K-pop supergroup BTS has announced that it will not submit its music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.
The announcement was made through a coordinated Instagram post, with all seven members RM, Jimin, V, Suga, Jungkook, Jin and J-Hope sharing the same statement.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” the translated statement read. The group added that it hoped music could be “heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.”
The decision comes after BTS was widely expected to contend for major Grammy categories following the success of their comeback album, Arirang, which has become one of the year’s biggest-selling releases.
Its lead single, Swim, also reached number one in the United States and was expected to be considered for Song of the Year.
However, the group’s decision comes amid controversy surrounding a newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.
Under the Grammy rules, entries for the category must contain “meaningful use” of an Asian language. More than 80% of the lyrics on Arirang are reportedly performed in English, potentially making the album and its songs ineligible.
The new category has received a mixed response among K-pop fans, with some arguing that it risks placing Asian artists into a separate category rather than recognising them equally across the broader Grammy awards.
BTS appeared to address those concerns by specifically referring to both “region” and “language” in their statement.
The group concluded its message by thanking its dedicated fanbase, known as ARMY.
The Recording Academy, which organises the Grammy Awards, has yet to publicly respond to BTS’ decision.
BTS, formed in 2013, has become one of the world's biggest-selling music acts. The group received its first Grammy nomination in 2021 for Dynamite, becoming the first K-pop act to be nominated for the awards.
All seven members have been voting members of the Recording Academy since 2019. Despite receiving several nominations and performing at the ceremony, BTS has yet to win a Grammy.
The group now joins a number of high-profile artists who have withdrawn from or criticised the awards over the years, including The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Frank Ocean and Will Smith.
The Grammys has also taken steps in recent years to expand its engagement with K-pop and the South Korean music industry, adding prominent Korean artists and producers to its voting academy.
At the most recent ceremony, Blackpink's Rosé received a major nomination and performed her hit collaboration APT. with Bruno Mars. KPop Demon Hunters also made history when Golden became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy, taking home the award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
However, the song would also reportedly have been ineligible for the new Asian Pop category because its lyrics are predominantly in English.