BTS Boycotts Grammys, Rejecting Division of Music by Language

The group BTS abruptly announced on the 29th that it will not submit music to the 69th Grammy Awards to be held in February next year.

BTS said via social media that afternoon, "We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year." The group added, "We hope that music can be loved for the music itself, rather than being divided by region or language," and "We thank ARMY (the fandom name) and everyone who is always with us."

BTS created a global sensation with its fifth full-length album "ARIRANG," released in March, sweeping the No. 1 spots on both Billboard's main singles and albums charts in the United States.

Nevertheless, its declaration that it will not compete for the Grammy Awards, which hold the highest authority in the popular music world, is analyzed as a critical stance on the Grammys' announcement last month that it would establish a "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category by separating out Asian music from Korea, China, Japan and others.

The "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category was created to honor excellence in Asian pop music, including K-pop, J-pop (Japanese pop music) and C-pop (Chinese pop music), that meaningfully uses the language of one or more Asian countries and comes from Asia or is recognized locally.

The Grammys explained that the category was established in recognition of the growing influence Asian pop is having on the global music industry. However, within the music industry, criticism has been consistently raised that Western-centric thinking is reflected in grouping the popular music of Korea, China and Japan—which share no common musical denominator—under the "regional unit" of Asia. There was also analysis that it is a move to confine K-pop, whose influence is growing in global music markets such as the United States, to the "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category rather than the major categories.

The Grammy Awards is a ceremony held annually since 1959 by the Recording Academy, an organization of music professionals including singers, producers, recording engineers and critics, and holds the highest authority in the popular music world. However, compared with other popular music award ceremonies in the United States, it has faced constant criticism for being particularly conservative and exclusionary toward non-white artists.

At the Grammy Awards, when artists submit their work, winners are decided through a first round of voting and a final vote by members of the host organization, the Recording Academy. The criticism is that the awards are stingy with "new choices" due to the closed nature of the membership, which is largely composed of traditional groups from the American mainstream music scene.

Pop star The Weeknd swept the world with his hit song "Blinding Lights," but at the 2021 Grammy Awards he failed to win—and was not even nominated—sparking controversy.

BTS first connected with the Grammy Awards in 2019 as a presenter for the "Best R&B" category. The following year, through a joint performance with Lil Nas X, they became the first in K-pop history to take the stage at the ceremony. Since then, they were nominated for three consecutive years starting in 2021 in categories including "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance," but regrettably did not win.

Popular music critic Lim Hee-yoon assessed BTS's decision as "a brave move toward the Grammys," saying, "The United States is the largest music market, but it is a local awards ceremony, not one aimed at the entire world, and in that sense BTS has become an artist that does not necessarily need to win a Grammy."

Meanwhile, regarding BTS's decision, its agency Big Hit Music said, "It is the artist's decision," adding, "The company respects the artist's decision."