Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has responded after BTS announced that it would not submit music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards, a move widely viewed as a boycott of the ceremony.
On July 30, the Grammys’ official account shared a statement from Mason addressing the group’s decision and the backlash surrounding the newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
“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 said.
He then sought to clarify what he described as a point that had been lost in the conversation.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he explained. “The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists. More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.”
Mason also stressed that submitting music in the Asian Pop category would not prevent artists from competing in the Grammys’ biggest awards.
“Submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop, or Jazz or Country does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year,” he said.
BTS announced on July 29 that it had decided not to submit its music to the Grammys this year. “We hope music can be heard and loved for the music itself, rather than being divided by region or language,” the group said.
The statement was widely interpreted as a pointed criticism of the Recording Academy’s decision to group music from countries including South Korea, China and Japan under a separate Asian Pop category.
Ironically, BTS’ chart-topping English-language single “SWIM,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, would not have been eligible for the new category in the first place. That detail has only added to questions over how the category defines Asian pop and which artists or releases it is intended to recognize.
BTS’ decision to sit out this year’s Grammy race is a notable blow to the awards’ global standing. It could also have a major impact on the telecast itself, which will be without one of the music industry’s biggest audience draws.
No surprises there! As usual .. always missing the point! Just because you SAY you created something to celebrate and include more — DOES NOT mean that’s what it actually does! Maybe if they spent more time paying attention to what people are saying about this and actually…
— SherryLuvsBTS⁷⁼¹ 💜 ⟭⟬ ⊙⊝⊜ ⟬⟭ 💜 (@SherryLuvsBTS) July 30, 2026
>>BTS Decided Not to Submit Their Music for the Grammys This Year
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