BTS performing during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final halftime show. Photo Credit: Daniel Torok
Another year, another Grammys boycott – this time from K-pop sensation BTS, which has opted against submitting ARIRANG to the Recording Academy.
BTS announced as much in a Korean-language statement on social media. And as translated by regional outlets, which were unsurprisingly first to cover the Grammys pullout, the group opted against divulging the exact reasons for the decision.
“We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year,” BTS summed up. “We hope music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language. Thank you to ARMY and everyone who continues to support us.”
Lack of precise details aside, the decision arrived hot on the heels of an award-categories shakeup for the 2027 Grammys. As we broke down, the event is expected to feature an astonishing 100 categories, among them the newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance.
Per the Recording Academy, Best Asian Pop Music Performance is designed to recognize “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop, with meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.”
On the other hand, the all-encompassing category has elicited pushback in South Korea; per the Korea Times, critics have described it as “a form of segregation that sidelines Asian acts from major awards.”
It’d be easy enough to leave the explanation at that, but as many know, disputes of this nature tend to build up under the surface before boiling over. (And from there, boycotts sometimes make way for decisions to reconcile with the Academy and resume participating in “music’s biggest night.”)
In short, BTS’ trio of Grammys performances (2020-22) didn’t pave, or at least hasn’t yet paved, the way for K-pop to become an integral component of the lengthy awards show.
On the contrary, BTS’ commercially prominent solo releases, plus projects submitted by Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, and others, received a grand total of zero nominations at the 2024 Grammys. K-pop artists also failed to secure even one nomination in 2025.
Throw in comparative success (in terms of nominations and to a lesser extent wins) for Kpop Demon Hunters as well as Katseye and Blackpink’s Rosé at the 2026 Grammys, and you’re left with a recipe for a BTS boycott despite the prevalence (and ample English-language lyrics) of ARIRANG.
(Additionally, the language angle is significant in that for tracks submitted for consideration in the above-noted category, an “Asian language should play a significant role within the song in bilingual or multilingual structures such that the recording is identifiable with that language,” according to the appropriate rulebook.)
Nevertheless, in keeping with the history of some artists’ eventually putting Recording Academy disputes in the rearview, Hybe appears to have left the door open for a resolution.
In a statement provided to regional outlets, the K-pop giant clarified that this isn’t “a company-wide boycott” – despite involving its biggest act, of course.
The point is important because Hybe itself almost certainly made (or at a minimum approved) the decision not to submit ARIRANG. And on social media, ARMY diehards seem far from bothered by the move.
“We are so proud of BTS for taking a stand regarding the Grammys,” one superfan wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for leading the way in promoting non-discrimination! Grammys should be inclusive of everyone. Bravo!”
“🙌🙌🙌So proud of BTS,” another fan commented. “Grammys don’t deserve you, guys…you are in a higher league. 💜💜💜”
