BTS have drawn a sharp line in their long, complicated history with the Grammys, saying they will not put their music forward for next year’s awards after the Recording Academy unveiled a new Asian pop category that has stirred criticism over how regional artists are recognised.
The decision comes as the South Korean superstars were expected to be strong contenders in several of the ceremony’s most prestigious races, including Album of the Year, following the success of their comeback record, ARIRANG, one of the year’s biggest-selling releases.
The seven-member act said they would sit out the competition after the academy added five new awards, among them Best Asian Pop Music Performance.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” BTS members said in coordinated posts on their individual Instagram accounts.
BTS made history as the first all-South Korean act to top Billboard’s US singles chart, reaching the summit with Dynamite, their 2020 English-language breakthrough.
They have performed on the Grammy stage and received multiple nominations, including for Best Music Video, but the group has yet to win a Grammy.
Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said in a statement he was “saddened” by the group’s decision and stressed that recognition in the Asian category would not prevent artists from competing for the night’s major prizes.
“The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he said.
“The spirit of this new category is to shine a dedicated spotlight on these important artists.”
ARIRANG, which takes its name from a South Korean folk song, is largely written in English but reflects on Korean identity in the wake of BTS’ hiatus for mandatory military service.
The album would not have been eligible for Best Asian Pop Music Performance, announced last month, because entries must include “meaningful use” of at least one Asian language.
‘Turned its back’
The Recording Academy has said the new prize is intended to recognise “artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets, including but not limited to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop”.
Critics, however, argue the category risks cordoning Asian performers off from the broader field rather than placing them in direct contention with their global counterparts.
Lee Ji-young, a BTS fan and a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said “by any objective measure, it is the Grammys that need BTS, not the other way around”.
“The fact that BTS turned its back on the Recording Academy first is also a sign that the authority the Grammys have long wielded as the gatekeeper – the one extending the invitation – is beginning to erode,” she told AFP.
BTS’ influence has long stretched beyond pop. The group has supported UNICEF campaigns and donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter in 2020, prompting fans to raise a matching sum.
They have also addressed anti-Asian hate and inclusivity at the White House in 2022, while speaking publicly about mental health.
The group recently wrapped a European tour and performed as the headline act for a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final in the United States.
Source: AFP
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