognised. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognised by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
Mason pointed out that if artists submit music to the Asian Pop category that does not rule them out from being nominated in the more general high-profile categories: Record Of The Year and so on.
“As we continue to expand the reach, our membership and our awards, regardless of geography or language, I want to emphasise that we will continue to listen to the global music community and work to honour and celebrate all the artists whose music moves the world,” he explained.
The Grammys, of course, is known for having endless categories that ensures the actual ceremony itself can be something of an endurance test. There have been separate awards for Latin music going back to the first Awards in the late 1950s and a Best African Music Performance category was added in 2024.
But there has never been a ‘Best European Music Performance’ and perhaps this is BTS’s point. One man’s ‘dedicated spotlight’ is another person’s ghetto. Depending on where you stand on the globe.
