The joint decision reignites debate about the Recording Academy’s stance on inclusion and genuine artistic recognition.
South Korean septet BTS won’t submit their music for consideration at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards, the band announced on July 29. The shared statement, posted to the group members’ personal social media accounts, comes a month after the introduction of five new categories to the award ceremony, including Best Asian Pop Music Performance and Best Latin Song.
“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 into region or language,” read Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, V, Jimin and Jungkook’s coordinated statement on Instagram.
While the group didn’t explicitly state any reason, music journalists and fandom spaces have pointed out that the decision was likely influenced by the Recording Academy’s introduction of what many have considered to be “segregating categories” for major music segments enjoying global success.
Last June, the Recording Academy, currently powered by more than 3000 members working in the music industry, announced the creation of a new award category that “recognizes artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances.” The organization also created the new Best Latin Song category to recognize songwriters of newly written songs that contain at least 51% Spanish-language lyrics.
Inclusion or Segregation?
According to the Recording Academy, the updates aimed to reflect the music industry’s growth and the people shaping it. “[These changes] were all inspired by our music community sharing with us that they felt they needed to have more opportunities to celebrate different and new genres of music. That is the motivation in all we do: to make sure we’re serving music and representing music people accurately, inclusively and representatively,” said Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr.
Despite the organization framing the addition of new categories as a move toward representation, the announcement quickly revived a long-standing debate about “subtle racism” disguised as inclusion. Opinions were divided between supporters who believed the new categories would allow artists—especially those who haven’t broken into the mainstream in the United States—to receive recognition for their music and detractors who regarded the changes as an avenue of tokenistic celebration of music markets that stand out on their own.
Latin music (a broader term used to lump together music across genres created by Latin American artists and the diaspora), for example, is one of the world’s most successful music “genres.” Latin America itself is the fastest-growing region in terms of music revenue. In 2025, revenue figures grew by 17.1%, with Mexico and Brazil represented in the Top 10 of the largest music (country) markets.
Meanwhile, Japan, China and South Korea, some of the markets the “Asian Pop Music Performance” category seeks to represent, are the 2nd, 4th and 7th largest music markets in the world, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s latest report. Diluting the success of these local markets with a single category that conflates various music genres, musical cultures and languages seems offensive and overly simplistic, for lack of a better term.
A New Lane for Recognition or a Consolation Prize?
Furthermore, experts argue that adding categories for Asian and Latin stars instead of fostering an environment where musicians across the world can compete on equal footing creates the risk of “othering” musicians. They also claim that voting members of the Academy could potentially limit their support for Asian acts to the Asian-only categories, reinforcing barriers for these artists.
Then there is the idea that well-established names like BTS or Bad Bunny, despite their overwhelming success, cultural influence and global impact, are expected to compete in separate award categories, solely based on language use or place of origin, instead of being contenders for major award categories.
When the success and accolades of artists who belong to any ethnic minority easily rival or even surpass that of US-based or non-racialized peers, but the recognition is singled out, minimized or watered down, are these categories really a step towards equality and industry recognition?
Where’s the line between genuine acknowledgement, tokenist clout and success denial?
This isn’t the first time the Recording Academy sparks criticism for relegating racialized artists to secondary categories. Various Black artists have criticized their music’s incorporation in categories like R&B, Urban or Rap, although their musical projects exist beyond the confines of such genres.
Following his Grammy win in 2020, Californian musician Tyler, the Creator admitted to having mixed feelings about receiving the “Best Rap Album” award. “I’m half and half on it,” he said about the Grammy voting process. “On one side, I’m very grateful that what I made could just be acknowledged in a world like this. But also, it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending, they always put it in a ‘rap’ or ‘urban’ category. … I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. To me, it’s just a politically correct way to say the N-word. Why can’t we just be in pop?
“Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment. Like, ‘Oh, my little cousin wants to play the game, let’s give him an unplugged controller so he can shut up and feel good about it.’ That’s what it felt like a bit,” the singer added.
BTS’ decision to opt out of the Grammy race, however, is unprecedented for any Asian act of their caliber. Particularly, when the group was expected to rack up several nominations with their critically acclaimed and commercially successful Arirang, the septet’s first record since all seven members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.
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And though the group could’ve easily disregarded the Recording Academy’s new rules and categories as their album and title track “Swim” features English predominantly, allowing them to be contenders for categories like Song of the Year, their bold move speaks to their commitment to place artistry, integrity and dignity over accolades. Sitting out the Grammys is also a rejection of industry tactics that appear to systematically dilute the success of minorities and anyone outside the US mainstream.
BTS, after all, need no award to prove their success. Arirang, released in March 2026, topped charts worldwide. Today, every member of the group is globally recognized within music and adjacent industries, as tastemakers and pioneers. And they are currently embarking on an ambitious world tour that has set a new bar for South Korean acts.
