BTS’s decision to skip Grammy submissions this year has prompted a public response from Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who says he understands their stance as fellow creators. BTS argue music should be appreciated beyond geography or language, while fans accuse the Grammys’ new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category of isolating Asian artists and reinforcing past biases.
After global K-pop sensation BTS announced their nomination withdrawal from the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy shared their response with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. issuing a statement. The CEO'S official statement read, “I am deeply 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.”
RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook shared the same announcement on their individual accounts on Wednesday, explaining that the decision comes from wanting their music to be heard without categorisation based on region or language.
The announcement stated, “We have decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. We hope that music will be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorised by region or language. To ARMYs who have always stood by us and to everyone who has always supported us, thank you.”
BTS’s statement comes a month after the Grammys introduced a new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance, aimed to honour K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop.
Despite mixed reactions online, Harvey Mason Jr. defended the new category, “The Asian Pop Category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity, and extraordinary growth of Pop artistry coming out of Asia. The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists.”
Mason also added that the category was introduced to recognise more musicians around the world. “More categories mean more artists’ work is recognised. It’s never to divide but to expand who is recognised by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
The Grammys also received backlash from BTS’ fanbase ARMY, criticising the Academy’s new category by claiming that a regional category isolates Asian acts instead of allowing them fair competition in common fields like Album of the Year.
Fans also reported that Grammy site links and videos for past performances like Butter and Dynamite were taken down from the Academy’s web pages. Many fans have also claimed over the years that BTS previously were only nominated by the Grammys to increase viewership and engagement, further increasing debates on racism and unfairness.