The globally acclaimed K-pop group BTS has announced that they will not submit their music for consideration at this year's Grammy Awards. This decision appears to be a protest against the Recording Academy's recent introduction of an "Asian Pop Music" category.
This move marks a significant shift for the group, which previously achieved a historic Grammy nomination in 2020 for their English-language single "Dynamite." The rejection of consideration comes after the band's return from a hiatus and the release of a chart-topping album. It remains uncertain whether BTS will submit music to the Recording Academy in the future.
Meanwhile, other major U.S. music award shows have been diversifying their offerings to acknowledge the expanding global reach of K-pop. The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) established a Best K-pop category in 2019, followed by the American Music Awards (AMAs) introducing a Favorite K-pop Artist award in 2022. Most recently, the Billboard Music Awards added four K-pop-related categories in 2023.
This development occurred as K-pop continues its significant global proliferation, with award bodies in the United States adapting by introducing new categories to meet the growing demand for recognition. Despite the introduction of new genre-specific categories, submitting music to these does not preclude artists from being considered in general categories like Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year, according to Mason.