The biggest band in the world has ruled itself out of the biggest music awards show. BTS announced this week they will not submit any music for consideration at the 69th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2027.
Statement against new category
In a joint statement to their combined 450 million-plus Instagram followers, the seven members said: “We have decided not to enter. I hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” The decision came days after the Recording Academy introduced a new ‘Best Asian Pop Performance’ category, an award BTS would have been overwhelming favourites to win.
The united stance, posted in their native Korean, is seen as a sting at the Academy’s decision to pigeon-hole the band’s global success by their ethnicity, while allowing other artists to dodge the same trap. Historically, once the Grammys create a genre-specific category, artists find it near impossible to win a mainstream prize. A dedicated lane keeps BTS out of the running for the coveted ‘Big Four’ — Album, Song, Record and Performance of the Year.
Parallels with other artists
Last year, Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny made history by winning album of the year for his record Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first fully Spanish-language album to win the ultimate prize. In an irony difficult to ignore, this year the Recording Academy announced a Best Latin Song category for the first time ever. Accepting his award, Bad Bunny said it was for “All the Latinos in the entire world and to all the artists who came before and who deserved to be on this stage receiving this award.” Earlier, he had criticised the ceremony after his performance was labelled with a ‘[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH]’ banner.
Tyler, the Creator famously slammed the Grammys’ use of the ‘urban’ category, calling it “a politically correct way to say the n-word.” He added: “It sucks that whenever we — and I mean guys that look like me — do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category.”
BTS achievements and tour
Three No. 1 Billboard albums in under a year, tens of billions of Spotify streams and a catalogue of Guinness World Records place BTS among the most successful acts of the modern era. Unlike many of their peers, they have written and produced much of their own music since their debut, moving between pop, hip-hop, R&B, rock and electronic music. As live performers, they deliver three-hour stadium shows with raw vocals and relentless choreography.
The band’s 88-date Arirang World Tour included two nights at White Hart Lane in Tottenham, as they hopped from Brussels to London to Munich to Paris in less than 18 days, before heading to America for the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show. According to financial reports from their label, ticket sales and merchandise generated a record 1.45 trillion Korean won (around $987 million) in quarterly revenue.
Grammys need BTS more
Despite years of disappointment, BTS have embraced the Grammys, attending and performing three times — while never taking home an award. Each of their performances has become the most-watched in the show’s history on YouTube, underlining the value the group brings to the ceremony itself. Producers can kiss goodbye to any further billion-streaming viral moments next February. The group have parted ways with the ceremony, and likely their fans will too. The powerful omission statement, for themselves and the artists who will follow them, says more than any winner’s speech could.
