BTS will not submit any music for the 69th Grammy Awards, a decision the group announced on July 29, 2026, in protest of the Recording Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
All seven members confirmed the move in a joint statement, and the dispute has since expanded into a wider debate over how the Grammys treat non-Western artists, plus a controversy over BTS’ performance videos vanishing from the Grammys’ own website.
Here is a full breakdown of the BTS Grammys boycott, including why it happened, what the group said, and how the Recording Academy has responded so far.
What Is the BTS Grammys Boycott?
The BTS Grammys boycott is the group’s decision to skip submitting music for the 69th Grammy Awards, set for February 7, 2027. All seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, posted the same message on their individual Instagram accounts.
The statement did not name the Recording Academy directly. It focused instead on wanting BTS’ music judged on its own terms rather than sorted by region or language, a point the group repeated in their original post.
Why Did BTS Decide to Boycott the Grammys?
According to media reports, BTS withdrew from the Grammys because of the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category introduced at the awards, an action seen as segregating Asian performers from award categories.
This is referred to as ghettoization by industry analysts, and Ted Chung supported BTS while asking about the fate of Latin performers.
This protest was after the March 2026 release of BTS’s comeback album Arirang, which made global hit charts after the end of their compulsory military service period.
USC professor Hye Jin Lee told Rolling Stone the boycott signals BTS has reached a point where they no longer need validation from Western institutions, a very different position than the group held five or six years ago.
What Is the Best Asian Pop Music Performance Category?
“Best Asian Pop Music Performance” is a brand new Grammy category, announced almost two months ahead of the deadline of August 28, which demands that the eligible songs must contain substantial portions in at least one Asian language.
Due to the fact that most of “Arirang” is performed in English, critics say the rule automatically eliminates groups like BTS from high-end categories like “Song of the Year.”
On top of it all, the category label itself has been criticized for its over-generalization. The Conversation explains why in an article that notes the huge variety of genres under this single umbrella: from Japanese singer-songwriters to various regional sub-genres of Chinese pop music.
What Did BTS Say in Their Statement?
As per BTS, they chose not to submit any song for the Grammy Awards because they would like people to “hear and love [the] music for what it is,” rather than dividing it geographically or linguistically.
The complete sentence from their joint statement goes as follows: “We have decided not to submit an entry for Grammy consideration this year. We hope music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
They also gave thanks to all of their supporters, ARMY and many others. Fans and journalists have pointed out that the statement was issued in Korean rather than in English, which Rolling Stone called an important detail in light of the language issue surrounding the newly created category.
How Did the Recording Academy Respond?
In an interview with Forbes, Mason explained that even though he was saddened to learn that BTS made such a decision, he respects it.
In particular, he stated that “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.”
Mason insisted that the introduction of the new category is aimed at recognizing the variety and sophistication of pop artistry emerging from Asia, adding that artists can still compete in the General Field if they wish. So far, Mason hasn’t made any changes to the category.
Why Were BTS’ Grammy Performance Videos Removed From the Website?
The performance videos of “Dynamite” by BTS in 2021 and “Butter” by BTS in 2022 at the Grammy Awards were deleted from the website and YouTube channel of the Grammys when the boycott announcement was made, making many people think that it is part of their retaliation.
The Recording Academy explained that it has nothing to do with the boycott, stating through a spokesperson to Korea JoongAng Daily that Grammy Award performances are licensed for only up to one year, and the videos of BTS had already been removed before the boycott announcement.
As for ARMY, they uploaded the lost performances again on social media and even commented that taking down the video from one particular website won’t take away BTS’ Grammy past.
Has BTS Boycotted the Grammys Before?
No, this is the first time that BTS has boycotted the Grammy Awards ceremony. The band has never attended the ceremony before without protesting against it. In 2023, however, none of the band members made an appearance although they had three nominations at the time.
The band has made three appearances at the Grammys, namely in 2020, 2021, and 2022. They have received a total of five nominations but have not won any yet.
These nominations include Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video nominations, as well as Album of the Year as featured artists in the album “Music of the Spheres” by Coldplay.
Will Other K-pop Artists Join the Boycott?
So far, no other major act has confirmed joining BTS.
Experts say BTS occupies a different position than most K-pop groups right now, having already achieved global commercial success, which gives them more room to make this kind of statement than a newer or still-rising act might have.
Conclusion: BTS Will Not be Submitting Their Music to Grammys
BTS’ decision to sit out the 69th Grammy Awards started as a protest against one new category, but it has grown into a broader conversation about how award shows classify artists who don’t fit neatly into a Western pop mold.
The Recording Academy has defended the change as expansion, not exclusion, while BTS and several industry figures see it as a new kind of ceiling. Neither side has moved, and for now, ARMY will be watching February 2027 from the outside.
FAQs
BTS announced the boycott on July 29, 2026, through a joint statement posted by all seven members on their individual Instagram accounts.
BTS is boycotting the Grammys to protest the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, which they and others see as separating Asian artists from the main award fields instead of including them.
The Recording Academy says no. A representative stated that the “Dynamite” and “Butter” performance videos were removed due to routine licensing expirations, not the boycott, though the timing led many fans to question that explanation.
No. BTS has been nominated five times but has not won a Grammy. The group has performed at the ceremony three times, in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
No group has confirmed joining BTS so far. Stray Kids has declined to say whether they will submit music for the 69th Grammy Awards.
